The blade of his scythe had made its way overtop of Seika's head before Seika had hit Jove in the chest, which was what would shock Seika's system. The figure eight had already begun by the time Seika had slammed his hilt into Jove's chest, and the motion was undeniably quick- Especially when it still contained all the momentum from his initial swing. The blade whipped around in the air, coming to its destination in less than a second after the initial miss on Seika. The blade would rip through Hitomi's neck, continuing back towards Jove's side and once again swinging over where Seika had shot.

Jove turned his body as it happened, for though he was not looking directly at Seika, he could see from his peripherals that his coworker was moving to reach up- His peripherals, and his magical eye.

Jove's body shifted, turning to the side away from where Seika's hand was reaching. The movement to Jove's left side, Seika's right, put him on the outside of Seika's body, avoiding the hand as it reached. It was Seika's right hand which had reached for Jove's chest, and so by moving to his own left, he was able to skirt completely around the extending arm. It was overly cautious perhaps, to expect anything else from this fight, but Jove was one who was always prepared.

And sometimes, this preparation worked in his favor.

Jove's entire body had shifted to the side, moving him entirely out of the way of Seika's hand. He knew his coworker relatively well. He knew of the stories surrounding his name, and knew that someone at Captain Commander rank would never be one to give up so easily. It would have been foolish for Jove to not move around, and to allow his old friend to just have free reign to point at any vitals he chose. As his body shifted, it seemed it had been the right decision. Seika's hand, which had been reaching up towards Jove's heart initially, had stopped where the center of Jove's chest had once been, before grasping for something. Jove stood with his body facing to the side of Seika, his scythe's shaft against his back, the blade to his bottom right and ready to be moved at a moments notice. A bright yellow light formed beneath Seika. Fuck, Jove thought, mildly panicked now, as a relatively small blast shot from Seika's hand.

Jove's body had turned and shifted, never having allowed Seika to point directly at his heart despite that being his intent. The blast shot up and through the air. It did not pierce his body, nor did it even nick his skin. However, the sheer amount of mana which had shot past Jove just now had triggered his survival instinct.

A loud grunt escaped Jove's lips as he exerted a massive amount of effort. With zero hesitation, and a ton of adrenaline, Jove twisted his body and began moving his scythe once more. It had come to rest a mere half a meter or so from Seika, and so as Jove slammed the scythe to Seika's side pretty much the moment after the spell had erupted from Seika's hand, the weapon would have very little distance to travel. Turning his hips, his torso, his hips, Jove's scythe cleared the minimal distance towards his partner well before any other spells could be cast, even had Seika immediately tried to follow up with a spell which utilized the exact same spell motion. The blade would impale itself into Seika's arm which had not been used for the spell, all the way through and into his chest. Due to the angle which the blade hit, it would nearly be cutting the arm off- Nearly, but not quite.

Jove's eyes would never leave Seika's at this point, despite Hitomi being on the ground unconscious and bleeding now. If Seika moved in the slightest, Jove would simply twitch his arm, causing another round of damage, knocking Seika out entirely, and removing his arm from just below the shoulder. His eyes never parted from Seika's now, though his coworkers face was covered in sweat and his lips took in labored breaths. Jove had dodged that technique, but it had really done a number on his nerves. He had triumphed so easily in his previous fights that he had perhaps grown complacent, nearly allowing his friend to turn the tables on him. He waited to see if Seika would concede at this point, or if Jove would have to knock him unconscious.

Techniques Used:

Pain.

Pain filled Khnurn's chest, the fight hadn't even lasted that long and yet so much damage had been done that it was unfathomable. Fights between S-class individuals often times lead to such outcomes but to actually feel said pain within his body was such a new and outstanding feeling that it had somehow stripped the fogginess from his mind and created clarity.

Even as his hand had clenched around the blazing plasma energy of his Sunlight Spear. Even as he watched with lulled disbelief as his opponent had stepped around his grasping motion. Things would inevitably grow clearer. There were details that were previously hidden behind a haze of red, though that was probably just the blood rushing to his head after his chest injury.

His opponent had witnessed his movements and adjusted accordingly, stepping out of his strike that took down Hitomi with a swiftness that befitted the mastery of his weapon before standing off slightly to right just outside the reach of his arm, no more than a foot to Khnurn's right than where he started, but just enough that Khnurn could ascertain that he was no longer in the same place. This was good and bad for two reasons as it meant that his actions hadn't forced his opponents outside of his own attack range, however this also meant that his opponent was still within striking range of the spear that was now fully manifested within the grip of his hand.

The energy pulsed and crackled angrily within his outstretched, upturned hand, the palm of which was facing upwards as it held the unstable matter within its grasp. The sound was barely perceivable, even as it sliced through the air, a simple twitch of the wrist which caused it to jerk suddenly to the right to fill an all new location with its presence. The movement was damn near instantaneous, being that it was caused by a mere flick of the wrist. The energy acted like a laser as it traveled, near instantly following and pointing in the direction of the opening in the top of his hand, now pointing almost perpendicularly to the right as Khurn's hand corrected itself from its previous outstretched position. The trajectory would inadvertently bring it through Jove's body if he did not move however, just below his arm pit and through his chest across his body and out the other side through his heart.

His opponent similarly had the same idea to attack the moment the spear had manifested and missed, likely caused by the near death experience he had just went through. Khnurn wasn't surprised, nor did he take it to heart, no pun intended, but at this point they were locked in a bloody struggle and any attempt to stop said struggle would be met with equal and opposite force. Time would only tell if Seika's wrist movement was faster than his opponents momentous slash towards his outstretched arm, however should his opponents strike come to pass, the strike would knock him down onto his left side, his body falling off the scythe and away from Hitomi as it looked like his left hand would move to brace himself but would instead find itself up by his head as he laid down on the cold floor resting on his shoulder staring up at the man who had brought him down handily.



Maintained Sunlight Spear, flicked wrist to the right to slash through his body during his own swing.

Took another S-rank if this fails.

• Vitals:
  
  • Health: 2 S 1 A/5 S
    
  • Mana: 4,310/4,810
    
  
  
  
• Spells
  
  • Sunlight Spear
    
    • Rank: S
      
    • Mana Cost: 250
      
    • Range: Melee
      
    • Cooldown Remaining: 2 Posts
      
    
    
    
  
  
  

• Attributes:
  
  • Strength:104  + 150 = 254 (3 A-rank damage)
    
  • Speed: 2 - 40 = 1 (10 m/s)
    
  • Constitution: 251 = 5 S durability
    
  • Endurance: 106 = S resistance (Chest Hindered)
    
  • Intelligence: 251 + 50 = 301 (50% Mana Reduction)
    
  
  
  
• Equipment:
  
  • Weapon: Ryujin Jakka
    
  • Off-Hand: Senji Nigiri
    
  • Head: Flame Monarch Crown
    
  • Ring: Synergias Ring
    
  • Companion: Silbdrache the Mindrache
    
  
  
  

[/quote]

The two acted nearly simultaneously. Seika rotated his wrist, causing the staff to slam into the side of Jove as Jove violently swung in order to nearly cut off Seika's opposite arm. Seika's staff reached Jove a moment before his own scythe connected, but at that point it was far too late. Jove was already in full motion, and there was no stopping him.

The spear cut violently through Jove's chest, piercing a lung on its way, and searing everything it touched in his chest, but the scythe was no more forgiving. The blade had pierced fully through Seika's chest, meaning that it had gone sticking out through the other side and stabbing also into his left arm. However, Seika would not fall down to his left side from this- the scythe was embedded into his body. The spear that had cut its way into Jove's body elicited blood from his lips, signaling an oncoming end to this fight. After all, the both had just traded damage. Seika was likely aiming for a more instant knock out, but due to the angle he was at on his knees, the movement of Jove, the weird twisting motion required to try and hit him by only flicking his wrist, it was not possible to accurately hit his target with a perfect blow.

A crunching sound was heard as Seika's arm was cut through the bone, and the blade of the scythe also found itself into his spinal column. Lifting his foot to the now clearly unconscious Seika, Jove pushed in order to ensure he could withdraw the scythe from his body. With that, Seika would fall to the left side. The fight should have been finished at this point, unquestionably so, but Jove still glared down at the other Captain-Commander. He had to be ready, just in case somehow this was not enough.

That was, of course, until more blood found its way pouring from his wound. Jove looked down, unable to see within the exposed innards, but certain that the spear must have done even more damage than he'd realized. "Well, fuck." He had cut fully through the bone of Seika's left arm, sliced through the spine, but all it took was this single blow to the chest to make Jove as injured as his friend.

Dropping down to one knee, Jove felt consciousness slipping away from him. No... Not yet... He wasn't finished yet. He came in order to fulfill his duty, and that was not yet done. And yet there he was, knocked out like his partner.

Calling Hits:

Techniques Used:

There was a bit of silence that filled the diner in the moment after the clash, the bodies of the two warriors had been stilled by their final acts. Khnurn, the ever immovable Grand Knight, stalwart of body and mental, remained slumped over, body incapable of falling properly due to the slab of metal that was embedded deep into his flesh. Consciousness had left him a few seconds after the shock of being pierced had ended and the realization that his opponent had similarly suffered a debilitating attack. Fire filled his body, even in the grasp of defeat, Sol's essence seemingly filled him, enveloping him and encouraging him, however it was not to be. Khnurn was just too far gone at this moment for the energies to have the impact that they should have had, but that was fine because the plan had been accomplished, somewhat.

Khnurn hadn't exactly watched the process of his opponent slumping over, body dissected by a literal pole of plasma, but he had at least heard the man's curse and the sound of his body limply hitting the floor. A dark chuckle had ripped itself from Seika's lips in that moment, his eyes losing the light in them in that moment as he whispered something to Jove. It wasn't loud enough to be heard, and in the grand of schemes, it wasn't important enough to be discerned, but it was something that the man would have found funny if he were alive. The outcome of this fight had been so shitty for the both of them, but in a way, it was the one that was going to happen no matter what. They were both just so stubborn that it was almost fate that the two would end up this way.

Light would shine upon his face as the Sun shone into the tavern. A smile would find its way across his face as Khnurn finally succumbed to the sweet embrace of silence, mind flowing away to distant lands and far flung ideals.

[Exit]

Battle Complete.

Result: Double KO.
WC: Met.

It was silence which erupted between them, stilling the chaotic sounds of combat which once filled this small bar. A single unconscious body had been strewn behind Seika, and before long, Seika's own form joined. What had happened which led them to this point?

The blade of Jove's scythe had indeed found itself into the Demon Slayer's spinal column and left arm. The amount of time it would take to heal from those wounds would be monstrous, and the chances of his body remaining permanently scarred from this battle were certainly not zero. Hitomi as well would likely suffer something in the form of a scar on her throat, a remembrance of their clash with the Captain-Commander. Yet to say Jove was not equally injured would be an obstruction of the truth.

The fact of the matter was that Seika had gotten his partner well. The plasma had cut itself into the meat of its enemies body, and with its white hot heat, sutured the wounds on their way through. The amount of pain Jove had been experiencing before losing consciousness had been extraordinary.

The two of them also shared in similar experiences in their unconscious states. For Seika, the spurned warrior felt himself filled with the essence of his God. It was an experience which was truly unfathomable to most, for despite the knowledge that the Gods did indeed fill their realm, most would go a lifetime without experiencing divinity. To describe the sensation of a truly inconceivable being visiting alongside ones soul, well, that must be a truly worthwhile feeling indeed. Jove could imagine how it must be, at least in theory, due to his own passenger.

Lucifer spurned within Jove, emitting a laughter most foul. Even in his unconscious state, Jove could feel himself grimacing at the feel. A cold truer than could ever be experienced chilled the blond to the very core of his essence. A very vivid self image had formed within the chasm of his psyche, and he felt the desire to clench his fists at the grotesque image of the being before him. Lucifer always did well to present himself in a humanoid form, and for all intents and purposes, that was indeed how he appeared. When one could only feel the ego behind the Devil, however, it was easy to feel drowned in his presence. Lucifer. Even without audible articulation, the disdain, or perhaps annoyance, was palpable in his thoughts.

You sure act haughty for an individual borrowing from me. Truly befitting of my vassal.

Jove understood well that the entity knew better, and that understanding was communicated to Lucifer as though spoken clearly. The two were clearly in a mutual agreement, but the ancient soul could not help but at least attempt some level of torment, to further juice Jove of his emotion. Amused laughter erupted from the foreign voice, and it spoke once more.

Yes, yes, I know you do not actually care for such things. Still, if not for your extravagant life I would die of boredom; you're not exactly fun to interact with. However, I must ask, what in the hell do you think you are doing right now?

It seemed obvious to Jove. He was just laying there, resting and hoping that he would not end up succumbing to his injuries. His body was certainly durable, but the damage done was enough to concern anybody. He did not possess anything in the way of healing, after all. He could only hope that his own mana would work to sustain his body, or better yet, that someone would bring their bodies to a healer.

I will not have my vassal going and losing whilst I possess them- Not after my previous host defiled my name so. You have power that you yourself are not even aware of. You simply must... Reach out and grab it. Jove had no idea what the devil was referring to. Power he himself was unaware of? How could that even be. The concept made absolutely no sense, and yet he was certain that there was no deceit in what Lucifer said. There would be no reason to lie about this sort of thing; it did not match up with how the demon chased enjoyment. He racked his mind, looking for what had been referenced, but could not for the life of him remember. He had never used a technique that could bring him back from the deep like this, not that he could think of at least. Yet as he thought this, the realization struck him. An ability he had, a power, which he had never needed to use up until this moment.

The Aura of Death.

Jove's fingers twitched, having been unable to stay on one knee upon losing consciousness, and instead having fallen over limp onto the floor. He gasped shakily, catching his breath, as he immediately felt a powerful aura overtake him. His own mana, usually red due to Lucifer, began to change due to the Aura of Death. A black outline, with bluish green color, escaped from his body. Jove did not heal, yet his wounds stopped bleeding, and the throbbing pain which had echoed through his bones disappeared. Pushing up with his arms, and quickly putting his weight onto his feet so he could stand, Jove's eyes immediately shot to Seika's body. Though an entire exchange of word and idea had shot around in Jove's mind, the brain can do amazing things in the unconscious state. Such as compress such a vivid story down to the matter of only a few moments, having allowed for no more than a few seconds to have gone by.

The sun shined through the windows of the tavern, barely breaking in through the dust which had yet to settle, and finding its way onto Seika's face. A smile had covered his lips at this point, though his consciousness had clearly faded at this point. He was out, unconscious as Jove had been just moments before. What, he wondered, was the video playing in Seika's mind?

Jove walked over, analyzing the scythe which stuck through Seika. If he pulled it out right now, the damage would be unknown. Not just Seika potentially losing his left arm, but also the damage to his spine being potentially worsened. He would have to send some sort of healer, or Rune Knight medical staff, to the bar as soon as he could. For that, he would also have to leave his weapon in Seika for the time being. Looking around, the amount of blood which filled this place was truly remarkable. To think, all of this from only three people... There were times in which his job was more exhausting than normal. Realizing the true impact of battle, and the amount of carnage that could be so easily created by people of their power, was truly staggering.

The front of his body was completely coated, though the direct contact with air allowed it to quickly begin to dry. Looking near Seika's body, Jove's eyes locked onto the individual who actually brought him here, Hitomi. She was clearly unconscious as well, and probably in more immediate danger than either of them. She had suffered detrimental damage early in the fight, and would likely need medical attention immediately. Jove slowly, timidly, began to move his body around to make sure that he could use it in normal ways without causing himself too much pain. Once he found confidence in that fact, he turned his attention back to Seika once more, staring down at the unconscious form of the other Captain-Commander.

There was no telling what would stem from this altercation. Like the physical scars which would haunt them, the impact of this battle would have mental and emotional scars that could last a lifetime. The two had already started establishing themselves as standing on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Seika was clearly more authoritarian, wishing for law and order to be enforced by those with the power to do so. It was by no means a morally incorrect answer, but it simply was not the same conclusion that Jove came to when considering the same issues.

Jove could have no idea at this moment that it would be their last time on the same team. That the only real times the two would interact would be the Church, the battle field as comrades, and then again as enemies. That the two would form a mutual respect for one another, for even in the short amount of time with their interactions, the experiences were so impactful that a bond would be made? The day would likely come in which this very battle would be referenced as a turning point for two of the most impactful mages of their time. One already beginning their journey to prominence, and the other only just starting to see the need for change.

Jove reached for the magic restricting hand cuffs that were given by the Rune Knights, yet before he made contact his body froze up. He glanced from Hitomi to Seika, and frowned deeply. It felt a little late to be allowing any sort of sentimental connection to begin to affect their interaction, and yet he somehow could not help but do so. The two would be unconscious for a long while, what was the point? He reached down, tucking his arm beneath her knee and the mid of her back, and lifted.

With her unconscious in his arms, he left the scene of the bar. Semi dry blood dripped from both of their forms, leaving a thinning trail as he made his way to the Rune Knights office in Oak. Making his way in, there was immediately a panicked reaction. Jove, who had reverted to human form right before he stepped out of the bar, was able to immediately speak up and identify himself. As one of the only two Captain Commanders within Fiore, it was an obvious conclusion that they would recognize him. It was when he identified that the woman in his arms was none other than Hitomi Minamoto that the office began to panic. Excited and concerned members of the Knights ran up to him, a pair immediately putting Hitomi on a stretcher to get her to the emergency room before transport, and another pair to walk Jove to the healers tent as he insisted his wounds were not life threatening.

He communicated the need of the other knights to go to the bar, as well as directions on how to get there quickly, and communicated that the other Captain Commander was there. They asked what the reason was, and Jove answered with a sigh. He said that the injuries on both of them were caused by an altercation, and a look of terrified awe formed upon their faces as he clarified that it was between the two Captain Commanders rather than them and the one with a bounty. They felt both inspired by the fact that they had two such powerful leaders above them, as well as fear over what the longer term repercussions of their battle would be.

Jove went and filed a formal report as soon as he got the first round of healing, and did not spare any detail. He did not try to paint it in a way which put blame on either party, rather, he tried to stay as neutral as possible. He did not want any sort of punishment for Hitomi to outweigh whatever was already going to occur, and he certainly did not want any disciplinary action to be performed on Seika. Still, while he had entered the bar with questions as to why the Nobility would so suddenly push the issue for bringing in the Eternal Nightmare member, his mind was now filled with questions as to why Seika fought it so vehemently.

It was an order from their superior officers, and it was communicated by the Demon Slayer's equal within the Knights. There was no reason to doubt the command, no reason to disobey or to fight it, and yet he fought with all the vigor of a man trying to win. That was not some undercover operation, nor was it due to a justified doubt.

It was a mystery.

He was never the one to speculate as to why an action happened, but that didn't mean that there were no questions on the Takeover mages mind. What would cause this sort of reaction? How could the fight have been avoided, if Jove needed to carry out the orders and Seika refused to obey the orders of their superior? Why would a man, so intense on the obeying of rule and regulation, suddenly betray the very thing he stood for?

His mind instantly jumped to an individual in his own life, and an annoyed sigh followed right after. Realistically, he understood fairly well. He would be lying to say that there were not dark mages who he would hesitate to act against. The idea that he would violently resist the Knights on behalf of that person, however, was ludicrous. Even with the ones he was closest to, he understood that ones job and livelihood came first, and he assumed those whom he conspired with understood that as well. So why would Seika react this way?

He would likely not know for a very long time, if at all. The only thing that was certain after this conflict was that the two would likely interact once more in the not so distant future, and that they would likely have to cross in battle once more.

[EXIT]

Battle Complete

Result: Double KO, Hitomi Arrested
WC: Met