[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia & [color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi Hasegawa[/color][/center][/h2]
[center]Deep Ground- The Cornice[/center]
[center]Lvl 13 Geralt (58/130) -> Lvl 13 (64/130) [/center]
[center]Lvl 6 Zenkichi - (55/60) -> Lvl 6 (61/60)[/center]
[center]Word Count: 1,048 words[/center]

Things went from bad to worse quickly. Blazermate went down, Zenkichi got his knee buckled in (he wasn't an old man as much as he might like to complain, but he was [i]not[/i] young enough to shrug a hit like that off), Sandalphon was forced to transform into Heavenly Wings after healing Geralt, and from there it only got worse. 

With Roxas, Midna, Karin, and Sakura all down for the count, either dead, missing and likely dead, or incapacitated and on the verge of death, Zenkichi's options were limited. When Sukukaja came off cooldown, he buffed himself again, this time with Rakukaja to keep himself alive, but he still had Heat Riser in the back pocket. His own greatsword was half the size it used to be, so he dismissed the weapon and summoned the Closing Statement. Between its heft and his defense buff, now was the time to take the offensive. If Karen was surprised by the change in aggression level, he didn't show it. Still, Zenkichi was noticeably slowe than before, so he didn't bother with Hypervelocity, instead keeping Sclerokinesis up while he absolutely hammered the Phantom Thief, who shrugged off Karen's punches like they were barely a tap. As long as Rakukaja was up and he could land hits, the combination of his natural durability, his life-steal, and the defense buff would keep him alive. If only he could see a little better past his misty eyes.

Geralt, meanwhile, had abandoned all reason, leaping about the battlefield using the Orphan's strength, launching fireballs at each of their enemies, and then leaping away whenever one turned her way. Even Tycoon found itself the victim of a few barrages of Ardor Blossom's flames, but as the Seekers' numbers dwindled, so too did Geralt's ability to evade attack. With Sandalphon down, Sam entrusted Giovanna to Nox and broke off after Geralt, tired off having to dodge fireballs. His sword flashed out, carving through an ethereal wing, and Sam tsked while one of his fellow Winds of Destruction appeared to attack. Knowing that Monsoon would simply evade any attempt to cut him, Sam instead parried the series of sai attacks coming his way, backflipping out of the way of yet another of Geralt's barrages of fireballs. This time when she leapt away, Sam followed, sprinting after her about as fast as she could run herself. 

The rampaging Witcher did not take kindly to this, and screeched violently, bolts of lightning appearing as if from nowhere and spreading across the battlefield, forcing Sam to jump over them and come down with a brutal overhead slash. Geralt found herself unable to dodge in time, the high-frequency blade carving a bloody line through her arm and down her side, but not quite severing the limb. She let loose another blast of fireballs, pushing Sam back with a cocky smirk, though he was not so distracted as to get hit by the next blast of fire sent his way, either. He ran around Geralt in a circle, pushing her back into the path of one of Tycoon's lasers, correctly guessing that she was too focused on killing him to notice. 

Zenkichi, on the other side of the fight, was doing his damndest to stay alive and whittle down Karen, but Mephisto healed whatever damage he managed to chip past Sclerokinesis with the Closing Statement and Valjean's help. [color=BFBFBF]"Dammit!"[/color] He grunted as Rakukaja ended, and Karen launched him with a punch. Forcing himself up to his knees, he drew his revolvers and unleashed every round he had on the Septentrion, then calling for Valjean to hit him with a Megidola again, only for the man to teleport out of the blast radius and behind him, punching him in the back of the head. Dazed, Zenkichi looked around, eyes locking on the first Seeker he saw: Pit. [color=BFBFBF]"Save...save Akane, kid..."[/color] He groaned out as Karen's hands gripped either side of his neck. [color=BFBFBF]"Valjean. [i][b]Heat Riser."[/b][/i][/color] Were the last words he got out before Travers twisted.

As Zenkichi's limp body faded into ash, energy flooded Pit's, boosting his speed, defense, and offensive abilities significantly. If the captain of Heaven's Host had paid attention, he'd know this boost would only last a minute, but it was all they had. 

Geralt was blasted across the platform by Tycoon's unfrozen laser when Sam launched the pommel of his sword into her gut, pushing her back into its path. As she got back up, she saw him rushing her once more, and in a moment of lucidity, transformed back into her natural Identity, steel sword coming from its sheath in time to parry a slash. "Oh? Back to normal?" The Jetstream mocked, stepping back with an expert parry as Geralt launched into a relentless assault, steel flashing and limbs flying to take any opportunity to strike at him. He was almost impressed, but there was a certain...something missing from her savage blows. He could tell this wasn't Geralt at her best. Part of him was sad at that, but part of him knew that he'd come this far. Made his path. Whoever won, won. That was it. He had bigger fish to fry than to worry about missing out on the best fight he could have gotten. 

Sidestepping a kick and parrying a sword slash, Sam sheathed his blade and breathed, pressing the trigger on his sheath and launching his blade into, through, and out Geralt's thigh. Stumbling to her side, Geralt's breath hitched, and she sighed, wondering if this was it. Her final battle. Her true death. Sam sheathed his sword, shaking his head softly. "Guess that's that, then." He breathed out, eyes narrowing when instead of crumbling to ash, Geralt began glowing slightly, her blood turning back into Lifelight and slowly flowing back into her body. "What's this?!" He said, turning his head briefly to Nox. "This one's doing something!" He called, narrowing his eyes as Geralt rose once more, steel sword in a defensive posture and the protective shield of Quen shimmering around her body. 

More, her eyes and posture were clear of the manic energy that once consumed them. Geralt's mind was sharp as steel. "You'll pay for that. For [i]all of them.[/i]" She warned, voice even and firm.