Arena Example: Maximus Cloud vs Zeno Sombras

The instant Cloud picked up his dagger, Zeno dashed off. His Major Arcana Spell had faded and so had his ability to fly. As he ran he activated a card Cloud was already familiar with, to gain some physical strength and speed, Major Arcana: The Devil. Zeno transformed into the demonic being the moment Cloud transformed into Hanbaga. An enormous and heavy creature.

As Zeno closed in on Cloud, a large oak was hurled his way. Zeno slid under the flying tree, the large mass of wood passed over him. Cloud was almost within range. "Let's see how fast you are." He said as he planted his tails against the ground to propel him into the air. In a smooth motion, Zeno performed a corkscrew spin to gain enough energy for powerful attack with his energy sword. He then slashed downward aiming for Hanbaga's right shoulder.

Cloud was quite suprised at the speed of his opponent. This deity was too slow, and he knew he wouldn't enjoy getting hit by that sword. This was aside the point because his priority was defense so he used his Earth Dragon's hardened fist on both of his hands and tried to block his opponents attack. The sword's power has absorbed quite a bit, but the attack ultimately went through gashing the deity's enourmous shoulders.

As he broke through Maximus' defense and slashed the shoulder, Zeno came down on his knee. He immediately planted his left hand on the ground in between Cloud's feet. In between his left hand and the ground was a Major Arcana Card. The card dissolved immediately and Zeno rolled backwards, firing the arcane energy that had started swirling around his hand onto the ground in between the giant's feet. With the roll he attempted to dodge a potential attack from above, since Cloud was now much taller than him, and Zeno could not look up, activate his spell and dodge at the same time, he chose to do it blindly.

The Spell that Zeno had fired onto the ground was the Major Arcana Spell: The Tower. The moment the energy would hit a surface, crystals would rise out of the ground attaching to anything it hits. The crystals would then rapidly imprison and immobilize the attached object or person within an Arcane crystalline structure. It would render Maximus unable to move, and it would allow Zeno to end the fight.

Cloud was hurt, but his face didn't show it. He saw as his opponent combined a new ranged spell with his intense speed. In response Cloud transformed into Hifu. Wings sprouted from his back and he flew high enough to dodge the attack. He grew two more heads and prepared to end this. "I am sorry. No one has or will ever survive the impact of this spell." He entered into Dragon Force to enhance his ultimate spell. His body swelled up and he used Three Headed Hifu's Earth Dragon's Roar producing a titanic blast of sharp rock and earth that had the size and velocity to level everything below. His opponent had very little options.

Took you long enough... But I really had hoped not to use this one...

There was no other way. Zeno had to use one of his most powerful tricks to get out of this one alive. The instant he saw Cloud hovering up high above the tower, charging his attack, he planted his sword in the ground. In the blink of an eye, three cards were hovering before him. The cards were aligned in a straight line aiming perfectly at Cloud. The card furthest away from Zeno was The Sun. It turned into an enormous red, round plate of Arcane Energy. The plate was shaped like a sun with solar rays coming out of the sides as curvy spikes. The plate started spinning around clockwise at an incredible speed.

The next card in line was The Star. It became a sphere of yellow Arcane energy and Zeno copied The Sun. It turned into the same spinning plate, but then in a yellowish colour. Zeno had to use this Spell in order to overcome Cloud's Dragon Force.
The last card in line was Zeno most favoured, yet last resort one. Judgment.

The moment Cloud released his Dragon's Roar, Zeno activated Judgment. An immense beam of white Arcane Energy was fired from the center of the card. On its own, the Spell already had devastating power, but it passed through the spinning plates of The Star and The Sun before it was unleashed to collide with Cloud's Roar. The beam was now 2.25 times more powerful, powerful enough to cancel out Cloud's Roar. However, their Magical Power was different, Zeno was of a higher rank still. Maybe he could even overpower the roar, but he did not know for sure.

The too extremely powerful spells collided and made an explosion that decimated the landscape for at least 100 yards in each direction. Not only did his opponents spell negate his own, but it managed to break through and connect with a small fraction of its power. Cloud gasped in awe at his opponents power. Sure this man was a guildmaster, but this he had never had anyone withstand that spell. This mage was super human, perhaps Cloud was outclassed in both power and in technique. Who was this mage? What type of magic possessed more power than Dragon Slayer magic and the Seith magic passed down from generation to generation in the royal family combined?

Zeno gazed through the dust and smoke from the explosion, straight at his opponent. Cloud had managed to impress him with power and potential.
A Dragon Slayer with many capabilities.

"You're not fighting just any Guildmaster." Zeno spoke. Loud enough for Cloud to hear it, even after the deafening sound of the explosion.
"You're fighting a Wizard Saint."

At that moment, the energy of the Arcane greatsword changed shape. The handle extended itself until it was a long staff and the energy took the shape of a halberd. He still had enough energy left to keep the fight going. Although his reinforced Judgement blast had sapped away a lot, his stamina was fine and his energy under control.

How long can you last, Maximus Cloud?

Then, another card appeared in his other hand and it dissolved immediately along with The Hanged Man in his holder. A different phantom was formed out of the Arcane energy this time. It was the Major Arcana Spell: The Emperor.
The phantom was wearing a long black cape with fur around the neck, a golden crown, a stylish Gothic attire completed with rings on the gloves and a katana in his hand. The Emperor then flew into Zeno and 'posessed' him. Zeno gained the same crown, cape, attire and sword. The katana was made out of red Arcane energy, the blade was long as was the handle.

With a halberd in the right hand and a katana in the other, in addition to his regained ability to fly, Zeno dashed off toward Cloud. Ready to hit him with a completely new and different wave of combinations and attacks.

"A wizard saint?" Cloud chuckled, "No wonder this is so much fun. I must say nameless guildmaster I am impressed with your skills, you must be one of the most powerful mages in the magic world. However that makes two of us." Cloud gave his signature smile and began to raise his remaining magic power to incredible heights about to use his ace in the hole. "Come at me with everything you have!!!!!!!"

Then, Maximus got within range.
He's got even more surprises, interesting..

Zeno had not fought an opponent like this in a very long time. The fight had been very enjoyable. Both of them provoking one another in the beginning, getting to know each other's move, tricks and powers. Cloud had managed to remain standing longer than any of Zeno's opponents had over the past few years. And the fight still was not over yet. Even though Cloud had destroyed his cavern under the waterfall... And the whole area for that matter... Zeno might end up revealing his identity.

A second after Cloud's magic started to raise, Zeno attacked.
He swung the halberd downward with serious physical power, aiming to split Maximus's head in half.

"Deity Possession Neo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cloud's body transformed as he absorbed another deity. Anyone that could sense his magic power would know that this was it. Someone is going lose very soon. Cloud used Neo's ability to create a clone and he had his identical clone throw him to the other side of his opponent. He swiftly flipped his body to the surface of the ground and waited for Zeno to do the same. Cloud thought to himself:

I will come at you from two fronts old man.

There was much more to his strategy however, and his opponent would have to do something miraculous to save himself. One will stand tall at the end of this battle, but both would take their pride with them.

Ooc: Neo can't fly right? Because our two characters are still in the air. So.. He would kind of be falling down right now.

Ic:
The shockwave of the transformation pushed Zeno back before he could finish his attack. All of a sudden, there were two opponents. Zeno was not going to take chances, because he could sense Cloud's magical power... And it was dangerous.

He grinned, and his halberd changed back to its original handle form. Zeno reattached it to the chain around his waist.
Suddenly, Zeno's magical power rose immensely and it kept building up. Cards started swirling around him and dissolved into Arcane energy. Zeno was engulfed by it, and transformed into one of the most power Arcane beings. He gained the horns of the Devil, the crown of the Emperor, and the mask of the Magician. He had darkred fur around the neck and over the shoulder, the Magician's arcane cape and the Emperor's attire. Zeno also regained the Devil's red skin tone and muscular structure, as well as the Emperor's arcane blade. He wrapped the Magician's cape around his left arm.

Both physically and magically, his power was greater than it had been throughout the entire fight up to this point.

He analyzed his opponent's and could see a slight distinction. One of them was not real. But it could interfere with the physical world, as he had shown by throwing the other one. The one Zeno had almost split in half.

The real one.

Knowing which one was real and which one was the clone was an advantage. At least, he knew which one to focus on. With incredible speed he swung his left arm and fired 5 arcane energy bolts at the clone. The bolts were a lot more powerful than they had been in the regular Magician form.
As he fired the bolts, he jumped to the other side, towards the real Cloud, ready to strike with his long katana.

Cloud jumped very high and waited for his opponent to take the bait. "Come and get me old man," Cloud laughed maniacally. "Your sword will not save you." Cloud began to fall into a spiraling "pencil dive" drop kick. His vision changed scenery quite rapidly from spinning right side up, but he maintained good awareness. Certain mistakes become strengths with this deity......

"I'm not relying on my sword either." Zeno replied with a grin. His opponent had dodged the katana by jumping up high. Zeno could have met him mid-air, but decided not to. Cloud's enthusiasm was too big and it smelled like a trap. Cloud then followed it up with a reckless pencil dive drop kick. A physical attack that would supposedly counter a sword... Something was not right. So instead of jumping up, Zeno stood ground. Not letting his focus move away from either Cloud nor the clone.

He switched arms. Aimed his sword at the clone in case he got close, and his blazing arm at Cloud who was on his way down and seemingly in no way able to change course mid-air. So Zeno fired a nice series of 5 energybolts at the real Cloud to see what his plan was, and potentially damage him quite a bit.

Cloud's spiralling kick was cut short by some energy bolts that hit him on his way down. The impact and blast from the first was enough to knock him away from the others, but he was feeling intense pain nonetheless. He stood up once more and charged at his opponent with everything he had and went to tackle the man. Cloud's clone jumped high above them both and began to fall while expanding. It was almost ready. 3....2.....1 The clone exploded approximately 25 feet from the ground, but the massive explosion covered a much wider radius.

Zeno sensed that he had to get away from Cloud, the moment the injured real version simply charged at him again without thinking. Especially when the clone made his move.
This is going to sting a bit...

As the real Cloud charged at him, Zeno jumped up while firing five firebolts at Cloud's face. It would definitely knock him back and stop him from getting close.
As soon as the last firebolt left his hand he swung his arcane-wrapped arm at the ground and released a more powerful Suit of Wands attack. Arcane energy swirled around his arm and then charged towards the ground. The large amount of energybolts was concentrated on one spot created a large explosion. The impact was very close and the shockwave sent Zeno flying over a significant distance. The destructive power of the Spell however, was not enough to damage him nor Cloud for that matter. Zeno had just used it to create distance.

As he flew backwards he could see Cloud's clone fall to the ground while expanding. Zeno blinked with his eyes and when he opened them he was greeted by a bright flash, immense sound and another hot shockwave. Zeno's trip through the air was extended a lot further than he had anticipated, but at least he had managed to avoid the center of the explosion.

He came down hard on the ground and stayed there for a few moments. He body was aching all over, it felt like he had marched through fire and his ears seemed clogged. He could barely hear anything except for a continuous, disturbing and high-pitched peep. His vision was blurry initially but started to clear up. Around him, he could see only smoke and dust.

Zeno coughed.
That boy's got a talent for destruction...

Cloud got hit with multiple energy bolts that did significant damage. On top of that, Cloud was caught in his own attack, however the deity was made this way. Cloud's deity allowed him to regenerate after the explosion however he was done. Cloud stumbled and fell continuously as he began to feel the effects of his spell and the loss of so much magic power. Cloud stood still for a moment and then paused putting his hands in a certain position. "Fairy Law." Cloud laughed, "Just kidding old timer. You are too strong." Cloud fell face first onto the ground of the now decimated and barren landscape. He was still conscious and said, "The King of Fiore.... If you kill me make sure you bring him to justice. That is my dying wish."

Zeno got up slowly but steadily and started making his way through the smoke.
After a minute he stumbled upon Cloud, down on the ground. "The King of Fiore.... If you kill me make sure you bring him to justice. That is my dying wish."

Zeno stood, there looking down upon the Dark Mage. He felt sadness for the young man. The Dark Mage had such capability, such potential, but through the fight Zeno learned that the man was Dark in power as well as in his soul. Too far down the road for Zeno to be able to save him.

"You fought with a lot of heart and passion, kid. You deserve to know that you did not fight just any Wizard Saint either... The name is Zeno Sombras. Does that ring a bell?" He asked. Zeno wanted to at least give the man an honest last dialogue before he would end him.

Cloud gave a final smile and spoke one last time, "Zeno, thank you for that courtesy. In the end I feel that I am not such a bad guy, but that is a bit subjective I suppose. Anyways my name is Maximus Cloud as you know, and I am now a dying 20 year old with too much left undone." Cloud laughed and continued, "Hurry and do what you've got to do. I dont have all day you know, I have an appointment with destiny."

Don't do it... said a voice in his head. Something inside Zeno was forcing him not to kill Cloud. Zeno's vision on Dark Mages was simple. If they can no longer be saved, they must be erased. Yet Cloud had something in his eyes. Zeno could see himself in him. A corrupted body and mind, but a pure soul. In one way or the other, our poor excuse of a King is responsible for the damnation of this man... All Maximus needs is redemption. Maybe then he can still be saved.

Zeno's arcane posession faded away. He turned around and started walking.
"Make sure you're not late on that appointment of yours, destiny is not a patient fellow." Zeno said with something that looked like a small smile on his face and disappeared into the smoke.

What does destiny have in store for us?

[EXIT]