[center][h2]The Arena[/h2][/center]
[center][@Gentlemanvaultboy][@RoflsMazoy][/center]

In the arena itself, a tall, muscular masked man strode onto the field. One of his massive hands was wrapped around the face of a limp security guard. If one were to trace the man's steps back, they'd find a trail of bodies wearing similar uniforms.

"Damnation!" Up in the stands, Gloria had been trying to make sense of things. Too much had happened, but now she had a clear target that outweighed everything else. "Adenium, make sure all these kids get out of here! I'll handle this one!" She vaulted over the stands, making the long drop to the arena floor unscathed. She quickly made her way over to the hulking, masked man.

He dropped the guard as he saw Gloria storming toward him. Demonic runes crawled across his skin in preparation.

"Well, don't you look... saintly-" The man was cut off, as Gloria wasn't playing. A spear-like beam of light suddenly shot down from above and pierced through his torso. Two more shot through his arms, effectively crucifying him. The beams of light did not actually cut through their target, but they did hurt and hold them still.

Holy symbols shone into existence around Gloria's gauntlets, like circular holograms. She flew at the masked man, pulverizing his helpless form. With each punch, a section of the demonic runes disintegrated. It ended with one titanic punch that blasted him away, crashing into the arena wall.

He slumped over, falling to his hands and knees. Gloria closed in on him again, preparing one, final punch to end him. Her fist descended, but it was caught, his hand gripping her wrist firmly. 

"Such holiness. You think it gives you the advantage? You will find the body of one who has walked among [i]them[/i] is not so easily broken." The man rose once more, towering over her. "What you hold is not a counter to mine. It is simply the opposite. It may cleanse... or corrupt." The holy symbols began to burn and waver, before simply flickering out like dying fireflies.

"What?!" Gloria couldn't believe her own eyes, it was as if watching the very nature of her being become nullified in the face of the very thing it was meant to strike down.

The masked man threw his head back and inhaled. He then surged forward and let out something between a scream and roar. Ominous, orangey light poured from the holes in his mask and the very fabric of reality seemed to buckle. Gloria was sent careening away, landing in a ditch dug by her own body on impact. The world seemed to spin as Gloria tried to regain her senses. She soon realized it wasn't her, but that something was very wrong with the area around her. She clutched at the icon over her chest and chanted under her breath. Slowly she felt her power begin to reawaken after what the man had done to her.

She looked up, seeing him a fair ways away, but within one blink he suddenly stood before her. Her eyes shot wide before everything went dark, his fist crashing down, sending ripples through reality once more as it did.

"Almost, sister... almost." Faintly still did her sides still rise and fall with her breaths, but she wasn't getting up again any time soon. "The next few moments will decide your fate, then."

He strode back to the center of the arena, the runes once more adorning his skin. He lifted a hand to the sky and burning lightning cracked above him. It was time to make a statement.