[center][h3][color=92278f]The Fungal Knight[/color] vs [color=ed1c24]The Blood Devil[/color][/h3] [h2]Round III[/h2][/center] [color=red]“Grrah!”[/color] Saria felt an immense pain, the cutlass impaling her right arm. Before she knew it, Bonesword had kicked her to the ground, and she landed on his detached limb, breaking it. She gasped in pain, and in return, heard Bonesword groan, clutching at where his arm should have been. The blade that jammed into her arm stung with her every move, and all of her previous aches and injuries stuck her to the ground like chains pulling at her skin. She coughed, and copper-tasting liquid began to stream out of her mouth. [color=red][i]Fuckin’ hell, what am I doing?[/i][/color] The flames that once comprised Saria’s aura were few and far between, mostly little flickers and sparks that ultimately amounted to nothing. Even her Red Blade had un-fused itself from her gauntlet, signaling the near-end to her own frenzy. [color=red][i]Even the blade’s abandoned me. But this is what I wanted, right? I wanted to die... Right?[/i][/color] Saria heard the approaching Fungal Knight, sword dragging through the sand. Through her helmet, the only thing she could see were his legs and his sword, coming closer. Darkness edged at her vision, threatening to take her to the afterlife at any moment. He stopped next to her, raising his sword. [color=92278f]“As I promised, I’ll give you a quick death. Any last words, Blood Devil?”[/color] Saria tried to search for something meaningful, something she could say that would make an impact on his mind, but came up empty. Instead, she reminisced on her memories; the training back at the Silverlocke grounds, the brutality, Alina’s death… Finally, she came upon a single voice, the voice of her younger, more naive self after the murder of her sister. [color=red]“I will win.”[/color] She heard those words, and apparently spoke them aloud, since Bonesword had taken a step back. [color=92278f]“What?”[/color] He said, incredulous. [color=red]“You heard me, you marrow-less excuse for an undead.”[/color] Saria lunged at Bonesword and grabbed one of his ankles, pulling him down to the earth. She mounted him, and began to rain down a series of violent, destructive punches, each rage-fueled blow sparking another fire within herself, fueling the resurgence of her frenzy. Again and again, her fists clanged against the metal of Bonesword’s helmet, denting it over and over. Each concussive blast shook the Fungal Knight to his very soul, and Saria finally ripped the helmet from his head, tossing it aside. [color=red]“Come on, kill me! I’ll see your lover in Hell!”[/color] She raised her fist again, but a vine shot out from the sand and caught it pre-swing. She tried to follow up with her other hand, but a vine caught that too, and she was forced to her knees. Bonesword strode up to her, sword drawn. He held the sword to her throat, cutting the straps to her helmet. [color=92278f]“What did you just say?”[/color] Saria chuckled, shaking her head and letting her own helmet fall to the sand. She looked into his void-colored eye-sockets, her own eyes burning back an evil crimson. [color=red]“Struck a nerve, have I? You heard me. I will see your lover... In Hell.”[/color] [color=92278f]“You--you bitch!”[/color] Bonesword reared back, and swung his blade with all of his might, planning to split her head in two. Saria grinned, and threw herself to her left side, clearing a path for the blade, which instead of cutting her, cut the vine holding her arm. The Fungal Knight’s blade made a harmless splash in the sand, and Saria came back with a vicious backhanded strike, smacking Bonesword to the ground. Her own frenzy had finished burning the other vine holding her in place, and it fell harmlessly. Saria grabbed a hold of her Red Blade once again, and she felt the familiar sensation of the handle fusing to her gauntlet, and the painful pins of blood being siphoned into the blade, creating a blood-reinforced edge. The previous pains began to fade into oblivion, and the only feeling left within her was the urge to rip and tear into anyone standing in her way. Bonesword was different. It was evident in the way he staggered his way towards Saria, a noticeable shadow covering a side of his mushroom crown. It showed in the way that his eyes began to flicker with purple-green light, causing Saria to remember her fight with Rose. But most of all, it was evident in the way that he wielded his new sword, a raven-black blade carved with slivers of ornate gold, like something dangerous lurked beneath the darkness. When he spoke, Saria didn’t recognize the voice. It was too... otherworldly. It was as if a million voices had been combined into one. [color=92278f]“I am the Lord of Bones. You, Blood Devil, will not be spared the pain of a tortured death.”[/color] Saria readied herself, but suddenly, a forest of vines erupted around her, and began to fall back down to the earth, surrounding her in darkness. [color=red][i]Trying to trap me, huh?[/i][/color] She swung her blade around her, chopping down the vines like they were flower stems. As soon as she saw light from the gaps of the plants, a flash of purple appeared out of the glare, and his swing knocked Saria back several steps, out of the vine trap. She winced; It had felt as if she’d just tried to block a battering ram. She was hurting from the sheer force of the strike, but at the same time, she was elated. [color=red]“You’re attacking me now? Good! Offense is ingrained into my very soul!”[/color] Both Saria and Bonesword charged at each other, swords primed, and ready to die. They made first contact with a high strike, the swords hitting each other with explosive impact. Neither one of them gave any ground. They tried again, aiming low. Again, their swords clashed in a meteoric exchange of power. Neither warrior even flinched. Five seconds passed, both sword-masters glaring at each other with savage conviction. Saria took in a deep breath... then let it out. Instantly, both warriors unleashed a maelstrom of slashes, swings, strikes, and attacks. The sheer force of their crashing blades created a series of shockwaves, which sounded like cannon-fire to out-of sight observers. With their power, their torrential vortex of steel was merely a blur to anyone who was observing. Neither of them had time to think, nor make a mistake. The only entity guiding their strikes had been pure instinct. Eventually, Saria felt her blade smash into Bonesword’s armor, sending him flying back. He tumbled through the sand, and laid still. Utterly and absolutely exhausted, Saria fell to her knees. Straining her body that hard had opened up tears everywhere inside and outside of her body. Blood dripped inside her armor, coating its interior, and she was certain that, unless magic potions were real, she wouldn’t recover from this fight for a long, long time. As Bonesword’s body stirred, the only emotion she felt was resignation.