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Fandom Demon Slayer: Blood War

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Nothingness

Two Thousand Club










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Xiang Zhao





Tokyo, Japan





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It's been three hours now. Three long hours of standing in this same god-forsaken line and it felt like it wasn't moving whatsoever. "What's taking so damn long?! C'mon!" The sound of a large burly man shouted several feet behind from Xiang who was ahead of him by a few other people that were in line as well. "It's been over three fucking hours! How has this not moved?!" Shouting louder and louder as the seconds went by, Xiang remained silent as he sighed under his breath, knowing well enough that how he was feeling was the same way this man was as well.
The line which stretched out the door and around the corner of the large building was to sign up as a contestant to a fighting tournament where the winner was to win a large cash prize. Luckily, since the tournament was being held in the evening so that people from around the city could come and watch the fights after work, Xiang was able to stand in the line in his normal attire which consisted of a black dress shirt and tie along with a pair of dress pants and dress shoes. While the clothing he wore made him stick out rather easily amongst the rest of the contestants, he planned to win the tournament before heading over to the bar so that he could get to work for the evening. He had already informed his boss that he was going to take most of the night off, although hadn't told her that he was going to be joining the fighting tournament.

As the waiting continued, suddenly the person that had been in front of the line was soon thrown to the side only to hear a young male's voice shouting from the shock of being thrown as he had fallen onto his rear before scurrying off in tears. Staring as the young male ran off, Xiang arched a brow for a few moments only to shake his head soon after when the line began to move at a much more rapid pace. Within a matter of minutes, he was finally able to get out from under the moon's rays as he entered the large facility and eventually reached the front of the line where an elderly man was taking down names of contestants. "Name?" The elderly man spoke without so much as staring up towards Xiang. "Xiang Zhao." Answering the question, the man pointed to the side with his pen where other contestants were standing and waiting for the next step to entering the tournament.

Rather than ask any questions to avoid annoying any others that were still waiting behind him, Xiang proceeded to head over towards one of the benches just to take a seat. While seated, his dark brown gaze shifted as he scanned the room just to see who his future opponents were going to be. Some of them appeared to look as though they were a tag-team, others looked unbelievably muscular while others had the appearance of someone who was overly agile and quick on their feet. Just from the look of things though, they all appeared to be humans and if so, then this was going to be as simple as he had expected it to be.




♡coded by uxie♡
 
正義
Marumachi Ryutan
Ex-Demon Slayer
Tokyo, Japan
"One, two, three, four..." A young man would be counting on as he exercised, not concerned about the noise of the people around him at the slightest. He would continue his push-ups without much care until a leaner man looked over at him. "Geez kid, take it easy. You won't have any energy left in ya by the time the fights start-" The leaner man warned, as the young one would hop to his feet and do a few quick punches at the air before looking at the one who spoke. "I'll be fine, I'd worry about yourself to be honest." The younger one had some spunk, not unwilling to say something potentially offensive. The leaner man stood and grabbed the young one by his shirt. "Watch your mouth, brat! Who do you think you are, huh?!" As the leaner man asked his question in anger, the young one would laugh before grabbing the wrist of the man who dared to grab him. "Ryutan. Marumachi Ryutan, the one who will win this little tourney." Ryutan said with a confident glare before squeezing the man's wrist tight, causing him to let go which made the older gentleman retreat to a different seating place for now.

As the man left, Ryutan couldn't help but laugh before finally taking a seat as well so he could recover the stamina he did lose from the workout he did. Looking at the various fighters with different build and fighting style that were within the arena made him even more excited for the fights to come, even if all these people seemed to be human. Though one participant did seem to catch Ryu's gaze more than the others, a man that wore attire that fit more in a fancy restaurant than arena, and the man seemed completely unfazed by the opponents around. 'That participant is hiding something, no one comes to a tourney dressed like that unless they have some sort of advantage over others...' Ryutan thought to himself before shrugging his shoulders and stretched, looking to the other participants once more in hopes of finding another interesting one like the well-dressed man.

Interactions: N/A
Code by Serobliss
 
Fang Guiying


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Mentions :
None

Location :
An Arena?

Two more deliveries remained of Fang’s last round before he would clock out. One was a single order of cheese pizza and the other was a bulk purchase consisting of multiple pies. Fang wore the standard uniform for Mel’s pizza: a black collared shirt with white trim, dark loose slacks, and a black baseball cap with a red visor. Money jingled from the palm of his hand and continued to bounce around within his pants pocket—he stood outside of the home of his last shopper and prepared himself for another round. He sat back onto his bike and swung the heavy bag over his shoulder. The cool evening air blew through his short black hair, and Fang smiled at the simple pleasure of being alive. The spokes of his bike spun as he kicked off into the streets. Using Breathing he blitzed past pedestrians and cars alike. In his approach forward he swerved between a bench and a trashcan in a precise arch. An older woman who sat at the bench nearly dived out of her seat in fear of a collision. While he seemed reckless Fang was well aware of his navigational prowess. “Sorry!” He spat out as he advanced forward, unsure if it even found her ears.

Fang reached his destination in under five minutes. He dismounted his bike and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later there was a faint click, and then the sound of a chain being pulled off its hook. The front door opened and the owner of the house emerged. He appeared to be an elderly man with white hair and skin; he had a paunch that hung over his belt. His eyes were sunken and tired, yet brightened when they landed upon Fang. In his hand, Fang carried the warm box and inched it closer to the intended recipient.

"Thank you," the old man said with a smile, "I don't know what I'd do without your deliveries." Fang nodded, knowing exactly how this conversation would end. The two made small talk about the weather and the neighborhood before they exchanged pleasantries and parted ways. Once again the money from the transaction bounced around in Fang's pocket. As he pedaled off, he had a feeling that today wouldn't be the same as every other day. It felt different—the way the air smelled and the feel of the road under his tires. He trusted his instincts and was careful to mind his peripherals as he approached the final destination.

Outside the building was a heavy line that only continued through the entrance. Curiously, the individuals that formed the line were much bulkier than the average person and mostly male. Fang had a lot of exposure to these types of people in his younger years. Always eager to fight and make money off of other people. He lowered his head so that the dim skylight would create a smooth silhouette across his face. If anyone knew him from his adolescence things could get bad. Still, he had a delivery to make to someone here.

The group of men in front of him seemed to be huddled together in discussion. They were loud and obnoxious, talking amongst themselves in deep tones. Fang waited patiently until the crowd dispersed enough that he could slip through. He observed them closely while remaining hidden behind one of the pillars that lined the entryway. Their actions were not unlike what he grew accustomed to back on the street. There was fighting, cursing, and a general air of chaos. At the forefront of the line was an older man who looked to be in charge. He wore a long black coat and a fedora that he held low to conceal his face. He spoke in an authoritative tone and gestured with his hands like some sort of ringmaster directing a circus. Fang approached him with several barely warm boxes of pizza in hand. “Someone order a snack?” He asked with a small quiver of nervousness. Did I get the right address?

The man raised his arm in the air and called out, "One moment please."

In a matter of moments, the man returned accompanied by a large man in a leather jacket. The man was tall and broad-shouldered, with a full beard that was braided into his head. “Just in time for the show.” He said as he wrapped his meaty arms around Fang's waist and placed a hand on his shoulder. Fang felt the hairs on his neck stand up and wanted nothing more than to escape. The man's breath smelt like cheap whiskey and cigars. Despite this Fang complied and followed the two down the hall toward the main event. The hallway was very narrow and dimly lit. Fang felt himself begin to sweat and wished that he had paid more attention to his surroundings. At the end of the hall, there was a large double door. Inside were several men sitting around a card table. The room was littered with bottles of liquor and ashtrays filled with butts. There was a noticeable odor of drugs mixed in with the smell of stale cigar smoke. The atmosphere was tense, and the conversations among the men were growing louder as they approached. Fang stopped and turned to the man holding him. "Is this the right place?" he asked.

The man gave him a lopsided grin and replied, "Of course it is. We're all waiting for you." He pushed Fang ahead and shoved him into the room. Two large hands tugged the boxes from his palms with one pull. The man then cleared some space on the table and set the boxes down. “The fights are gonna start soon. Why don’t you stay and watch?” Behind him was a glass pane to what looked like some sort of arena with spectators gathering underneath. They were above them all, hidden in what looked like one of several box suites for VIPs. Fang wanted to run away, but the man did not let go of his waist. Fang was not yet aware of their motivation for dragging them into this, he did not recognize any of their faces but his whole body was tense. He hoped they were just standard drunk jerks who wanted to scare a delivery boy. He stepped forward and took a seat beside the others in the circle as they placed what looked like bets.
 
Demon Slayer
Yume Shimizu
Location: The Arena | Tags: None
"That's it for today's stream!" Yume chimed as she did a quick spin in her chair. "I'll be away for a few days, but be sure to tune in on Wednesday at 10am! I'll be continuing my stream of Shin Megami Tensai III! Until then, Usagi out!" As those words escaped her lips, she waved both hands towards her camera before ending the stream.

As soon as the camera was cut, Yume sank back into her seat, breathing out a heavy sigh and taking her headset off. How long had she been streaming? Admittedly, she had lost track, but glancing at her screen, she was quick to figure it out. Another ten hour day. That was nothing new to her. Streaming was her livelihood after all, or at least it was between tournaments and slaying demons. It was a lot for her to juggle, yet she found some balance in the chaos. It was all she could do. Everyday, she had to act as if she was a normal girl, streaming games to quite a large audience. Lying to them about her dual life had become second nature, and often she felt horrible about it. The longer she put on this front, the harder it became for her to keep it up. Even now, as she sat at her desk, she knew she had work still to be done. Her duties as a slayer were only just beginning.

It had become a common thing. Yume would stream most days, only taking off if she was required to perform some kind of investigation during the day. At night was generally when she actually took action as a slayer and found herself working into the early hours of the morning, only to wake up early and start it all over again. Her body often cried for sleep, yet she could never offer it more. She was a workaholic, and not in the good way. Energy drinks had become her best friend, and she often relied too heavily on them to keep her body energized. Hell, she had even become sponsored by her favorite brand.

Rolling her shoulders back, Yume let another sigh escape her lips as she quickly began clicking away at her PC to shut everything down before she got up. Striding across the room, she quietly moved from her "gamer cave" to her bedroom to get changed. Wearing her streamer outfit out to where she was about to go seemed less than ideal, even though she was sure the adults she was about to be around would have little clue who she actually was. It was better to be safe rather than sorry. That was the life of being popular. Besides, she couldn't afford to mess things up. Not tonight.

Rumors had reached her several days ago about a tournament taking place nearby the many shady business owners would be attending and betting on. Among those expected to be in attendance was supposedly the demon businessman that had killed her father four years ago. All this time, and finally a rumor of his whereabouts had risen. How he had gone undetected this long was baffling to her, but she couldn't complain. She had needed to be ready for when they would meet. The only downside was she doubted it would be easy to sneak her sword inside the arena, which only added to her frustration. All these years of searching, and it was likely she wouldn't be able to finish the job tonight. Information was better than nothing.

Passing her sword by, she moved to change, opting to wear parts of her Demon Slayer uniform, albeit only her personal haori and the rabbit mask. Besides that, she wore an athletic fit, baby blue shirt and a pair of dark gray leggings. Both would allow her to be flexible if a situation were to arise. On her feet, she slipped on a pair of white sport sneakers. Satisfied, Yume briefly moved to her mirror and looked herself over, humming softly in thought as she did. "Probably don't need these." Rubbing the painted hearts from her cheeks, a brief frown crossed her lips. Looking cute while out was too much to ask for. "Should probably change my hair up too." Grumbling softly at the thought, Yume tugged the hair ties out and messily braided her hair instead. "This should do."

Now, she was truly ready. Turning on her heels, she made her way towards the exit of her small flat. For someone so young, she sure did in a nice place. Her mother wouldn't have had it any other way, though from how Yume lived, it hardly seemed that way. Grabbing her phone and keys as she made for the door, she tucked them away and exited her home with little hesitation.

The cool night air felt nice against her face, especially after a long day of streaming. Gaming did force her to work up a sweat, which was embarrassing. She'd never admit to it though. The night would take all that away after all. Yume needed it. What it didn't help was her nerves. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and the look in her eyes hinted at a hidden sense of fear. Was she actually scared? No, she had fought many demons before. That hardly bothered her, but then why did she feel this way? It was something she could not answer, nor did she have the time to think about. Her destination was all she needed to worry about.

With each step, Yume steadied her breathe, knowing it was best to stay calm even if fear lingered deep inside. As the minutes passed by, her mind raced with possibilities of how the night could shape out, but all those were brought to a stop once she arrived. The line to get in was out the door, though appeared to be moving steadily. Most appeared to be burly men, though she hardly cared. Pulling her mask over her face, she continued forward. All she needed to do was get inside and find her way to the VIP suites. That was where her target would be waiting, and even if he didn't show, she could learn about him from others present. It was a solid plan, or so she believed. The only hard part was sneaking in. While she could easily get in under her parents company given its notoriety, but using it would only raise questions to her mother. That was the last thing she wanted. Thus, getting in the hard way was her only option.

As she arrived inside, she quickly looked around, trying to assess the best route to take. The big VIP sign on the wall was a good start. Scurrying in the direction it pointed, things were going good until she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Do you have a VIP pass, miss?" The question sent a shudder down Yume's spine, but she did her best to remain calm. Turning to face the much taller man, she sheepishly smiled, though it was blocked by her masked, and she quickly began to feel around on her person, acting as if she was searching for a pass. "Aw damn! I must have left it at home," she lied, hoping the man would buy such a line. Unfortunately for her, he didn't budge. His face remained stern. "If you have no pass then go to the general admission section." Feeling his hand lift from her shoulder, Yume watched as he stepped in front of the hallway leading into the suites. There was no getting in. This wasn't going to plan. Nonetheless, she bowed her head, slightly in defeat, but mostly as a fake sign of respect before she turned to move towards general admission. However, she would be stopped once again.

A hand grabbing her arm was enough to cause a surprised squeak to escape her lips. "Oh ho ho! Look at you!" the new man laughed out, the scent of booze reeking off his breath as he did. "There ain't many like you coming in here. You'd be a real crowd pleaser, girlie." Scowling at his words, Yume felt disgusted by his action, yet she knew better than to make a scene. She couldn't afford to draw unwanted attention to herself. "We're gonna get you signed up right away!" That statement was enough to get her to pull back against his grip, albeit not at her full strength. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not here to fight. I'm just here to watch."

"Nonsense! Look at your getup! You scream fighter to me! Oh, this crowd would love a masked woman like yourself," the man went on. Without any warning, the man picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, taking Yume entirely by surprise, too surprised to even fight back. Before she knew it, she was down in the fighters signup area. It was then she was put down and the man moved over to the sign in table. "Sign this girlie up! She'll be a real fan favorite! Come on now girlie! Give the man your name!"

It was clear she had little choice in the matter, as much as she hated the idea of partaking. Still, maybe it would help her get answers by the end of the night. Sigh softly, Yume shifted her weight onto her right side and placed her hand on her hip. "Okra Sage." Mentally, she slapped herself from coming up with such a name, but the names of her rabbits were the first thing to come to mind. She couldn't use her real name after all, not with the possibility of her father's murderer being present. Her surname alone would be cause for alarm.

Watching the man write it down, Yume's gaze briefly moved to the other that had dragged her here. "Have fun now girlie! I'll be betting on your victory!" Those were the last words he spoke before leaving her on her own again. This really couldn't get any worse.
Code By Nano
 










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Xiang Zhao





Tokyo, Japan -- Tournament Waiting Room





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Tags: Anthem Anthem











After practically sizing up most of the competition, Xiang exhaled a deep sigh as he leaned himself forward upon the bench, resting his arms upon his knees while staring at the cement flooring, patiently waiting to see what the next step was to join the tournament. Minutes passed as more and more contestants flooded the room until the flow of fighters finally came to a halt.
Soon after, a short gentleman who stood up to about 4'8'', stepped into the room from a pair of metal double doors on the side, his attire clearing showing that he was a staff member considering the green vest he wore with 'staff' printed in all bold letters on the back. The male appeared to had been in his late forties as he carried a clipboard that contained all the names of the contestants. "Ahem. Excuse me! If I could please have your attention everyone. Please, follow me to the waiting area." And with that, the man turned around before heading down the hall expecting the participants to follow him as he instructed.

Without a moment to waste, the entire room began to follow after the man while some of the contestants continued their conversations with one another throughout the walk.
Throughout the walk, the staff member would constantly come to a pause in front of a pair of metallic double doors, calling out several names off his clipboard to enter the room that he had stopped at before moving forward towards the next destination. By the time the man had reached the final waiting room there were a mere handful of contestants remaining that he informed to enter the final room before finally leaving to continue with the rest of his duties.

Xiang just so happen to have been in one of the first few rooms which allowed him to return to taking a seat onto another available bench while waiting for yet again, the next step of the process. The large room consisted of lockers lining the back wall, long tables along one of the sidewalls which had an assortment of different foods for contestants to fill up on before their fight if they so wished, multiple benches to sit down upon and television screens on every upper corner for those to see who was up next as well as to watch the current fights.

Minutes after everyone had gotten settled into their rooms, each of the television screens lit up to reveal the arena ring as the same short gentleman from earlier had now been stepping into the middle of the platform, now dressed in a formal suit and tie, he gripped onto a microphone that was hanging by a cord in the center while addressing the audience which had been cheering loudly by this point in time. "Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you all for coming tonight to the annual battle arena tournament! As you all know, every year, people from all over the globe gather here to show us their might and prove that they are the strongest beings in the world! Not only will this person have bragging rights for an entire year, but they'll be walking with some heavy pockets full of cold-hard credits! I sure hope they've got some help, cause that'll be a lot to hold onto...Now, I'm sure you're all just as excited as I am, so let's not keep you all waiting!" As the crowd cheered, the man placed his right index and middle finger to an earpiece just to get the details of the first round before clearing his throat.

"Alright folks! First up, we have a young gentleman who is brand new to the tournament! Born and raised here in our very own home of Tokyo, Japan. Weighing in 166pounds and standing at a height of exactly 6feet. Give a warm welcome to our very own...Marumachi Ryutan!" As the cheering of the crowd roared loudly throughout the stadium, the announcer continued as he prepared to welcome Marumachi's opponent. "And his opponent! Coming all the way straight from the United States of America, three-time heavyweight championship winner in the UFC. Weighing in 236pounds, standing at a height of 6'4''. Let's give a hardy welcome to Joshua Rodriguez!" While the cheers were just as loud for the foreigner, there were a mix of insults also being shouted at the man due to the general fact that he was a foreigner.

Throughout the announcements, Xiang sat idly still while staring at the screen, listening as to how many of those that were in the same room as him were already putting out comments on how Marumachi was going to lose the fight since he was new to the tournament, and considering the stats, they believed he was far outmatched. Xiang on the other hand though was not as naive, he knew well enough that to judge someone by their looks and the basics of what someone would know about another was just a quick way to lead to a humiliating defeat.




♡coded by uxie♡
 
正義
Marumachi Ryutan
Ex-Demon Slayer
Tokyo, Japan
As the participants were whisked away to their waiting area, Ryu couldn't help but almost bounce around as the time for fighting was so close. Though instead of being placed in one of the waiting areas, he was told to prepare to fight, he was going to be in the first round. 'Haha! Lucky me! I hope I get a good fight instead of some loser featherweight-' The young man thought to himself before waiting for the announcer's call. "... Marumachi Ryutan!" Ryu perked up as he heard his name and would dash out from the waiting area, hearing the crowd cheer for the Japanese boy. As he approached the ring he would jump over the boundaries to enter as he watched his opponent enter. The heavyweight seemed to be an expert, a UFC champion nonetheless. But despite how outclassed he seemed, Ryutan would put his hand out for a handshake before the match. Which to some surprise, the foreign fighter did shake his opponents hand before both of them went to their sides of the ring.

Ryutan would enter a more relaxed fighting position, hoping up and down, as he kept his arms loose but ready for quick reactions. Joshua was wondering why he was put against Ryutan due to the young man seemingly having no experience in the ring, but his fists up to protect his head and waited for the count. As the announcer declared the fight to begin, the UFC fighter instinctively went in for a few quick attacks. But they didn't land on his opponent as Ryu quickly jumped back and to the side with impressive speed, much to the crowd's surprise.
"Despite your size you can move relatively fast, though you can only do so much before having to slow down due to the strain of such movements." Ryu said out loud as he carefully watched his opponents movements, Joshua would go in for another quick lunge just for it to be dodged once more. "Stop dancing around and fight me! I didn't come here for some brat to dance around and watch my style!" The American said in anger as Ryu couldn't help but smile and laugh before smirking. "Then come and get me, fool." Ryu taunted as his voice went a little deeper due to him focusing. Joshua would growl under his breath in anger before starting to relentlessly swing at Ryutan, as he continued to dodge and block the incoming attacks. If someone in the crowd or watching from a TV were to pay attention to Ryu, they would be able to see him dodging even with his eyes closed. To someone who was part of the Demon Slayer Corps or still is, this was obviously a heightened sense of some sort.

The game of cat and mouse continued until Ryutan got a little too cocky as he started literally dancing around the UFC Champ's attacks, only to get hit square in the chest by a solid lunge. Joshua cackled as Ryu stumbled back and coughed a tad. "Is that all you have in you?! They should've put me against an actual fighter, not someone like thi-" The American ranted before swift kick landed to his side, causing him to falter and stop midsentence. The crowd went silent as they saw that Ryutan was still standing despite the ferocious hit he took to the chest. "Hm, the referee should have put me against an ACTUAL fighter." Ryu said, using Joshua's words against him much to the disapproval of the American. As the heavyweight went back in to continue his assault, he received another swift blow from Ryutan. The young man would start his own assault against the champ, moving inconsistently without any form of rhythm, becoming as ferocious and random as a windstorm.


This continued for a good minute and a half, constant attacks and counters from Ryutan as the UFC fighter now struggled to even find an opening against his opponent. "Lets end this, shall we?" The young man spoke before grabbing Joshua's wrist and pulling him close. Leaving the man's chest vunerable as it was quickly struck by a powerful palm strike from Ryu, and the damage he had received alongside that attack caused Joshua to pass out. The crowd stayed silent in shock before yelling out and cheering as the proclaimmed underdog of the match one, and the announcer did his job. "And the victor is Marumachi Ryutan! He will be moving on since Joshua Rodriguez is no longer able to keep fighting!" Ryutan's serious expression turned back to a cheery one as he waved to the crowd before making his way back to the waiting area.

Interactions: N/A
Code by Serobliss
 
☆☆☆☆☆
Valerie Knight
CEO of Knight Corporation
VIP Section, Before the start of the tournament
Away from all the chaos down below, a woman sat quietly in one of the VIP rooms. The room was ostentatiously furnished; it had a large television, a mahogany coffee table, a fancy red couch, and a viewing scope. The woman wore a grim expression on her face, dark shadows sat underneath her golden eyes. She took a sip of her wine before glancing at her watch with a look of displeasure.

Just then, a knock was heard on the door, followed by a middle-aged man entering the room in a hurry. "I'm sorry for making you wait, Miss Valerie. The traffic--" The woman raised her hand and stopped him from speaking. She was not in the mood to listen to his excuses.

"Any leads?"

The man cleared his throat and straightened his tie before responding, "We have investigated all the nearby towns. No one has seen a man of his description." He cast his gaze down to the floor as he expected a harsh rebuke to come. His boss had a wicked temper, and she looked to be in an even worse mood today. To the man’s surprise though, she said nothing. She only stared off into the distance and looked lost in thought, but her eyes remained cold and penetrating, and her silence only made him feel even more unnerved.

"Don't show your face again until you have something useful to say," came her reply. Her voice was calm but laced thick with venom. She calmly took a sip from her wine glass without sparing him a single glance. He swallowed a lump that formed in his throat, he was eager to leave the room and escape the tension that hung heavy in the air.

"One month. If you have no useful information to give me within that time, start looking for another job," she added with cold indifference.

"W-What?" He choked out.

"Have someone give me the official list of contestants on your way out." She waved her hand, dismissing him.

"Y-Yes... Please wait a moment." Still stunned, he scurried out of the room without another word.

Five minutes later, a staff member showed up with a clipboard. He handed it over to her and stood quietly as she went over the list. Something must have caught her attention because her eyes widened in surprise.

"Is something wrong?" The young man asked, shifting nervously on his feet. Without answering his question, the woman rose from the couch and walked over to the viewing scope. The staff member eyed her curiously; she seemed to be searching for someone down on the benches.

'Could it be...?' She shook her head in disbelief. She'd heard of his death two years ago, and he wasn't the type to run and save himself. And yet... there he was. He looked the same, only a bit older than the last time she’d seen him. The woman gritted her teeth; she could only think of one other possibility.

"Ma'am?" The young man’s voice broke her out of her musings. She looked at him as if she was noticing his presence for the first time, then she walked over to the table where a black briefcase was laid. With a click, she opened it to reveal crisp piles of cash.

200,000 credits on Xiang Zhao,” she declared nonchalantly, reaching into her pocket for a cigarette.

“What?” His eyes were wide in surprise, and his mouth agape. He looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Why risk all of that on some unknown fighter? Did she have access to exclusive information that they weren't made aware of?

Upon realizing that he had been staring at her dumbfoundedly, he cleared his throat and quickly composed himself with a shrug of his shoulders. He grabbed a pen and notebook from the pocket of his vest and asked, “May I have your full name, please?”

Valerie Knight,” she replied, lighting the cigarette in her mouth. She drew her breath in, then exhaled a cloud of smoke.

If Valerie was right, this would be an easy win.
Code by Serobliss
 
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It was just another day. Chiyoko had spent the last few months mostly working in her dojo; she had struggled to adjust after her father's death and had become the dojo's head trainer.
"One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three."
Chiyoko's words flew out of her mouth like a drill sergeant as she walked up and down the line of students, looking for any flaws. She had them do a simple combo of a downward strike, an upward strike, and another downward strike before resetting adjusting, from learning to teaching had been strange for the young girl.

She had always concentrated on her own skill and strength, never paying much attention to the rest of her classmates, but after her father's death, she was thrust into the spotlight and had to find out what level everyone was at. Fortunately for her, her father had a unique style of Dojo that allowed many different styles to use it as a training ground, giving her several high ranking individuals she could rely on, one of whom was assisting her with any newcomers while she caught up with the more advanced class.

"One, two, three..."
Chiyoko paused in front of a young man, he must have been between the ages of 12 and 14, and Chiyoko had seen him around a few times before.
"Proceed without my count."
Chiyoko finished her sentence and moved behind the young man as she continued her instructions. Chiyoko placed one of her legs on the inside of his left leg and gently moved it a few millimeters wider, slightly lowering his stance. His arms came next. His stance was nearly correct but needed a minor adjustment.
"Bring your arms closer to your body by relaxing them slightly. It will feel strange at first, almost unnatural, but you will notice the difference."
It wasn't a big deal, but before the adjustment, he was doing something akin to throwing a punch and trying to extend your arm as far as you could, causing tension in your elbow joint. When you're young, you don't need it as much, but as you get older, if he decided to stick with his training, he would gradually but steadily feel the effect on his joints as they wore away.

Chiyoko returned to the front of the class, stepping away from the young boy.
"That's all for now; take a quick break and we'll cool down."
If she was being honest, she gave them too many breaks; if this were her own training, she wouldn't take even a tenth of what she gives her students, but she wanted them to return and didn't want to push them too hard, so she took a much more relaxed approach to her classes. The breaks did serve another purpose, and that was to gauge how she was doing. Many of the students in class had small friendship groups, and as friends do, they would talk, some of which she didn't want to hear, but today was different, and a conversation had caught the girls ears as she sat waiting.

It was two of the older students her age, one of whom was a man named Leo Hartwood, a half-Japanese, half-American who began coming to the dojo nearly 5 years ago.
"Will you be there tonight?"
"Wish I could today, sounds like some really great fights are going to take place."
"Damn, what better do you have planned?"
"I've got a few night shifts lined up at work."
"well now who am I supposed to go with now?"
"You could always ask Sensei, I've seen your eyes on her."
"Yeah, and the chances of that happening are about the same as pigs flying."
The two rattled on, mostly one insulting the other about the eyes he'd been making at Chiyoko, which Chiyoko chose to ignore, but some sort of fight had caught her attention; she'd heard bits and bats about a local tournament from a few of her older wealthy students but had never had a chance to look into it.

"I'll join you."
The two exchanged a 'huh' sound as they realised Chiyoko was standing over them.
"You will?"
"YOU WILL?"
The two exchanged looks that were equal parts disbelief and shock.
"Sure, why not? I've heard it might be fun to try it out, so come see me after class and we'll figure something out."
The rest of class flew by, and by the end, Leo had made plans with Chiyoko to come pick her up and they would go to the tournament together. There was a part of her that felt strange about going on what could be considered a date with one of her students, but she wasn't a school teacher; she taught Kenjutsu and both of them were adults. The second part of her was more concerned because she wanted to take part in the fights, which felt unfair to Leo but she could always just ask him.

Leo arrived on time, as promised, and the two made the usual awkward smalltalk in the car before having arrived at their destination. Chiyoko was dressed in a long, flowing halter-style black dress with a long black jacket reaching down to her calves and a pair of thigh-high boots, but the oddest part of her outfit was a huge duffle bag that looked out of place. She wasn't sure what the dress code was for such an event, but Leo's three-piece suit put her at ease; she sometimes forgets how wealthy some of her students are. Wearing a Gi helped reduces the wealth and social barriers that exist between many people, but outside the dojo it was everyman for themselves.

"All right, I have to ask."
"Hmm?"
"What's the deal with the bag?"
"The bag..."
Chiyoko hesitated for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse before her face became more serious.
"Look, Leo... I want to fight."
It took him a moment to process what had happened.
"Chiyoko, this is dangerous; this isn't a sanctioned sparring match, people get hurt."
"I know this, but I still want to. How often do you think as a martial artist you get to compete against people of varying styles and abilities? But I understand you went out of your way to bring me here, and if you don't want me to, I'll respect it."
Leo's mouth opened briefly before he placed his head in his hands, and he let out a small chuckle.
"Chiyoko, you know you're one of a kind. Go fight, but you better win. I'm betting big on you."
"Geez, no pressure."
Chiyoko let out a small chuckle as she got out of the car.
"And Leo, I'll make it up to you."
"I'm sure you will, Sensei; now go kick some ass."


Chiyoko went inside alone and found the line with the most people who appeared to be ready to fight and joined it. From what Chiyoko could see, nearly everyone in the line appeared to be ready to fight. A man a few people ahead of her stood out the most due to his clothing style, which, like hers, was more formal than fight wear, but Chiyoko had a change of clothing that, while not fully combat suited, was more so than what she was wearing now. The line began to move, and before she knew it, she was at the front.

A elderly man sat at the front of the line clearly registering the fighters.
"Name?"
The elderly man spoke before Chiyoko could even stop moving.
"Tomoe Gozen."
The man sighed before looking up for the first time during their brief encounter.
"What's your real name?"
"Do you know how often I get that? My mother was a samurai enthusiast who married someone with the surname Gozen and gave me the name Tomoe I get it sounds fake but honestly it's my name."
The elderly man sighed once more, returning his gaze to his paper and pointing to the other contestants. Chiyoko quickly pulled out her phone and texted Leo.
"Just in case you were serious about that bet, Tomoe Gozen."


It wasn't long before a staff member came in and the combatants were moved from one waiting room to another, this one much more accommodating with food, lockers, seats, and even screens to watch the ongoing fights. She placed her bag gently in front of her and sat on one of the benches as close to a television screen as possible before opening her bag and rummaging inside it. Her duffle bag contained several items such as first aid supplies, a change of clothing, several towels, two bokkens, one in the style of a katana and the other in the style of an Odachi, and a second large bag lining the bottom of her duffle bag in which she kept her nichirin blades just in case she needed them. Chiyoko considered changing but quickly changed her mind since her current outfit allowed her enough mobility to fight. Whether or not she changes her mind later depends on how her first round goes.

The first match began, and various remarks began to fill the waiting room. Everyone seemed to expect the fight to go the way of Joshua Rodriguez and be a one-sided massacre; looking at the two's build, stats, and accomplishments, anyone would feel the same way, but Chiyoko knew never to judge a fight solely on those factors. The fight was a one-sided massacre, but not in the way anyone expected; an unknown fighter named Marumachi Ryutan took down the larger man with ease, to the point where he could do it with his eyes closed quite literally. Chiyoko knew all about having heightened senses as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, and if she had to guess, this individual had one of his senses enchanted much like she did, which sense was unknown to her. The match continued as it had begun, and Marumachi Ryutan was the winner by a land slide. Chiyoko couldn't help but applaud quietly and take note of his name, as he has the potential to go far in this tournament. Chiyoko's ears listened closely for the announcers voice to hear who was fighting next.








Demon Slayer



Chiyoko








  • filler tab!





♡coded by uxie♡
 
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"combustion breathing , second form" , a loud bang is heard as the demon slayer finally arrives to his destination , he jumps around and climbs reaching the top of a building to stay hidden , after all carrying a sword in the middle of tokyo will get him arrested .
"lets hope this bird was right , there seems to be no one and the street" he looks around for a second before noticing it
"yup , that's one hell of an arena if ive ever seen one , the bird was right , this place must be crawling with demons , there could be a lot of goals for a demon being there ,snatching people , finding recruits to take away their humanity and even just killing for the hell of it , i have to get there fast before anything accures "
he jumps off the building
"
combustion breathing second form , FLARE DASH!"
the combustion user is pushed into the air landing in an alley next to the arena, he quickly hides his sword and walks to the gates.
 
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scroll
Xiang Zhao





Tokyo, Japan -- Tournament Waiting Room





interactions: N/A















Throughout the entirety of the first round, Xiang had kept a calm composure as his eyes were glued to the television from his seat. As the fight began, with just the fluent motions of the young fighter alone, Xiang already knew the outcome of the battle instantly, no ordinary person moved with that much grace and flow without prior training to back it up. While coming to an immediate conclusion at the time to determine whether or not this male was a Demon Slayer was far too early, it was definitely a possibility, and if that were the case, then the tournament just became all that much interesting as well as...problematic. As he continued to watch the fight play out, many of the other fighters within the waiting room began to gather around each of the television screens while shouting all forms of nonsense as though the competitors could hear them. "Oi oi! What's that brat doin'?!" One shouted, "Knock his head off Joshua!" Another exclaimed.

Xiang on the other hand remained silent as he continued to watch from the bench only to finally come and notice as to how the male had now closed his eyes and began to still dodge with rapid succession, that was until he had taken one wrong move. "Oop. Sloppy." Whispering under his breath right before he was struck by a punch to his chest. "Enough games...Ryutan. End this already..." With yet another mumbling whisper under his breath, as the male struck the larger competitor once in a sudden single strike, a half smirk came across Xiang's lips before his head lowered and his attention returned to the ground once more. "Damn...and here I thought this was going to be some easy money...the boss is going to kill me..." As he chuckled silently, Xiang reached into his left side pocket only to pull out his smartphone to check the time. He still had a few hours to go before his shift officially started, maybe he could check if the facility had some spare clothing he could borrow.

Meanwhile, back the stage, the crowd cheered louder than ever for the fantastical fight while medical personnel rushed onto the scene to help the UFC fighter onto a stretcher before carrying him off to the infirmary.
The announcer soon coming back to the center stage to keep the audience's morale up as he practically was bouncing on the arena stage in sheer excitement of what he had seen play out before his very own eyes. "Wasn't that exciting folks?! Who would've thought?! Our very own rookie, Marumachi Ryutan! Came out on top like it was nothing! I hope you all can hold in your bladders, cause here we go with the next round!" With the rising volume of the cheers growing louder by the second, the announcer once again placed his index and middle finger to his ear just to get confirmation of the next matchup.

After hearing what the round was going to be setup as, the announcer had to pause for a tad bit longer just to doublecheck if the contestants setup together was correct. After confirming, he just gave a shrug before nodding. "Prepare yourself ladies and gentlemen! This next one is going to be a doozy! Unlike our previous matchup, this one is going to a team-up of 2 vs. 2! So please welcome our first duo! Not much is known about these two young ladies, all we know is that it appears this is also their first time in the tournament. Weighing in 113lbs and at a height of 5'4'', Okra Sage! And her partner in this fight, again it appears that it is also her first time in this competition; weighing in 112lbs and height of also 5'4'', Tomoe Gozen!" With the sound of the next set of fighters called out, the crowd's roar practically shook the stadium from how loud it was, even before the opponents were announced.
"As for their opponents...uh..." The announcer hesitated for a moment just to confirm that this next match up was serious and not just a mistake somewhere. "Some of you may know them as 'The Beast' and 'The Gentle Giant'! One weighing in at 378lbs while his twin brother at 389lbs. Both standing at a height of 6'5''. Please welcome the sumo twins: Haru and Katsu Yoshimitsu!" After announcing the two opponents, the two brothers practically slammed the double doors open from the opposing side of the stadium while they marched forward towards the arena ring.

All the while, the announcer scurried off the ring to the side of the room where he had pulled a lever to allow the stage to begin expanding in every direction to accommodate for the size of two sumo wrestlers being in the ring at once. Mechanical gears rang throughout the room as the entirety of the ring began to extend both horizontally and vertically. All the while, every step the brothers took practically shook the flooring as they approached the ring.




♡coded by uxie♡
 
Fang Guiying


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Mentions :
Wxnter Wxnter

Location :
An Arena?

Credits clunk together as the drunk gamblers hoarded their wealth and considered their options. Betting on a fighter was not easy, there were too many variables for the average person to consider. Who would win? How much damage could be inflicted? What about an opening-round knockout? Or a bout in which one fighter's strength was superior over another? But with enough money at their disposal, one could sift through the numbers and find an edge in betting odds. Fang eyed one of their devices from his peripheral vision—it contained the details and expected odds for the currently scheduled fighters. There were a few with close to no history. Only a real risk-taker would even consider putting credit on the nameless. With their attention refocused on the wager, Fang did consider making an escape— but, there was a single issue. He had yet to collect the credits for the pizza. He sighed and resigned himself to his fate.

He sat back and looked through a glass pane. Two fighters, one native and a foreigner were stationed opposite of each other in the arena. The sound of metal grates being drawn across the floor marked the beginning of the fight. The crowd cheered and booed at the same time. Fang leaned closer to try and hear what the other patrons outside were saying about the fight, but the din drowned out anything intelligible. One of the men near him grunted and said, "This guy has no chance." The voice belonged to the large man he had been first introduced to.

A bell rang signaling the start of the match. A line of light flashed across the wall behind Fang and a soft thud echoed throughout the arena. “WHAT THE FUCK!” One of the nearby men roared so explicitly that the gaze of all those nearby became refocused on him. His eyes gaped wide in disbelief at the tablet he squeezed between a hairy set of knuckles."Valerie fuckin’ Knight." The crooked businessman brought a cigar to the edge of his lips and took a deep inhale. "Remember that hag’s company? The one you got screwed over by, Nobu? The crazy bitch just put 200 grand on a nameless no-one!” His palms shook with anger and disbelief.

"You're a goddamn moron. You have to be the biggest fucking idiot alive to bet on a nameless. Let me show you how it's done," another patron chortled as he reached over to his cell phone. “I put 50k on the fucker that Zhao no name is fighting. Match me and let’s take her for every dollar her daddy gave her.” Fang could not believe what he was hearing. These people were either insane or desperate. He thought to himself, "How does this work? How can I get out of here with my money without hurting anyone?

The man who spoke first stood up and walked over to the card table where he placed his credit chip. He pulled back his sleeve and began pressing numbers into a device. Another patron quickly copied him and before long the entire gambling circle was betting against the nameless. Fang had no idea how many credits, but it was clear that they were prepared for some serious losses if this thing went badly. Another bell rang, and the fight behind them concluded. Marumachi, a different first-time contender was victorious. The cheers of the patrons were deafening. One of the men at the table yelled, "Let's go again! Who wants more action?" Considering the bets they had just placed, the news of a different newcomer winning hung over them like a bad omen.

The man who made the original wager was now staring daggers at Fang. Fang now knew his name to be Nobu. The businessman was clearly angry with the outcome and worried about his most recent bet against Valerie. With two hands, Nobu gripped the top of the nearest box of pizza and ripped it clean off. The sound of cardboard snapping sent shivers down Fang's back as it severed. Nobu tore a pen from his pants pocket and scribbled something on it before shoving the torn box against Fang’s chest. “Go to booth Number ### and give this to a woman named Valerie. If anyone asks, Nobu sent you,” he practically grabbed Fang from his seat and pushed him toward the door. “Then you’ll get your payment and a generous tip on the top.” The wicked smile he gave Fang afterward was comparable to that of demons.

Fang felt his legs wobbling beneath him like a newborn deer as he forced himself to walk past the mob of people waiting to place their bets. Whatever that man wrote … Fang was sure it was terrible and he could only hope this Valerie did not share the same propensity to violence as Nobu. Whatever the case, he was sure he could outrun them at the least if any violence arose.

After a brief walk and a little confusion and apprehension, booth number ### was only a few steps in front of him. To his front, two important-looking bodyguards gazed him over with blatant suspicion and distrust. One flicked their wrist beckoning him to speak while the other kept their hand poised at their waistband. “I have a message for Valerie Knight. From Nobu, in booth number 012.” The two seemed to look him over a second time while considering their options.
 
☆☆☆☆☆
Valerie Knight
CEO of Knight Corporation
The Arena, VIP Section
"Did you do as I instructed?"

"Yes, Miss Valerie. I had rumors spread that someone had placed a very large bet on Xiang Zhao, an unknown fighter who doesn't seem to possess that much strength. Now there's been an influx of people betting against you." Hiroto Takahashi, Valerie's butler, smiled at her with ease. The wrinkles around his eyes had gotten deeper over the years, his movements no longer as swift as they used to be. He had been serving her since she was only a child, and it filled his heart with pride to see how far she'd come.

Valerie chuckled before downing what was left of her wine. Takahashi stepped forward and refilled her glass, just as the winner of the first match was announced. There was a hint of amusement in Valerie's eyes, a wry smile creeping onto her face. "Were you able to closely observe that match, Hiroto? He fights like one of them," said Valerie as she lit up another cigarette and took a puff. "He had his eyes closed while perfectly dodging his opponent's attacks. He possesses an enhanced sensory skill."

"A demon slayer?" His eyes widened in surprise.

"Perhaps."

He wondered for a moment if this would put a hamper on Valerie's plans, and his concern did not go unnoticed by her perceptive eye. "Everything should go as planned," she assured him with an air of confidence that assuaged all of his worries. Unless other external variables showed up, this would only be a small hitch on the road. "Besides, I don't care about a measly two hundred grand. I'm just here to confirm something." She grabbed the glass of wine and took a large gulp. She felt the liquor warm her insides, a visible pink now tainting her cheeks.

"And what will you do if your suspicions are right, Miss Valerie? Will you report that man, Xiang Zhao?" he asked. She was silent in deep thought, her eyes narrowing as she continued to smoke what was left of her cigarette. After a few moments, she finally leaned forward and extinguished it on the ashtray.

"I don't work for the Corps. Demons are no longer my concern," she replied with a solemn expression on her face. Takahashi was not surprised. Even though reports claimed that a demon had killed her brother, he knew that Valerie still believed he was alive, and she didn't care what shape or form he took. Seeing her childhood friend alive, after all these years of being presumed dead, only seemed to fuel her hopes that her brother was out there, too—human or not.

Before he could utter a response, there was a knock on the door. One of the bodyguards came in and informed them that a young man had come to deliver a message from a man named Nobu. Takahasi looked at Valerie for confirmation, but she only raised an eyebrow. Whoever he was, he wasn't important enough for her to remember his name.

Seeing her confusion, Takahasi leaned forward and said, "Nobu is a businessman who experienced a huge loss after you took a large deal from him, which would have allowed him to expand his business internationally." Valerie looked at him with a face that seemed to say, Which incompetent idiot is that? There are too many of them to count, but she only released a sigh of vexation and waved her hand.

"Let him in."
Code by Serobliss
 
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MENTIONS: Anthem Anthem (not by name)
the teen approached the crowd standing outside managing to slip his way in "no one should have noticed that"
he thinks to himself , not everyday do you see someone carrying a katana in the middle of tokyo , or maybe you do , he was raised in a pretty rural area so he doesnt know what the norm is.

he stands in the crows for a second watching the match infold infront of his , the person in the arena ,his movement and speed were practically perfect , using his good eyesight he was able to distinguish a few chracteristics of the fighter , yellowish hints on his hair and clothing .
ryuji stood watching for a second watching the fighter's movement , a glimmer in his eye could be seen , and then bam , a clean hit by the fighte as his apponent is knocked out.

"now that , is demon slayer material , wait , is he a demon slayer , something is off about him , no no i cant confirm that yet"

he felt his skin crawling on his back catching a clean look , "n-no , ill have to investigate that further"

ryuji couldnt hold his excitement and quickly decided , that he should give this tournament thing a try , maybe he can flesh out some demons mid fight , the angle from the middle of the arena would be perfect.

ryuji walks up to one of the desks and signs up for the tournament , faking his age since he doesnt know if they'll take a 17 year old kid in to fight . he finally manages to convince the staff to sign him up and he's lead into a waiting room.
on his way he hears someone from a room scream "you're dead meat kid!"

he sits in the room watching the 2vs2 match that's curretly happening.
 
Jimmy Awesome/Luigi Biagi
Place: The Arena
With: Fang Guiying ( Horror Horror ), Valerie Knight ( Wxnter Wxnter )
Mood: Focused

Luigi found himself in one of the VIP lounges, secretly fitting in with the corrupt rich businessmen. Why, you ask? It was a bit complicated but it shouldn't be because he did it just because no one didn't seem to mind much or be suspicious about it, especially the rich businessmen. Well, for some people, of course. One thing for certain was that he was actually sitting next to Fang Guiying, a pizza delivery guy who just got dragged into one of the VIP lounges and was forced to watch the tournament with them, much to his absent-minded mindset. As the situation went, what Fang was experiencing might've been uncomfortable for him as it could've been a misunderstanding. But after all, there was a tournament going on so it didn't matter much to Luigi.

So how did Luigi go about going undercover as one of the rich businessmen? It was a simple process. Driving his red AE86 to the annual fighting tournament? Check. Successfully convincing the rich businessmen that he was an international celebrity on the Eurobeat scene just to watch the tournament with them? Check. Being oblivious of Fang's presence the whole time? Double check, sarcastic mode. Attempting to rescue Fang away from the rich businessmen but now wasn't the right time for it? No check. As of late, there was only one way to find out; only time would tell.

"Just sit back and enjoy the show, my man," Luigi said to Fang, not showing any eye contact to him. "Come to think of it, you're not from around here, are you?" he asked, again, not showing any eye contact. What would Fang's reply shall be next...

Oh wait, where did he go? It turned out that Fang had been gone the whole time, much to Luigi's amazement and curiosity. But why? Could it be that he had some business to take care of or maybe Luigi had been oblivious the whole time? Whatever it may be, he decided not to go after him and remained sitting with the businessmen.

"Where the hell did he go? Oh well..." Luigi wondered without much care.
 
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Collab post Dextra Dextra and Ploegy Ploegy / Yume and Chiyoko
YumeYume hardly paid attention as more fighters came in. Instead, she found herself trying to stay as far from the crowds as possible, mostly in hopes of keeping her true identity and goals hidden from those around her. There was no telling what these people were like after all. It was possible any of them could be a demon or even another slayer. Admittedly, she hardly knew many of the others she worked with, as sad as that was to admit. Their existence was odd after all, and much like herself, they often lived double lives or merely lived out of the public's eyes.

As the group moved into another room, Yume followed, keeping her head low as she did. No amount of hiding was going to make her stand out less than she already did. That was the downside of wearing a mask and having bright purple hair. Even so, no one seemed to approach her, which was much to her relief. Her nerves were already running high as is, she didn't need strangers making it worse. Being part of this tournament was enough stress for her, even if she was highly adept at it. Her reflexes were amazing, oddly thanks to years of high end gaming, and she always had the benefit of her enhanced hearing. People's breathing, their footsteps; both sounds she could easily pick up on and use to her advantage. While she was smaller built, she was nimble, and quick on her feet. In a fist fight, it wasn't about being stronger, but hitting the right spots enough times. Her style aligned more with the concept of "death by a thousand paper cuts." Small damage did add up over time after all.

When the first match began, the teenager allowed her attention to momentarily shift to the screen displaying it. She cared little about the fighters, and admittedly missed their names. The beginning of the match was almost enough to lull her to sleep from how slow it was. Ryutan was clearly toying with his opponent, or so that was how Yume saw it. He played little offense, as if knowing already that he was going to win. An interesting tactic, though it wasn't one she was unfamiliar with. She had done it plenty of times in games, and induced rage upon her opponents because of it. It was amusing to watch one's opponent struggle, she knew that much.

Soon enough, the match picked up, now turning heavily in Ryutan's favor, much like she would have expected given his style. Within only a moment it was over, and he was declared the winner. While the match hadn't necessarily intrigued her, Yume did find it strange. The way this newcomer moved was oddly reminiscent of how demon slayers moved. Could he be one as well? Who knew. It was none of her business.

Shrugging it off, Yume waited for the next match to be called, and much to her dismay, her name was called. To make matters even worse, she had been partnered up. Was doubles really a thing?! How unlucky could she be? Sighing, she forced her way forward, wondering who exactly she was to be paired with. The name Tomoe Gozen hardly gave her any clues. However, when she arrived in the wing of the arena, she was finally able to see who this other was, and it was much to her own surprise.

ChiyokoThe next fight was announced; this time it would be a two-on-two match, and the participants on one side both sounded like they had fictitious names, Orka Sage and Tomoe Gozen. To her knowledge, Okra Sage was the name of edible plants and Tomoe Gozen, a notable Onna-musha from the Heian period. She didn't move for a moment, simply staying in her seat, before the realization hit her. Tomoe Gozen was her registered name. It didn't seem right, she was certain she hadn't signed up for a doubles match, she could see the old geezer at the registration desk laughing to himself at what he'd done. Standing up and making her way to the wing of the area bag in one hand, phone in the other.

YumeThe girl beside her was one she had seen before, one she had found herself watching on more than one occasion. Her cosplaying had always inspired Yume, yet the streamer had always struggled to bring herself to trying such a hobby. Making her own cosplay outfits had been out of the question for her sewing skills were abysmal, but buying them seemed to take away some of the fun. It was conflicting.

Chiyoko
"It appears you made a new friend there."
It was a message from Leo; a part of her wondered if he was involved, but it didn't seem like his style. Chiyoko looked up and down at her teammate, and there was a strange sense of familiarity in her eyes as she did so, whether it was her body shape, purple hair, or something else that Chiyoko's keen eyes could spot told her that she knew this Okra Sage or at least recognised her, but with her hiding behind a mask and using what appeared to be a fake name, it was difficult for Chiyoko to tell. Part of her wanted to question this Okra, but she decided not to. If she was concealing herself behind a persona, there was a reason for it, just as Chiyoko had her own reasons for using a fictitious name. Chiyoko was struck by one aspect of Okra: her hands.

Chiyoko only caught a glimpse of them, but it was enough for her to notice Orka's hands matched those of a swordwomen. Okra's hands were similar to Chiyoko's; it was an odd comparison, but Okra's knuckles lacked calluses, as many fighters' had, but the inside of her hands had calluses in the same places that Chiyoko had developed through years of training. Then there was her outfit, which, while lacking some of the traditional aspects of a demon slayer corps outfit, caught Chiyoko's eye because she was wearing a haori.
"Demon Slayer?"
The words came out of Chiyoko's mouth almost by accident as she lagged behind Okra's pace by a few steps; it was barely audible but definitely audible to the right person.

Yume
Focus Yume!
She scolded herself mentally, knowing she couldn't afford to get too distracted, especially on something like what her partner did in their free time. Still, it was strange to see her in a place like this, but it wasn't as if they knew each other personally, though Yume wasn't against the idea. Meeting fellow streamers, no matter their content, was something she had always enjoyed, though she couldn't same the feeling was always mutual. Other streamer did find her, well.... a bit much.

Shaking the thought of that from her mind, the young slayer gave a dip of her head in Chiyoko's direction before proceeding forth towards the ring to meet their opponents. From what the announcer was saying the two were brothers, and much bigger than either of them, not that such a thing mattered in Yume's eyes. She had taken on demons just as big, and walked away to tell the tale. This would hopefully be no different.

Entering the arena, her eyes momentarily locked with that of their opponents, quietly taking in everything she could about them, including the number of steps they'd need to take before reaching her, before ultimately shifting her attention away. Her gaze momentarily shifted to "Tomoe" and smirked, although it was well hidden beneath her rabbit mask.
"You take the right, and I take the left?"
She suggested, hoping the girl would agree to such a simplistic plan. If not, they could always come up with something on the fly, she was used to that tactic.

ChiyokoOkra was the first to enter the ring, followed by Chiyoko; their opponents were a duo that even the announcer couldn't believe were matched up against the two girls. If the previous fight was a mismatch, this one appeared to be even more so, despite the fact that the genders were the same. Their opponents were massive, near 400 pound monsters, with only one of them weighing more than both the girls combined, but Chiyoko wasn't scared, instead a smile covered her face. Chiyoko's smile faded for a second as Okra's voice reached her ears; she had no idea of her partner's combat ability, but at least she was confident, or was it cockiness, only time will tell.
"That works for me. If you need my help during the fight, just shout for me and I'll come running. I'll do the same if I need you, but it shouldn't be necessary with such a chunk of lard."
With that, the fight began.

YumeHer gaze on her partner lingered for only a moment longer before she looked away again, allowing herself a brief moment to scan the VIP suites and see if she could pick out her true target. Unfortunately, the dinging of the bell was enough reason to bring her search to a stop. Heaving a faint sigh, her attention remained on the suites, showing little care that the match had actually begun.

Her aloofness seemed to annoy the brother on the left, which seemed to be Katsu, or better known as "The Gentle Giant." His irritation snarls indicated anything but gentle to Yume, though she cared little about that.
"You should pay attention little girl!"
the man bellowed out, though Yume paid no mind to it, continuing her idle scan of the suites. Her silence only seemed to make matters worse. The angry growl escaping the "gentle giant's" throat told her that. Without any warning, he began his charge forward.
One... Two... Three... Four...
she counted mentally, taking note of each step no problem, even with others around.
Five... Six... Seven...


He was close now, and that was enough to bring Yume to action. Body shifting nimbly, the rabbit masked teen avoided the man's incoming punch without ever giving him a look. The sound of his fist wizzing to her left told her that. It was only after his failed attack that her head shot in his direction, brown eyes glaring through the slits of her mask.
"Too slow buddy,"
she breathed out, taking on an oddly calm persona in the moment. Taking this moment, she quickly moved forward, pounding her fists into his body in a simple rhythmic pattern, much like her sword swings would take.

Her blows, while lacking in raw power, did do their job of being annoying. It helped that her opponent was clearly slow too. Several rounds of her punches were only met with attempts of his own, but none were able to land. The force behind them caused just enough sound for her to hear them coming and react properly.
"I should have expected your frame data would be this poor."
Her taunts, while oddly specific, seemed to get her message across, and soon enough the man took a reckless gamble, throwing his entire body in her direction.
"GGEZ,"
she mumbled, quickly swinging herself out of his path to avoid his dash, but quickly moving herself back in to wrap her arms around his neck. Putting her full body into the action, she slammed the much larger man to the ring's floor, causing him to yell out in pain. While it wasn't a choke slam per say, it was as close as someone like Yume could get.

Simultaneously;
ChiyokoHaru 'The Beast,' the lighter of the two sumo wrestlers, faced Chiyoko.
"I'm really sorry about this, but my brother will kill me if I take it easy on you."
Chiyoko was almost certain she was against 'The Gentle Giant' based on the pair's demeanor, but perhaps their aliases were meant to be ironic. Haru charged, and to everyone's surprise, Chiyoko charged right back at him, or at least she appeared to for about one step before stopping and kneeling.
"Hold on for a second."
Chiyoko spoke as she began undoing and removing her shoes; for whatever reason, Haru also came to a halt; it appeared he enjoyed a fair fight.
"What are you doing?"
His voice was rough, as befitted a man of his stature.
"I'm taking off my shoes."
"Why?"
"It's disrespectful to the arena, and I don't want you to lose an eye."
Chiyoko pointed to the heel, which, while not particularly large, had a point to it.
"Oh…"


"Are you finished yet?"
Haru seemed impatient, as did the audience, most of whom ignored or booed Chiyoko, preferring to watch Yume instead. Sliding her shoes to the edge of the arena, Chiyoko nodded and bowed.
"Thank you for your patience."
Haru and Chiyoko continued to rush towards each other, which was no longer as impactful as the first time. Haru's body dropped lower as they approached, much like a rugby player preparing for a tackle, but Chiyoko's eyes missed nothing and this would prove to be the start of a fatal mistake.

Sumo wrestlers were known for their explosive power, strong cores, and powerful bodies, but Chiyoko observed a surprising weakness: their legs. It wasn't that sumo wrestlers' legs were untrained, far from it, but sumo wrestlers' legs could only withstand so much, and their normal matches saw weights in excess of 600 pounds collide with each other, causing havoc on their legs and sometimes irreversible damage.

Haru's tackle missed its target as Chiyoko jumped to the side as the two came face to face, not wanting his target to escape his grasp. Haru put all of his weight on his left leg, attempting to follow Chiyoko with his shoulder in a fashion similar to a shoulder tackle, but Chiyoko seemed to read his mind and was ready for it, she didn't move; all she did as this nearly 400-pound monster tried to push his entire body weight into her was a simple kick. Her knee bent and her leg quickly extended as she twisted her body performing a sidekick to ensure the ball of her heel could connect directly with his kneecap, a sickening crack could be heard as the kick connected and Haru's shoulder tackle aimed at Chiyoko instead struck the floor full force as his support was taken out from under him.

The kick itself was nothing special, but what caused the damage was one of the Aikido principles of using the attacker's force against them. Haru already had his entire body weight on one leg and was using it to move 378 pounds worth of weight combined with a well-aimed kick and it would be like forcing your kneecap to hold your entire weight while being forced to bend in an unnatural manner it was common sense that anything under that type of strain would snap.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect your knee to give way like that."
While her words spoke of remorse, the look on her face did not; it was a look of pure and simple superiority, one that was only shown to Haru as Chiyoko knelt beside him.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, BITCH."
Haru reached up a hand to grab Chiyoko, clearly not out of the fight just yet.
"It's clear why they call you The Beast now; you're nothing more than a rabid dog who needs to learn some manners."
Chiyoko jumped back to her feet and out of the way of his hand, feeling bad for a second as she watched him struggle back to his feet, his teeth clenched and clearly in pain.

YumeSeeing the man struggling in her grasp, she didn't let up on her hold, until she felt him tap against her arm, indicating he accepted defeat. Obliging his wishes, Yume released her "death grip" she had on him and climbed back to her feet, placing one foot on her fallen opponent to assure he had no plans of getting back up.

ChiyokoChiyoko looked away for a second, staring at Okra as she finished off the other brother, giving a slight nod of the head in acknowledgement of her skill before returning her attention to Haru, who had given up trying to stand and was crawling towards Chiyoko. Chiyoko's form twisted once more in the same style as seen before, and everyone expected a kick. Instead, Chiyoko fell right on her bottom as the announcer caught her off guard and called the fight, much to Chiyoko's surprise, technical knockouts were apparently a thing.


Both
"We have your winner's, by submission and knock out. Okra Sage and Tomoe Gozen."
There was a moment of silence in the audience; even after the first round, no one expected a second upset, let alone one so soon, but these two girls delivered. Yume took her foot off Katsu's back and approached Chiyoko, who stood up after her rather embarrassing finish. Yume's hand rose into the air as the two approached, and Chiyoko slapped it instinctively, the pair high-fiving in triumph. Cheers erupted throughout the arena as the slap jolted the audience awake from their trance. Chiyoko struck up a conversation with Yume as she exited the arena and returned to the waiting area.
"So Okra, where'd you learn to fight like that?"
She said the name Okra with a sarcastic tone, still not believing it was the girl's name.


Chiyoko
Yume
Leo
Haru
Katsu
Announcer
 










scroll
Xiang Zhao





Tokyo, Japan





interactions: Valerie





Tags: Wxnter Wxnter











As the second round was announced and the contestants were introduced, Xiang had kept his head down the entire time as he had no further interest in watching any further fights after what had had witnessed in the first one. Just the fact of how the winner of the first round was already going most likely be a pain in his rear to battle against was enough to distract him temporarily. However, as he continued to relax upon the bench, the description of the next contestants was rather baffling even to normal standards. Lifting his attention up towards the television screen once more, Xiang arched a brow at the match-up of two young women against two over weighted opponents.

It appeared as though Xiang was not the only one that was caught off guard regarding the match-up of two drastically different types of opponents as the other fighters within the room also seemed rather confused. The thought of the two sumo brothers verses two young women made the idea that the fight was going to last all of a few moments before it had been over with the possibility of the women being crushed under the two mens' weight alone. Because of this, many of those within the room with Xiang paid no mind to the fight and continued on with their conversations. This lasted all of a few moments as the shouting of the crowd and the fight lasting longer than the mere few seconds, they believed it would, caused many eyes to turn back towards the screen.
Xiang who had been focusing on the battle ended up clenching his fists as the movements the two women made were all too similar to that of the previous contestant. They moved with such grace and each step followed along with the next like the flow of water would along a stream, not a single step was out of place or wasted. "Well...isn't this something..." Chuckling under his breath, he lowered his head once more just as the two men were taken down. Even if the announcer hadn't called the win yet, it was all too easy to know that the women were definitely not any ordinary fighters.

Moments passed and not long after Xiang lowered his head, the bell had rung indicating the end of the battle. The winners were none other than the two females: Orka Sage and Tomoe Gozen.

After the winners had left the ring, along with assistance to help the two brothers to the infirmary, the announcer left the ring in its large state before climbing back towards the center where he once more gripped the microphone to rally the crowd. "Wow! Wasn't that exciting folks?! Who would've thought!? Guess you should never judge a book by its cover, huh folks?! Now, lets not keep you all waiting and move right into the next round!" Yet again, just like with every other round, the announcer placed his fingers onto his earpiece just to gather the details of the upcoming round before nodding. It appeared the next round did not bother him as much as it did with the round that had just gone by. "Alright everyone! Starting up with our first contestant! Straight from the lands of Scandinavia, previous champion of our legendary tournament two years ago! Back to reclaim his title! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the Viking Ødger Haraldsen!" As the name was called forth, the metallic double doors the sumo brothers exited from previously swung open. Instead of a single person stepping out, a group of seven men chanting an Old Norse song marched into the room. Six of the men stood side-by-side as they chanted while one stood in front of them dressed in leather pants and a large fur cape-like fabric hung over his shoulders. His hair and beard were a deep orange color and his body was covered in strange runic markings all over as the group approached the ring.

By the time the seven men had approached, they all paused only to let the one in front enter while the others began to surround the ring. Approaching the announcer, the large muscular man removed his fur cape just to toss it aside before grabbing the microphone from the intimidated announcer while the surrounding viking men continued to chant their Old Norse song. "Bring me my challenger! Or does is he a coward?!" The large man taunted while the crowd's cheer roared and echoed in excitement, demanding for whoever was going to fight the viking to show up.
The announcer who sheepishly reached up to attempt and take the microphone back was given it before the large man walked around the stage to attempt and get the entire audience onto his side.
"An-and h-his opponent...uhm, a local b-bartender over at the 'Last Stop Hangover', s-standing a height of 6'2'' and weighing in 176lbs. Pl-please welcome Xiang Zhao!" Unlike with the first introduction, the announcer was far too scared of the large viking man to be giving a large opening welcome to his opponent before he hurriedly slid off the ring to return to his desk.

Meanwhile, Xiang who had heard his name being called after his own opponent had made quite the grand entrance, slowly helped himself from his seat just to dust off his pants before heading out of the waiting room. Finding an unexpected visitor standing waiting for him as he left the room, it had appeared to have been a well-dressed businessman as he held out his hand to shake Xiang's; only to be refused in silence as Xiang walked around the stranger just to proceed towards the ring. The man, dumbfounded, quickly chased after him just to begin walking side-by-side. "H-hey! Wait a minute. I've got an offer for ya buddy! You see, I represent a pretty large company, and...well...lets just say, there are some big credits riding on you right now. Someone way up high is rooting up for ya to win but there are many other figureheads also rooting for ya to lose, ya see? So...I'm giving you an offer right now." As Xiang listened to the man, he only came to a halt when hearing there was someone betting credits for him and against him at the sametime. Staring at the stranger with a blank emotionless expression, the stranger laughed and attempted to pat Xiang's arm for being able to stop him. "Haha! That's my boy! Now, all I ask is that you...throw the match. Make it look convincing, if ya do...there is a huge sum of credits in it for ya! So, whatdoya say?!" Once again, holding his hand out in offer.

Xiang, who had been standing under a section of the hall where the light fixtures had seperated till the next set had stared at the man for a few moments in silence before his arms and legs began to flex under his sleeves till veins began to form along his flesh. His once usual dark brown hues suddenly giving off a bright golden glimmer to show his annoyance before the stranger practically fell onto his rear and ran screaming in terror.

Watching the man run, Xiang relaxed his muscules before heading back down the hall and eventually reaching the arena. While approaching the ring, the audience had practically been booing at him for taking so long to arrive as his opponent stood there with arms extended and laughing heartily. "Haha! So the yellow-bellied coward decided to show his face after-all!" As the man taunted, Xiang showed no interest as he continued to walk towards the ring, ignoring the crowd and the other vikings as they snarled and practically threatened Xiang by acting like wild animals attempting to bite him.
Entering the ring, the large viking approached him just to tower over Xiang by well over a foot as he gave a toothy grin while breathing his horrid breath that stank like week old rotten fish in his face. Still, it didn't seem to faze Xiang in the slightest. "Greetings sir. Before we begin our fight...I kindly ask that you do not dirty my suit with your blood or any bodily fluids at that." As he spoke, the man arched a brow in confusion and frustration before once again laughing heartily. "Sure! Sure! I won't dirty your suit with any of my blood...I'll just make sure to dirty it with my SPIT!" As he shouted, the viking immediately snorted deeply before spitting forward with a large glob that was quickly stopped midway when the sound of the bell had rung to indicate the beginning of the fight.

Taking several step back for a moment, the man raised his fists just to watch Xiang who stood there motionless, turning his head only to follow the man's movements slowly with little to no interest still. Right as the man charged forward, he was quickly stopped when the sound of what seemed to had been a phone chime going off filled the ring causing Xiang to hold up a finger to pause the man's forward charge. "Sorry sir, one moment." Pulling out a small smartphone from his pocket, he found that the phone call was actually coming from his boss at the bar. It was just then that the realization hit him, this whole event was on television! "Oh jeez...Uhhm...hey boss." As he picked up the call, the immediate reponse was yelling and questioning regarding why Xiang was wearing the suit to a fighting competition and why he was there and not at work. "I had nothing else to wear...! C'mon, I told you I was going to be late today...besides, if I win...then the credits can go to fixing all the stuff in the bar...like the toilet that's been clogged for the past few months, or getting a new blender!" Continuing on and on with the conversation, the audience, the announcer, the viking, the other men, the VIP businessmen, everyone was practically in shock at the fact that Xiang was having a full-blown phone call in the middle of a fight.

Many of the other viking men started staring at one another for a few moments before an uproar of booing began to fill the room. The opponent, who was becoming more and more enraged by the second was practically steaming in rage before he rushed Xiang only to end up missing him entirely due to him walking around and seemingly unconsciously dodging each charge forward. All while still on the phone. "Give me a break boss! I've worked every day, I promise. I won't get the suit dirty!" As he continued speaking with his superior, hearing about the suit once again had enraged the opponent further only to have him slowly walk up towards Xiang this time instead of charging at him. Xiang, who looked up towards the man, held the bottom end of the phone to avoid letting his boss hear him. "Could you give me a minute sir? I'm on the phone.." Without so much as a word, the viking snorted deeper than last time before spitting onto Xiang's suit coat, leaving a massive glob of saliva, and snort on his outfit.

Silence was all that came from Xiang right after, even while his boss was practically screaming on the phone. "I'll have to call you back boss.." Without even waiting for a response, he hung up the call before slowly removing his coat and proceeding over towards one of the corners of the ring to hang it up. The entire time, silence was all that came from him, even while the crowd booed and some laughed at having his coat dirtied; he approached the viking while keeping his head lowered. Once again, Xiang flexed his arms and legs under his sleeves while his own rage built up. "I thought...I told you...NOT to dirty my SUIT!" Quickly lifting his gaze with a flash of rage induced hues of gold, the viking barely had time to react before a sudden kick into the man's gut sent him flying out of the stage, the ropes surrounding the ring only cushioning his flight enough so that when he hit the stands, the audience had time to move out of the way, leaving him sitting in one of the seats out cold instantly.

The stadium was in silence, staring at Xiang who now exhaled a deep sigh. His hues shifting back to their dark brown color before anyone could take too much notice. Directing his attention towards the VIP boxes above the stands, he raised his right hand pointing towards the boxes. "You. You all sit there like leeches, using these people like toys for your own entertainment. You are not men, you are all cowards. Like little children fighting over who gets to play with their toys next. I dare you, if you truly are men. Come down and face me. Maybe then, I'll take up your little...'offers'." Xiang had never liked the idea of gambling, and to go so far as to gamble with a person's life in such a way only annoyed him further. If he could get the person who bet against him or even the person who bet for him in the ring, then at least he could comfortably continue this tournament without more frustration, knowing that they were not afraid to get their own hands dirty.




♡coded by uxie♡
 
FANG AND VALERIE
A moment passed, then another, before one of the bodyguards wordlessly entered the room behind them. As the door creaked open Fang was able to probe the layout of the room in that instant. It was more furnished than the booth he grew familiar with, including one premium television and an intricately carved mahogany table. Whoever she was, it was glaring that her status exceeded Nobu and his fellows. Only a second later, Fang was allowed to enter. Fang wondered if the expediency was due to Nobu’s status as a businessman or this person's confidence in her security personnel. Regardless, he was careful to keep his hands within sight as he entered the booth.

Across from him, the viewing panel was already broadcasting another fight. Beneath them, in the ring, Fang could make out a bundle of pink hair that appeared unusually familiar. It was uncanny enough to distract him for a brief window before his gaze was brought downward at the ring of the bell.

The brooding woman ahead of him had danger latticed onto her skin, and she didn’t even spare him a glance as she continued to take a sip of her wine. It took Fang's brain some time to adjust to the contrast between her beauty and the intensity radiating off of her. Dark hair fell into her eyes like silk tresses, but it was the clear dark orbs that caught Fang's attention first. They were large and perfectly framed by dark lashes that glistened like embers. When he finally looked back down to her lower features, Fang felt himself swallow hard.

It was subtle, but her body posture reminded him of his mentor—Fu. That of a refined master just barely out of practice, yet ready to strike at any moment. Her guise was stalwart; her arms hung relaxed but held a compactness to them that only a seasoned warrior could achieve. Despite the fact that her form seemed more feminine, her face held the same cruel sense of detachment that Fu's did when he was about to issue a punishment.

“Well?” The woman set her wine glass down and eyed him from head to toe. Judging by the look on her face, she found his uniform offensively plain. Fang took a deep inhale to chill his fretfulness before opening his lips to speak. Instead of words, a sharp murmur fled from the back of his throat. His eyes darted away from his own embarrassment as he adjusted his shirt listlessly.

Steeling himself with a nervous laugh—he tried a second time, “The message is on this box. I have no idea what it says but he told me to deliver it.” He stepped forward, but a bodyguard gestured for him to stop, and instead, they took the torn pizza box lid from Fang’s hands. This distrustfulness and lack of agency were becoming tiring. Outwardly, he slumped his shoulders and inwardly he grit his teeth. As a child, he was forced to deal with these types on occasion. Always seeing him as either cheap labor or a worthless body to pile for their own fortune. The bodyguard moved away from Fang and gently pushed the torn box toward Valerie, which she received with a slight annoyance.

Etched onto the back in sloppy penmanship read, “Heard a rumor you lost your head lookin’ for something. Didn’t think you’d want to lose Daddy's money too. Guess you can’t ask him for a new one?” While his back faced the door, his form was subtly primed for a quick escape. Valerie’s gaze darkened, and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence. The atmosphere in the room grew thick as they watched her with bated breath. Suddenly, an unexpected burst of laughter rang in the air. They released the breath they didn’t realize they were holding and exchanged nervous glances—no one dared to speak. No one understood how such a sweet-sounding laugh could sound so menacing at the same time.

Valerie tore the message apart and discarded the pieces onto the carpeted floor. “Ahh. It’s amusing when someone so inferior dares to challenge me,” said Valerie through gritted teeth, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.

“It seems that this man, Nobu, is keeping tabs on you. How would you like to handle it, Miss Valerie?” The old butler spoke. His voice sounded soft and gentle in contrast to the woman’s sharp and commanding voice.

“I believe there’s a saying that goes…” she paused briefly, her gaze drifting toward Fang. “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Valerie rose from the couch and took slow steps toward him, stopping just inches away from his face. “But what better way to send a message?” she raised an eyebrow, her golden eyes piercing into his with hostility.

Fang swallowed hard, feeling pressure start to build in the pit of his stomach. For a moment, Fang considered running. There was little doubt that he was outmatched here. But now that he was in the crosshairs of her ire, it was a different story. Something seemed to spark in him, as though fate itself was pushing him forward. With a deep breath, he stepped boldly towards Valerie. “Because the messenger has a better way.” Fang felt a rush of energy coursing through his veins, and he let his voice carry over him as he continued, "If you give me the chance, I’ll make sure Nobu won’t bother you again.” There was a nervous tremble in his voice and it was clear that he was speaking off the cuff.

He was a corned mouse caught in the eye of the storm. Fang knew he had to act fast or he would get crushed by the sheer force of the raging war. Fang decided that the best course of action was to work with purpose. By acting decisively, he could gain the upper hand in this situation. Between the two forces, he’d prefer to take his chances with Nobu. Turning his gaze away from Valerie, his sight flew to one of the booths across from them. With his right hand, he pointed a finger to match the direction of his gaze. “Watch for yourself. All I would want in return is protection. I’m sure someone like you can keep security lax for a minute or two?

His heart was hammering against his ribcage, yet he still found the courage to raise his voice. Fang couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at being able to speak to her, even if it was on her own terms. "I mean… we share a common enemy. Someone who has been tormenting us both." As he finished speaking, he felt his chest tighten. The sound of his voice was like thunder in his ears.

Valerie stared at him for a moment, before finally bursting into laughter. This time it was a genuine, hearty laugh. Her eyes crinkled, and a disarming smile was plastered on her face. His response was not what she expected, she reckoned that he would beg for his life. “When an ant bites you, do you think of it as your enemy? No, you simply brush it off and carry on with your day.” Valerie stepped away from Fang and sank back into the couch. “You amuse me, but I don’t need your help taking care of someone so small and insignificant.” She crossed her legs and looked at the television screen, just in time for the announcer to declare the new winners, Okra Sage and Tomoa Gozen. Weird names. “But I do like your spirit. Why don’t you work for me?” She glanced once more at his eyesore of a uniform, then added, “Or you can continue to slave away at that mediocre pizza parlor, barely making ends meet. Up to you.” Without breaking eye contact, Valerie reached for a cigarette and placed it between her lips, lighting it with a gold-plated lighter that had her initials engraved on it. “Think about it,” she said as trails of smoke escaped her mouth.

Two dark eyebrows soared upwards to the very edge of his cap. His mouth hung agape in sheer confusion. Fang couldn’t believe what he heard. He wasn't sure if it was because she offered him a job or how casually she made the offer. Either way, he found himself at a loss for words. In his mind, he was reeling from the sudden turn of events, while the rest of him was frozen in disbelief. It took him a full five seconds before he could open his mouth to respond. "Umm…" The words sounded like they came from someone else. Fang shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "I—I don't know what to say," Fang stuttered. "It's just… you're offering me a job?"

Fang’s shoulders slumped downwards as the atmosphere of the booth felt a lot less oppressive. It was as though he had achieved his goal by talking to her, even if it wasn't what he wanted. But despite the relief he felt at the sudden shift, there was also a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had to admit that he liked the idea of working for Valerie, even though it meant losing his job. It wasn’t so much that he enjoyed working at the restaurant, but rather the sense of accomplishment he got from doing honest labor.

"I'll accept," said Fang, his tone uncharacteristically firm. It surprised him how quickly he made up his mind. It seemed that this opportunity outweighed his current concerns. In any case, Fang hoped that he wouldn't regret his decision.

“Great. Why don’t you take a seat?” Valerie smirked.

Outside the booth, it was finally time for one of the most high-stakes fights of the night thus far. Looking for a free seat, he approached it and let his body melt into its frame. He had a lot of questions on his mind, but for now, he thought it better to recoup and watch the fight. With one hand he removed the cap from his head and sat it on his lap. The fight was about to begin.

Horror Horror
 
1668036544776.png
ryuji was in the room , he sat in silance but his mind was going through multiple scenarios .
" that last battle was amazing , slanky and slim looking but that kick , its terrifying " he thinks to himself
some people give ryuji a strange feeling , like an aura around their bodies , menacing , powerfull , bright , its different from person to person , including demons , and the fact that multiple people give off a strange powerfull aura in here made him terrified , he watches as xiang steps off the ring. his heart begins beating fast , he's stressed .
"fighting like a slayer wont be a good idea , fighting too simularly to these guys would put me in danger"
he steps out of the room after one of the men working here knocks on his door
"its your turn kid"
ryuji takes a gulp of the water bottle throwing it in the trash can on his way out , he cant be dehydrated going into a fight where he might be put against an aponent as strong as xiang , or stronger.
he walks out of the darkness into the ring side as the announcer grabs his mic
"heading to the ring , the brother of the past defeated champion rising from the ashes of his brother's defeat ready to take his rightfull place , the second heir to the haraldsen family name ; Herleif Haraldsen "
the crowd goes wild with cheers as their fallen champion's brother steps out from the darkness , and trudges into the ring side , he takes off a large cape with a hammer symbol on the back of it . the hulking man steps into the ring.
ryuji starts walking towards the ring slowly calculating the situation
"and his apponent , coming from the country sides of japan , a new fighter in his first and probably last professional fight , ryuji!"
ryuji's heart beats fast as time seems to slow down , he jumps into the ring standing infront of the viking.
ryuji throws the top layer of his kimono only leaving the normal black gi. he stands next to the giant viking who basically covers him fully.
the match starts and ryuji's mind starts racing as his apponent pulls his hand back and throws a punch at him
" we cant jump around and dodge like the other making myself a target . THAN I'LL TAKE THE PUNCHES HEAD ON"
ryuji takes a deep breath activating his breathing power as the punch lands causing the ring to shake , ryuji's face is pushed back , he smiles turning his face right back and pushing his apponents fist away with his own face .
harleif is shocked by the endurance of ryuji. he steps back in fear but pushes foreward unleching a barage of punches that ryuji eats up .
when the viking is tired out he steps back .
ryuji stands there with a nose bleed but he seems to be doing ok. he cracks his neck straightening his back breathing out.
ryuji pulls his arms back double punching the viking knocking his backwards before jumping up and stomping on the viking . he then unleaches a kick right in the face of the viking .
ryuji lands on the ground seeing his apponent stumbling back , quickly seeing the opertunity he delivers another double punch to the back of the knees sending the viking down to the ground .
the ring is filled with dust , as it clears up ryuji appears standing next to his fallen apponent
the demon slayer puts his hands up to the sides to celebrate , the crowd quickly goes from shock to cheering .
"and we have a winner by knockout , this is an interesting night ladies and gentlemen , the firestorm , ryuji!"
ryuji takes a deep breath , this is the best he could do to hide the fact that he's a demon slayer , no showing off today.
ryuji steps out of the rings grabbing the kimono part that he took off .
as he walks back to his room, the crowd sheering slowly becomes more and more obscured by the walls of the locker rooms and he sees xiang , his breathing becomes faster and he walks up to man in yellow.
"h-hi , y-you're fight was amazing , you beat that guy with one kick , whered'ya train" he says watching out for any strange movement or attack coming from xiang.
 
Last edited:
Demon Slayer
Yume Shimizu
Location: The Arena | Tags: Dextra Dextra
Entering the locker room, Yume expected to go her own way for awhile, or at least until the next fight, but it seemed Chiyoko had other plans. Hearing the other girl question where she had learned to fight, a sheepish chuckle escaped her throat. "Oh you know," she tried to brush off, though she knew it likely wouldn't fly. Nobody would take such an answer after all. If anything, her desire to avoid such a conversation only raised more questions on it. "I- uh- hm."

She couldn't find the right words to say. She was speaking to someone who was a well known cosplaying martial artist after all. Her fighting skills had clearly come from whatever training she had done to earn such a title, yet Yume, she had no real excuse. Her interest had been sparked from playing video games, and while much of her training went to that of the sword, she had learned enough about hand-to-hand combat growing up. That had only gotten better after she had begun her training as a Demon Slayer. She couldn't admit to that though. Hardly anyone knew about it, and even those that did, namely Kenshin, they didn't believe her stories of demons. Every injury she sustained was brushed off as some reckless act of heroism against a criminal of some sort. In the eyes of her friend, she was a vigilante and soon enough, she would find herself in trouble if she didn't stop. That wasn't going to happen.

Shaking her head, Yume still needed to find a proper answer to the question she had be posed. Fiddling with the end of her braid, she sank down on one of the couches, pondering her own mind in hopes that something would come to mind. Maybe being upfront about herself would make things easier? Chiyoko would likely understand, given she too seemed to be hiding behind a guise. Still, making friends now wasn't what she had come to do. This was business, and she could not forget that.

"This might sound absurd, but I learned how to fight from video games," Yume admitted. It sounded like a thing from fiction, yet it was mostly true. "I found a teacher that would help me bring those styles to live and well, here we are!" A laugh came from the girl's lips as rubbed the back of her head. It was clear she was embarrassed from admitting such a thing, even if it was the truth (though the last part was a bit twisted to fit her narrative). "You clearly know how to fight too, though I guess that is no surprise. I won't say it to anyone else, but I know who you really are."

Yume paused, unsure how such words would effect Chiyoko. Part of her figured the other wouldn't care given she had done nothing to disguise herself all too well, but the other part knew she needed to prepare for the worse. Turning her head away, the gamer scratched the side of her neck nervously, as she debated if she should come out from behind her own guise. It might help her story, though there was no telling if the other would even know who she was. Even the most popular people still were unknown to some after.

"Since I know who you are, maybe it's fair if I return the same." A deep breath escaped Yume's lips as she moved her hand to grab the mask that covered her face. Pulling it up, her face became revealed to the world, showing exactly who she was underneath. "Maybe you know who I am?"
Code By Nano
 










scroll
Xiang Zhao





Tokyo, Japan





interactions: Ryuji















With no response coming from anyone in the VIP boxes above the stands, Xiang cursed under his breath at the fact the cowards who hid behind their greed were too bent on the fact that their social status was so high that they wouldn't even bother with the likes of him. With multiple of the other Viking men rushing up the stands to help out their fallen warrior, those remaining had still been in shock while staring at Xiang who continued to stand in the center of the ring. The crowd had also gone silent from the sheer amount of force that one person was able to release in just a single strike, the announcer in even more shock than anyone else that he hadn't even remembered to call out the winner of the round before security had rushed into the room. Slowly the men and women who had been armed with batons and bulletproof vests approached Xiang to tell him to leave the ring and return to the waiting room or they would use force.

"Tsk." Without so much as another word, Xiang returned to the corner of the ring where he had hung up his suit coat just to retrieve it before proceeding to exit the ring and area while carefully attempting to wipe off the spit stain with a handkerchief that he kept in one of the pockets within the coat.

Just as he had exited the ring, the announcer practically snapped back to attention before rapidly rushing to head back onto the ring while security repaired the ring's rope barrier for the next round.
Meanwhile, Xiang had eventually returned to his assigned waiting room. Rather than immediately entering the room however, he decided to stand outside of the metallic double doors and simply leaned his back against the wall while he continued to wipe off the stain from his coat that he knew his boss was most likely going to chew him out for later on in the evening when he got back to work. While standing there, he listened to the next round play out from his position just from how loud the television had been within the waiting room as he took in the name of the individuals, one was a stranger of a name that held not much to it, while the opponent seemed to had been that of the brother of Xiang's opponent.

Chuckling under his breath, he paid slight attention to just the mere sounds of the round until a winner was confirmed to be the stranger in the end. While it wasn't too much of a surprise, just the idea that his opponent's sibling wanted to avenge his brother was humorous to Xiang.
Moments passed as Xiang returned to his cleaning of his suit coat once more, his attention was only divided when an individual had decided to approach him. The male seemed to had been impressed with Xiang's round with how he had beaten his opponent in a single strike before questioning him regarding where he had trained. For a bit, Xiang remained silent as he simply stared at the male for a few seconds, his hand that held the handkerchief eventually lowered till he placed it against the wall behind him.

Within moments, Xiang was able to verify the fact that this male was indeed human, although his presence did not give off the same as any ordinary one. No, it was different yet familiar and yet, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was off the top of his head. "Some of my skill is self-taught...I also had a...great mentor." Of course, Xiang would not tell the entire truth regarding learning majority of his skill from his mentor let alone giving too much detail into it. "Your outfit. It is rather...strange, isn't it?" Although he knew well enough that considering his suit, he shouldn't have been one to talk about strange outfits, this individual's attire resembled that of Demon Slayers and the thought of him being one was definitely a possiblitiy that was going through his head. If this was the case, Xiang's situation might've just turned real bad, real quick.

Suddenly, during the midst of the duo's conversation, the announcer upon the stage once more began to rile up the crowd who had all been re-energized thanks to the announcer's hyping. "Haven't these fights been absolutely astonishing folks?! Let's keep the ball rolling and move right into the next round! First up, we have yet another mysterious fighter. Will he show us some spectacular fighting as the rest have?! I'm sure I'm not the only as excited as you all! Weighing in 156lbs and standing a height of 5feet. Please give a warm welcome to Cid Silverstone!" With the crowd's roar of their cheers filling the stadium, the announcer kept bouncing around the large ring to show his own enthusiasm. "His opponent, calling himself some sort of Knight in shining armor! Coming all the way from the country of the United Kingdom, weighing in 246lbs and standing a height of 6'8''. Give a hearty welcome to Sir Richard!" As the announcer called out, he was quick to rush off the ring to avoid the same results of facing one of the competitors on the stage and being targeted.

Through the double doors on one end of the stadium, a large, towering male dressed in a full suit of armor marched into the room. Each step he took practically stomped the floor with the metal clanging against one another. The large male held his helmet under his right arm while he waved to the cheering crowd. Laughing and smiling as he apparently favored the cheers.




♡coded by uxie♡
 
Jimmy Awesome/Luigi Biagi
Place: The Arena
With: Xiang Zhao ( Nothingness Nothingness )
Mood: Excited

As the battle between Xiang Zhao and a rather tall opponent raged on, Luigi couldn't help but cheer him on. Even though the battle was just getting started, his impulsiveness was getting the best of him. In fact, he knew who Xiang was because it was obvious that he was formerly a Demon Slayer so he heard a few rumors about him from someone. Well, he still couldn't seem to recognize Fang at first that was but it was far from that.

His voice kept getting louder and louder, causing the businessmen to be annoyed by him. He tried his best to get Xiang's attention but nothing came to be because other spectators were cheering too loudly for him. However, he kept trying. And he kept trying again.

"Come on Xiang, don't let that tall bastard beat you!" exclaimed Luigi.

The businessmen had enough of Luigi's excruciating shouting. Therefore, they decided to urge him to keep it down a few notches. A simple shushing would do for them.

"Shush!" said the businessmen who were trying to watch the fight distraction-free.

"Oops, sorry about that. I guess I got a little too carried away..." said Luigi in embarrassment.

(OOC: Just a quick disclaimer, this happened prior to the fight because I posted it too late. Mistake happens, you know. lol)
 
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"a mentor you say , i never had one , i trained by watching people fight "
ryuji was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable but the comment about his clothing made him stressed again.
"o-oh , t-this old thing , it was a-a gift , grandparents gave it to me "
ryuji's head goes wild with stress , he quickly turns himself around hiding his already hidden sword.
ryuji feels blood going down his nose and tries to wipe it.
"that viking brother was something , but im sure his brother was stronger , i still cant get over that kick"
he was amazed , but terrified , that viking could be him if this man is a demon in disguise , i mean ryuji can sense when someone's off but he cant just know , he's still not that good.
Nothingness Nothingness
 
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It was now obvious that this Okra was hiding something; her first attempt to brush off the answer to her question was met with a raised eyebrow from Chiyoko. The more Chiyoko looked, the more something about the purple-haired girl seemed familiar, and Chiyoko began to wonder where she had seen her before.

Chiyoko's curiosity grew as she waited for an answer. It wasn't long before Okra responded, but it was long enough for Chiyoko to believe that the next words out of her mouth would be some convoluted lie, but to Chiyoko's pleasant surprise, a breath of honesty was the actual response.
"Video games?"
Chiyoko muttered to herself,
"Is such a thing even possible?"
Chiyoko thought to herself, she wasn't sure, but it sounded so far-fetched that if it was a lie, it slipped right past her. I It was certainly interesting, and it inspired her to bring more young people into her dojo, because surely Okra isn't the only person in the world who wants to start learning because of what she's seen on television and in video games.

Chiyoko sat next to Okra, who admitted to knowing who Chiyoko was as she gently placed her bag in front of her. Chiyoko had honestly assumed that the tournament was much more underground than it was, but with camera crews streaming it live on television, she realised she was mistaken. It was obvious that someone would have recognised the girl eventually, after all, using a fake name was all she did to hide who she was, which in retrospect was a mistake, so the fact that someone knew who she was wasn't such a surprise.
"I mean, I didn't do much to hide it."
The girl let out a small chuckle as she shrugged her shoulders.

Okra appeared to feel bad about knowing who Chiyoko truly was while hiding behind a mask. While she didn't show much of a reaction, her mind was put at ease when Okra, now known as Yume, revealed her face. Yume was familiar to her, and it suddenly made sense why Chiyoko had felt a sense of familiarity from the girl. Chiyoko didn't watch many other streamers, maybe a handful, but Yume was one of them, and despite having very different content, Yume had always been a big inspiration for Chiyoko, her personality, her competitive nature, her looks, everything.
"I should have known, I thought I reconignsed thoses names they are names of your rabbits, Okra and Sage."
Chiyoko let out a chuckle before doing a zipping motion across her mouth.

"Honestly, I didn't expect this to be so legitimate, which is why I used a fictitious name, but considering everything and everyone, this tournament would be a great source of free publicity."
Chiyoko laughed again before looking at Yume from top to bottom.
"Speaking of free publicity, we should tots collab; people would go crazy. Here's what I'm thinking: a gender swapped Kyu and Ren from Fighter Street 4, we spar, you help instruct in a quick dojo class, I cook for you, we eat, and we end the first part of the stream. Part two will be at your house or wherever we can game all night, though you'd have to be nice because there's a reason I've never streamed any games."
Chiyoko let out a third chuckle, this one much more awkward than the previous two as she rubbed the back of her head.
"I apologize, I talk alot when I'm excited."


Chiyoko looked up just in time to see the very end of the match after hers, where the person who had been the most suspicious to Chiyoko had become even more suspicious. Chiyoko had seen the other person in formal wear earlier, he was fighting the champion from two years ago, and it appeared to be over with a single kick, but the kick wasn't natural even by her standards. As a demon slayer, and a high ranking one at that, she had almost supernatural strength, but this Xiang's strength was almost demonic. It was then that she realized she had come here for fun and had neglected her sixth sense, her ability to detect demons. It was very possible that demons were fighting here, and if they were, she'd be in big trouble if she got matched with them and couldn't use her swords. She put the thought aside for the time being and returned her attention to Yume.








Demon Slayer



Chiyoko








  • filler tab!





♡coded by uxie♡
 







HEATH DISABATINO
  • “Humans like to think demons don't know grief. But they're ass backward. Can't give what you've never had, and a demon's got to give grief all the time."










    Heath had to nearly bite a kid's finger off just to get into the building. Of course, the technicalities were lost on the little imp's mother, who took more interest in switching the 'm' with 'b' from bitch and becoming a bother.

    Big bother bitch and her little boy Mitch.

    Heath took an instinctive look over his shoulder, as if old Madame Chi would cuff him headless for his little wordplay right then and there. Instead, he was reminded of where he was; sat in the lobby, detained by two security officers. Well, one officer. The other left minutes earlier, stating family emergency. It was no surprise to Heath. Despite his reformation, his demonic nature would forever keep its curdles, bringing a touch of misfortune with him wherever he went.

    Mitch. Out of a good thousand people that had crammed under the sun to watch the tournament, that little toddler stared a completely-cloaked Heath down and stuck his tongue out at him. Heath did the sensible thing and suppressed the urge to stick his own tongue back, opting instead for passive ignorance as he frustratingly searched for a way inside. Moments into this bliss, a bottom tug snapped his gaze downwards, meeting the wide eyes of the same infant, pudgy little arms up and grasping.

    Heath looked back up. The broad in charge of the little mite was feet away, enraptured in her own state of passive ignorance. The little boy whined impatiently, unfazed as Heath loomed over him, staring him down as threateningly as he could to scare him away. Finally, realizing he was already halfway anyway, Heath crouched down. Eyes bunching up with momentary excitement, pudgy fingers immediately latched onto his jutting demon's jawbone, running a slow, curious grip across each sharpened tooth.

    Funny, Heath had thought as he watched the child. On any day five, six years ago, curiosity would have killed this kitten. Good thing it was then, for them both, that today was today.

    The broad reintroduced herself with a mild shriek and a sharp tug, causing her boy to cry. A strange, predatorial-looking man had her child in his grip! Exposing him to such dangerous canines, heavens knowing where they've been. Heath, wanting to channel his lessons of Demon Slayer peace-keeping, agreed with her; during his demon days, his jutting jaws had bit into many a thing, most of all corpses. The woman did not appreciate his honesty, or his proving her point. She flew into hysterics instead, accusing him of being a madman. Worse, of trying to intentionally bite her little boy's finger clean off!

    Heath's eyes flashed. First with simmering anger, then with opportunity. Hearing the commotion right outside their doors, burly security guards filtered out and were heading towards them. Within moments, they had him locked by the biceps in bruise-blooming grips. The usual procedure was to escort him out to the edge of the crowd and kick him to the curb. But with so many people, the edge was too far off and the risk of Heath escaping too great. So, a much shorter way into the building it was, housing his weeks-long target.

    Taking the cloak of his hood off, Heath leaned back into his chair, watching the clock and listening out for the sirens they surely must have called. Then, his attention drew upwards, jaw clenched as grief trickled in.

    With her help, Vic. With her help, I swear I'll find you. And kill your fucking ass for listening to me. You didn't put up with helping me train all these years just to disappear.

    The whole point was that I listen to you. The whole point was to come back, Vic. Come back together. Not just me, alone. You told me. Never alone.


    The ping of an elevator door swung Heath's tilted head all the way back to level, eyes wide and secretly hoping she would just walk right out. Instead, it was a janitor carrying cleaning supplies out and a timid-looking twenty-something intern with tousled locks struggling to carry her stack of storage boxes into the elevator, glasses glued to the screen showcasing the tourney. Heath's eyes gleamed.

    With a swift glance over his shoulder, Heath booked it. He practically limbo'ed his way into the elevator, pulling his new body shield in front of himself right before the doors, and more importantly, his raging security officer caught them both.

    Luckily, he didn't. But to his detriment, part of his head, shoulder and arm had got in, the latter trapping against a metal nook, all three rapidly getting squeezed by incoming doors. In her terror and confusion, the girl pressed back, the weight of her boxes pressing her elbow into a button. Or maybe seven.

    Heath shot her an exasperated look. The elevator was practically a modern-day suite of elegance; there was no time to cross, move her out of the way and press the emergency stop.

    Raising his boot, a curt burst of demonic strength struck against the guard's face. With a resounding crack, the force shot him backwards with enough speed that within moments, the doors closed in happy silence as they crossed out of the main floor boundary.

    The first thing Heath noticed was that the elevator music was nice. If not a bit stilted, and being cut in by the girl's heaving breas---breaths. Yes, her breaths were quite distracting. Or maybe it was both and the blood that ran underneath. It was still somewhat difficult to tell; despite his surgically-modified bloodlust, Heath still relied on a faint blood instinct for survival. Not to mention, he hadn't yet figured out if the sexual kind was back on the table for him, as it was when he was human. The blame was all on Madame Chi and the woman he called mother - combined, they never let him bring human girls back to Madame Chi's part time dojo, his part time house for experimentation.

    "Wi...will he be okay?"

    Heath glanced at the girl, almost straining to hear her under her breath. A slight shrug later, he gathered fallen files, placed them into the top box and replied, "Broken nose. Maybe a fractured jaw, but the kick saved his life."

    The elevator doors opened to the seventh floor first. Finally, a little fucking luck.

    Heath stepped out, eyes zeroing in on one of the room numbers. It was at the end of hall, lovingly circled by clones wearing the same penguin suit. Diplomacy first, went Madame Chi's instruction, demon action later.

    But he had waited months for this. Weeks to really track her down, days to think of a plan, minutes to improvise when that plan went to shit and that shit inevitably went sideways.

    And he had to do it virtually all on his own, cloaked to the nines to avoid sunlight but achieve the greatest productivity. It was proof that the goodwill he had worked so hard to gain with the Demon Corps had evaporated, right alongside one of the only people who ever gave him the light of day. Who saw him as a friend, an ally, someone he could trust with his life as a fellow Demon Slayer.

    And his grieving sister was just outside this door. Heath had heard enough stories about her and was convinced, with all demonic certainty that of anyone, she would accept his offer to join forces. No matter what her thunder-breathing clan had already decided when they learned he was Vic's last mission partner, she would understand and offer that chance anyway. Her love for her brother was simply too great a wall, one that Heath was all but prepared to climb to reach his own goals.

    Six walls stood in his way currently. Radio chatter blathered between them, no doubt telling of his escapades downstairs. Pulling his Nichirin sword out of its hidden sheath, eyes blazing, the stance was readied. Within moments, Second Form: Non-Lethal Improved Lateral Water Wheel rained upon the gaggle of security, wiping half of them out.

    The last three were certainly some of the best fighters money could buy this sister of Vic's. But human strength was not a match for his demonic kind. Property damage was struggling to be at the front of Heath's mind; in the end, three more bodies lay in bruised, somewhat bloody heaps with some cracks on the floor and one or two dents in the wall.

    The last foe turned out to be his most strongest, formidable yet: the suite card reader. Heath had read somewhere online that the fourth try was always the luckiest when it came to card readers , despite the fact that the number four was incredibly unlucky on this island. The lack of luck from both sides cancel each other out, came the reasoning. And by some net miracle, it was true.

    "Ey, you!"

    The cavalry had arrived, looking positively numerous as they filtered out the elevator like clowns out of a clown car. The only serious thing they had were firearms, loaded to the nines. Ever the quick-thinker, Heath rapidly hauled one of their own in front of him as he opened the door, dragging his unconscious body. Within the space of a breath, Heath locked the door, hand still gripping the bloodied bodyguard by the collar as he turned to face his audience.

    There, sitting in a portrait of elegance was the woman who was Viktor's supposed equal in all but interests. They had only ever met by word of mouth; the bile about him spewed by her clan members or her Hashira father sure to have reached her ears. But meeting her in the flesh, she was a mirror image of her brother; a sleek curtain of nighttime tresses framed the snow-white of her face, with eyes as pale as the full moon and her body imbued with all the calculated savagery of a she-wolf.

    The boy sat opposite to her desk was truly that: a youth who looked as if he had barely past his seventeenth or eighteenth year. Though for some odd reason, he did look familiar. His dark skin illuminated the abnormality of his eyes, as well as the pizza logo decorating his uniform. It looked like he had just walked into the middle of a job interview.

    "Kid," Heath began, breathless from his exertion. "If you're looking to get a job as her protection..."

    He glanced over the shoulder, a slight smirk forming at the muffled pounding of the door. He looked back, this time lifting the limp body of the guard he still held by the collar as if it were proof. He eyed it, then looked up, his pale, glinting gaze settled exclusively on Valerie Rose Knight.

    "Don't. You're better off as a pizza boy."

Code by Nano
 
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Fang Guiying


Sba2Lnw.jpg



Mentions :
Nothingness Nothingness
Kovacs Kovacs
Wxnter Wxnter
Location :
An Arena?

Battle after battle brewed in the arena below, and the arena’s cheers soared after each clash. More money traded hands in five minutes than Fang was confident he would see in a hundred lifetimes. But, in all of his reveries, he never foresaw himself in a VIP booth across from one of the most affluent capitalists in Japan. There were a lot of questions on his mind for Valerie, but Fang chose to withhold them while the most crucial fight of the night waged on beneath the stands … the long-awaited brawl between Xiang and Odger.

As the fight endured, there was a glaring truth—Xiang was not human. His strength, his speed, and the way his muscle fibers contorted through his fancy ensemble; were more akin to that of an ancient beast than a man. Yet, despite this revelation, the crowd still roared. They wanted blood, they wanted carnage. They needed it if they wanted their wallets to continue to swell.

Unwieldy, his strength was not even close to the brawn of humans. Fang was never more certain of anything else. Xiang was a demon. That ending kick sent shockwaves through everyone's bones. Even those who didn't know what had happened could feel its power course throughout their bodies like electricity. It was something inhuman. The audience sat in cold silence as he issued a decree—an audience with those who placed money on, or against, his name.

It struck him then, why Valerie made the bet that she did. Slowly, he turned his head to face her and read her face. A single thought reverberated within his mind as he gawked, did she know? His mouth parted to ask the question plainly when a far-off ruckus shook the walls of their booth. At first, Fang could not make out what it was, but then it dawned on him like a cold wave crashing down upon him. It was the sound of an approaching battle. What had just happened? He wasn't sure. The noise continued, louder now, more urgent. A disturbance among the guards, some clamoring and others cowering. With the increased volume came a sharp pain deep inside his chest, a burning sensation that felt like acid eating away at his insides. He felt it at least a hundred other times. It was a demon, likely the very same one that made demands of Valerie at the arena. Fang's hand reached for a shape at his side but his grip found no purchase, ‘left the sword at home…’

Silence, it cut him with its razor edge. He could hear every beat of his heart and the blood pumping through his veins. Just outside the border of their sanctuary, something struggled to operate the card reader. One, two, three, beeps before a final green glow shone from the gadget controlling the locking mechanism. The doors swung open and a dark figure stood at the threshold. His short and shiny blue hair reflected against the overhead lights, and his angular features were marred by the ragged bone embroidered to his jaw. To his surprise, it was not the demon from the arena, but another, different one. Was it an enemy of Valeries, or a goon sent by Nobu? Either way, they were both unwelcome. It toyed with the unconscious body of a guard like a cat showing off a gutted mouse.

Leaping out of his chair, his eyes scoured frantically for a weapon. His eyes fell on the table across him, the thick wooden surface, polished to perfection. He placed his hand upon it and felt its smoothness. Nowhere else in the room was there anything even close to a blade. “I’m sorry about this. I’ll have to explain later.” With a kick, the leg of the mahogany table snapped as wood splattered across the floor and its unbalanced body crumbled to the floor. In Fang's hand was his prize, a wooden stick. Fang rushed toward Valerie and pushed himself against the wall. His back pressed firmly into the stone, steeling himself for the imminent danger. Dealing with the affluent was a task that was best given to his betters, but a demon? That was a beast that he knew well. A curt laugh ruptured from his lips as his eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare.

The wooden stick twirled within his palm as he ran his fingers along its length. Its weight and feel were perfect. Abruptly he spun it like a blade before taking the stance of a warrior; his feet spread to be shoulder-width apart, his knees bent and his arms extended. He felt his muscles flex, his lungs take in air as his arms tensed up and his shoulders hunched. Ready, he was ready for anything. He kept his eyes peeled for any sudden movements, his ears attuned to every crackle, his senses tuned for any hint of an attack.

All of his anxiety, his fears, his apprehension … fate provided a perfect opportunity to distract from it all. At that moment, he was nothing but a master of his craft, a swordsman, a warrior. As formidable a force as demons were, there was a certainty to their strength—unlike the moguls who toyed with his life and emotions. This was his world. He understood it better than anyone else alive. There was no more fear, no anxiety, only the thrill of battle.

Just a pizza boy? Guess you haven’t seen my full resume.
 

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