Round 1: Crouching tiger, Hidden dragon (Daji and Ryo)

The woman's reply showed her to be quite venomous, but at least whens he turned around to glare at him he got a chance to confirm that the back matched the front. Besides, he had to admit the death glare was a bit cute. Ryo couldn't help but smirk a bit. Dangerous as she may be, Ryo enjoyed a challenge in the bedroom nearly as much as on the battlefield.

He continued to be on the receiving end of her glare as they rose up to cheering throngs of people. "Needless." Ryo mumbled to himself. This was not theater, the onlookers had no place here. This was a sacred duel between only two people, the crowd's mere presence somewhat tainted the event. Ryo momentarily worried that this would actually be a free-for-all brawl, something that could not represent a warrior's power accurately. It would rob him of a true victory. He got his answer when they began picking names out of a hat, after which Ryo felt the familiar disorienting effect he had felt when he was transported to the stadium in the sky. This time however Ryo was not caught unaware. He had prepared himself to cope with the disorientation even as he experienced it for the first time. He saw that the woman however, was disoriented for a few seconds. A few seconds are a lifetime in a battle, Ryo needed only moments to get close enough to launch an attack. Of course, taking such advantage of his opponent would bring him enough shame to actually consider seppuku.

Instead he waited for the woman to get her bearings, and began to speak. Ryo was the mortal challenging the gods, so he took it upon himself to officially issue the challenge. The smirk gone from his face, he spoke loudly and clearly in a serious tone "I am Ryo Shun of Owari." He freely claimed birth in a province that had not existed for over a hundred years. He had nothing to hide to hide from this woman. She was his opponent, so for this moment they shared a sacred bond that demanded only simple truth. "I am the perfect sword, and the sheathed blade. I have wandered this world on foot in search of a worthy opponent without success in over 100 years.I have never known defeat." He paused letting his hand rest on the hilt of his blade. "Though I fight today in the tournament of those gifted with the power of gods, I am only human. I am Ryo Shun, the greatest swordsman on earth, and I challenge you!" Ryo assumed a battle stance, his hand hovering by his sword. He did not draw, and curiously neither did she. Not her blade at least, but rather a fan. Ryo assumed it was a war fan, though it was still a difficult to predict move for a fighter with so much opportunity to draw her blade to rely on her fan instead. If she planned to defeat Ryo with novelty, this would be a disappointing fight.

She was waiting for him to make the first move, and Ryo actually planned to oblige her. It was rare for Ryo to make the first attack, but it was also unheard of for him to face an opponent worth his time. Ryo kept his hand by his sword and ran forward. He didn't actually plan on drawing Gentou though. It had been over a hundred years since he had drawn his blade. He couldn't afford to waste a momentous occasion of an unworthy opponent, the next time he unsheathes Gentou should be something spoken of lifetimes from now when people tell the stories of his journey to obtain godhood. Even if she was gifted by the gods, that didn't necessarily mean she was a worthy opponent. Poor old Efreet's corpse was a testament to that.

Ryo ran forward at an admirable speed, quickly closing the distance between the two. He suddenly stopped still a good fifteen feet away however. He rapidly brought an open palm forward as if striking the air, followed immediately by a more subtle shift forward with his right foot. As he did so the air in front of him seemed to wave and shimmer with a faint blue energy. It was in fact a blast of concentrated ki energy, a large sphere that would deliver very real blunt force to whatever it struck. It moved lightning fast, only a skilled opponent would even notice it. His true attack however, was a smaller and much less noticable blade of ki energy sent out from his foot, aimed directly at the woman's achille's tendon. A skilled fighter might notice his ki attack, but as far as he knew he was the last master of this particular ki style for several lifetimes. Which meant that others alive today would not be familiar enough with his long-lost style to read the subtle movement of his foot and know what it meant. Of course if she did manage to avoid the attack even if by luck, for he knew fortune could be as powerful as skill, this would be his first true challenge in more than a lifetime.The idea sent excitement through Ryo's body, and he felt Gentou yearn for combat.

Ryo's blood burned with excitement as the woman gracefully took to the air and dodged his attack. This was not a desperate movement, it spoke of skill only a master could understand. It would seem this woman was as at home in the air as Ryo was on the ground. The prospect of finally fighting a worthy opponent filled Ryo with an intense feeling he had not experienced in a lifetime. Ryo had to admit as well, this particular warrior and setting brought back nostalgic memories of his earliest battles. Exciting Ryo even more, he realized this was not a simple dodge that would allow him to easily continue his assault. Even as she escaped his attack her ki was not defensive, but projected outward at him. A flick of her wrist revealed her weapon was much more than a simple metal fan. Another series of graceful movements sent a swarm of tiny flaming missiles towards Ryo. He quickly dodged the first wave of needles with minimal movement, making it seem effortless. This was no desperate flurry however, every missile was precisely placed to cut off Ryo's avenues of escape. Every needle baiting him to dodge only to be put in the path of another seeking a vital point on his body. Ryo duck and spun out of the way of the needles, seeming to put himself in a final inescapable situation as a wall of projectiles sought to incapacitate him as easily as he had the guards back in Atlanta, and much more painfully.

Ryo's stance stiffened as he thrust an inverted palm towards the ground. The air in front of him shimmered for a moment as his projected ki energy made it's own wall to deflect the blazing missiles. They flew back and knocked to the ground as if flung towards an explosion of air and littered the ground before Ryo. She surely knew Ryo would counter such an attack, but that was all part of the dance. Each opponent proving their right to battle the other, if one could easily outmaneuver the other the only honorable choice was to yield. If each could counter the other's first attack however, a true test of skill was warranted. Ryo was snapped out of his internal dialogue as he was forced to step out of the way of another flurry of projectiles aimed at his flank.

"Do not misinterpret me." Ryo said "I seek a test in battling the gods, I seek strength...only in myself!" His hand drifted towards Gentou's hilt even as She tried to goad him into drawing it. She claimed to be not only a Chinese royal, but to have been present at the birth of a technique that far predated even Ryo's own birth. If what she claimed was true, this would be a very interesting bout indeed. The air in the arena seemed to stand perfectly still as Ryo seemingly planned to oblige the woman's crude goading. "I will not say I am not impressed Goddess, however..." He said shifting his stance to prepare a new attack. This was not an easy matchup, Ryo's style was far more suited to counter the attacks of others than the other way around. This woman was smart enough not to rush to her doom, she sought victory through controlling the battlefield. He would have to hope to take advantage of her acrobatic tendency. Ryo rested his hand on his hilt and moved forward once again, clearing ground quickly as his long black hair flowed behind him. "Do not be so quick to judge yourself worthy of a blade which has not been drawn in over a hundred years!" As he approached her his hand moved as if to unsheath his sword, but Gentou remained in it's case as his hand released a sweeping horizontal blade of ki energy in the woman's direction. It would be a simple matter for the goddess to take to the air to escape his blade, giving her another chance to keep Ryo at bay with her ranged techniques. Ryo was banking on that as he continued to run behind his rapidly advancing wave of ki, jumping in the air as he approached her. He spun in the air several times gaining momentum before releasing a thrust palm forward with impressive strength. The air around his hand shimmered with the ki energy that made his strikes even more potent as it struck the air where the goddess would be if she jumped up to avoid his initial obvious strike.

The goddess slipped underneath Ryo's initial attack, letting Ryo spin harmlessly above her to land on the other side. As soon as he landed her was forced to dodge more projectiles, and so the battle continued. Each warrior maintaining distance while launching attacks, each warrior deftly dodging the other. moments seemed like hours, and at this pace the battle would never end. Ryo didn't mind in the least, he was immensely enjoying the dance. He had finally found an opponent worthy of himself, and he would savor the occasion. At one point he used his ki to literally stop a needle in the air and quickly threw it back in the goddess' direction only for his trained ears to hear it bounce off another that was fired with precision that he was sure others would claim was humanly impossible.

Ryo's joyous occasion took an unfortunate turn as the woman threw down 3 pellets that quickly began to expel white smoke. "Such shameful tactics, I am disappointed Goddess." Ryo said in a somewhat melancholic tone. The wheels in his head were turning though. Surely by now the female swordsman knew Ryo did not need his eyes to see, so why employ such a worthless tactic? Ryo received his answer as his nose took in the first faint traces of the smoke, and he realized it was meant to do more than obstruct vision. "Ninja scum..." Ryo muttered aloud, his voice dripping with contempt. His hand bolted down, using his ki to cut off a section of his long shirt which he quickly brought to his mouth in a desperate attempt to filter out some of the air. He had to get out of the smog, but unfortunately the ninja dog was not keen on giving him the chance. More missiles sought him out through the fog, and only his ability to sense his opponent's ki allowed Ryo to continue dodging. That was the trap however, every moment Ryo spent under the noxious cloud was dangerous. Finally, Ryo thrust his palm down towards the ground. A wave of ki energy burst around him, pushing away the poison-filled air as well as several flaming missiles. Finally free of the poison cloud, Ryo tossed his makeshift air filter to the ground and backed up a few paces. Part of the arena was still covered by the noxious cloud, and that was where the woman remained.

Ryo could not afford to pursue her within the smog. He had been under it for less than a second, but he could already begin to feel it's affects. Ears that could hear an insect's whisper now suffered a dull ringing, and he rapidly blinked trying to drive the false exhaustion from his eyes. "You wish to see a true warrior's weapon ninja dog...then let us end this!" Assuming a dramatic battle stance, Ryo pushed on his hilt with his thumb. As a few inches of the blue blade was revealed the temperature in the transplanted forbidden city lowered noticeably. Ryo looked towards the smoke across the arena, trying to sense his opponent's ki. In a blinding flash He drew Gentou, one moment it was sheathed the next it was raised above his head. he quickly brought it down slicing an "X" into the air in front of him. This sent two ki blades in an X formation towards the smoke cloud, and presumably his opponent. These projections of energy were much larger than those he had sent forth with his bare hands, and the blue tint to the shimmering air was much more noticeable. Ryo straightened his stance, holding his legendary blade at his waist in an odd stance that seemed to leave him much more open than he needed to be. He waited for his opponent's next move, he had to get to this battle on his terms and end it in a decisive blow. As much as he hated to rush this particular battle, every moment it continued was another chance for her to employ a devious ninja trick as well as one more moment suffering under the noxious cloud's effects.

"When two warriors enter the battlefield, their lives are forfeit. If you didn't understand that then lay down your weapons and yield, and I will show mercy even upon a ninja coward." Ryo spoke boldly, but even a moment in the noxious gas had taken it's toll. His vision was blurring, and the erratic flames of the missiles sent towards him only added to his confusion. Unable to trust his physical senses, Ryo closed his eyes as another volley came at him from the fog. With his eyes closed, he rapidly slashed at the air deftly knocking away the needles. Every stroke was accompanied by numerous slashes of ki energy that countered the projectiles seeking his body.

Suddenly, a subtle change in the arena's atmosphere forced Ryo's eyes opened. His blurry vision was focused on the woman's drawn blade. For the first time since the combat began Ryo seemed truly surprised. He exclaimed a single word. "Muramasa!" His eyes narrowed on the woman and her stolen, tainted blade. "I see you are not a goddess, but a demon." Ryo, of course, believed this to be true though he had no idea how accurate his statement truly was. After all, who else but a true demon could equal his might on the battlefield even with cowardly tricks? He readied his blade in front of him. "and you are not the first demon Ryo Shun has slain." Ryo spoke with conviction, his body pulsing with the spirit of a warrior and a seemingly supernatural level of ki. Even so, though his strength of spirit may truly be unmatched, his body was still only human. The gas continued to take its toll. He knew there was no certain path to victory here. It was do or die, the time had come to put his everything into a decisive blow.

"Since my style bores you so, perhaps a technique of my own creation will serve to entertain you." Before he even finished speaking, he was already moving his blade in a flurry of slashes in front of him, too fast for the untrained eye to even see. A seemingly solid wall of ki blades and energy pressed forward. Of course, it was merely a distraction. Though the shimmering air looked impressive, even a direct hit would be little more than a strong gust of wind. As he began to move behind the wavering air, he went to work on his true attack. Arm outstretched, he dragged his blade through the air as if through water, a blueish blade of ki energy emerging behind the blade. One to his right, one to his left, and one above his head. He then continued to run at the demon, now at his full speed, the blades ki moving with him like three clawed fingers around him. Just before reaching his target, he suddenly stopped, holding gentou high above his head in his left hand. He propelled the blade straight forward, seemingly from two far back for the attack to even connect. As he did so, the long blades of ki energy kept going to the sides and directly above where the woman stood trapping the demon for a split second in a prison of blades, or so he hoped. He had never used this technique before, and the "decoy" wall of energy would heavily mask his true strike, he hoped that would be enough. After this strike, he would be open for a fraction of a second; a lifetime on the battlefield. Just as his blade would stop short, he let go of gentou's long handle, catching it at the last second as it closed the final gap of a few inches with enough force to pierce a human's, and Ryo hoped a demon's, skull. He stood, his stance bent forward and his blade reaching far in front of him, time frozen for Ryo in that sixtieth of a second as he looked on to see if his strike had aimed true.

As time resumed it's pace, Ryo's found the demon had escaped his attack. She was not fortunate enough to escape his prison however, the phantom blade cleaving through her shoulder. Ryo had wounded the demon. It was not enough though, even such a grand achievement was too little for him. He must slay this demon, like a true god. Though she had taken a nasty hit, iIt didn't slow her down. She moved at him with with a sudden burst of inhuman speed. His physical vision still being hampered by the gas, Ryo only saw things as they truly were. As great artists would depict it years from now. The woman, a true demon, racing towards him as a blur of fire and fangs. Her tainted blade tinged everything around her read. Opposite her, Ryo stood with his own pure blade. His own soul standing as a wall of order, an attempt to combat the demon's chaos. Behind him, the noxious black smoke from the demon's nostrils, possibly more dangerous than the demon's own claws.

The demon fell upon him, laughing at the mortal who would attempt to stop it. It sent a mighty claw of fire out, curving down towards him. Then prepared to cut him from his other flank with a sweep of it's bloody, tainted blade. His only escape seemingly into the hellish smog that would only save him from a quick death. Her speed was unworldly, he could not match it. Her skill was equal to his, or at least close enough. It seemed raw power might be his only advantage. Ryo's muscles tensed as he began to move as his seemingly morbid fate close in on him. He concentrated, trying to project his ki to match the blade as he moved in the opposite direction. As the blade hit him, it seemed only to strike him and push him forward. He dashed to the side, taking the only path he could: the one directly through the blazing fan. As he pushed his body forward it embedded itself in his shoulder, tearing flesh and muscle even as it cauterized the wounds it made. Ryo remained silently and expressionless as the extremely painful event took place. With a stifled grunt, he removed the weapon from his shoulder and quickly tossed the weapon aside as far as his throw would carry it. His right arm hung limply at his side as he turned to face the demon. As he regained his stance blood flowed from the spot the blade had connected; Ryo hadn't the time to properly focus. He had resisted the blade, but by no means deflected it. The loss of blood did little to relieve the blurring of his senses by the smog.

Ryo lifted his blade with his left hand as his right hung useless beside him. "This fight is far from over. I'll show you the spirit of a true warrior!" He reared his good arm back and began to take a sweeping swing at the air. "I'll hold Gentou with my teeth if I must!" As he swung wide at a downward angle a mighty wave of ki crashed into the ground, throwing up a cloud of powdered debris. Ryo ran through it, sending a downward strike at the demon. He had to regain the offensive if he hoped to keep his life today.

Ryo listened to Daji's offer through harried breaths. She was right about one thing at least, Ryo had little left in him. It would seem the immortal's sun was finally close to setting. Between blood loss and the poison, he couldn't even see straight. The considerable chunk of flesh separated by her burning fan also disrupted the flow of his chi, preventing him from focusing into the devastating attacks that might show him a path to victory. Point of fact, burning flesh was the only thing he could still smell. His mind had already begun to dim.

Ryo tightened his grip on his weapon. "A demon would speak of honor? Then allow me to educate you." As he spoke he summoned as much ki as he could, the relatively unfocused energy gathering around him like an aura and displacing the dirt at his feet. "Death is the only force in the universe capable of convincing me to relinquish my blade!" He rushed towards the demon, blade raised and cloaked in a massive amount of unrestrained ki. The blow had power certainly, enough to erase even a demon from existence. It was also slow and predictable to warriors that possessed skill as they did. She would likely dodge, and counter. Ryo would likely lose his life this day after defying death for ages, but he knew where the path he chose may lead. It was far too late to turn back now. His blade came crashing down with a force that tossed up dirt and dust that would have impaired Ryo's vision, had his eyes not already been useless. In the chaos Ryo felt the Chinese demon's Japanese blade run through him, along with a new burning sensation that accompanied his breathing. As Ryo backed off, removing himself from her blade, he looked towards where the demon should be, though his site was nearly completely gone. He could see nothing, but he could sense her ki.

Blood flowed freely from the new hole in his abdomen, and leaked quietly from his mouth. He stood shakily, not quite having the strength left to lift his legs. His physical senses had abandoned him, and his perfect body's strength had been exhausted. He wearily raised his sword once more. "This....is not over yet..." He spoke through ragged breath and the gurgle of blood. "I...am not dead yet...raise your weapon!" He yelled angrily, as if to defy his own body. His first step forward sent him down again, resting one knee on the ground before attempting to rise again. As he did he attempted to say something, though it was lost somewhere in the blood traveling up his throat. As he began to stand, he disappeared. Teleported out of the arena to the medical area, the victor of the match decided.

Ryo woke up in a strange room, surrounded by workers. Magicians and doctors in the employ of whoever was running the show. His senses and vigor restored, Ryo immediately reached for his blade. It, along with his clothing, was missing. A quick scan revealed Gentou merely lay across the room on a table, along with his clothing. Ryo rose from his bed in a rage. "You would dare interrupt! The battle was not completed!" The medical workers rushed towards him to try calm him down, but he easily knocked them aside. As they fell to the ground, dead from a mere brushing aside, Ryo rushed to the room and grabbed Gentou. He didn't bother with the clothes, he had to find the demon. He had to settle things. He rushed towards the only door he saw, overturning equipment and slaying any who dared get in his way. Just as he approached the exit however, a loud hissing sound alerted him to a clear gas rapidly being released into the room. "Damn..." Was the only comment he managed before being quickly rendered unconscious.

Ryo woke on the ground, now clothed, not far from the teleporter he had originally taken to the arena. He was in an alley between buildings, and for the second time today Gentou was missing from his side. It hadn't gotten far, as soon as he looked up he saw it in the hands of a hoodlum, trying in vain to remove the legendary blade from its sheath. There were several others gathered about. "Hey, he's waking up. What's wrong with your sword man?" Ryo merely stood up quietly. "Can't believe this guy really took out Efreet." They chattered among themselves as if Ryo wasn't there. "This is the guy?" "Yeah man, "the sheathed blade." Fought Daji in the first round and got his ass kicked."

The group's stance shifted offensively as Ryo took a step towards the one holding his sword. He grabbed the sword in his left hand while his right sent an open palm at the man's chest. He flew into a wall before collapsing, his insides shattered. The other two ran towards him, but in a mere moment his blade was unsheathed and returned, the two hoodlum's throats cleanly severed. "The sheathed blade died today...now a new journey begins." He stepped out of the alley onto the sidewalk. He looked at his chest, still flawless. The arena's magicians had restored his body perfectly, without even leaving a scar. A scar remained however, on Ryo's honor and pride. "Daji..." He spoke the name he had only just now learned. "I will burn that name into my mind. I will not rest until one of is dead." He lifted his head to the sky, and the still floating arena. "Daji!! This will be settled!" With that the man picked a direction, and began walking once more as he had done for centuries...