Ethereal of the Heavenflame, Roar of the Encorna (Safer)

OoC: Yes, such a glorious name demands an all-mighty battle. And given that Kenjin and Tokumaru have advanced in terms of new attacks and new styles of combat, it seems fitting that the teacher and student do battle once more! Behold!

BiC:

What is power?

Many would speculate that power is omnipotence, the strength to be all-mighty. If such was a person's theory of power, they would seek such a path, searching to become the greatest in terms of strength and magic. One day, anyone could achieve such a might, and control others simply because of that strength.

But others...others search through their own path, seeking a way to become one with the world around them. Warriors of legend found such a path, truly becoming powerful enough to destroy worlds in their own right, with their own power. Is that too a theory of true power, or is it yet something else?

Some are born naturally with great power, a hidden force within them. Some earn it, be it through training or magic, or do they have the potential? Is that all a person needs? Some seek to understand their full power, to control it or harness it because they have not yet managed to do so.

And that was why a young samurai, young at least in comparison to the one who had asked him to join him, walked through the Dome, heading for the highest floor. On that floor, there was a giant iron door made of wrought-steel that only the mightiest could stand against, or even move.

Kenjin the Encorna was waiting.

***

Silence prevailed through the dojo, nothing making noise. Not even the man in the center was making a sound, sitting cross-legged on the symbol of the yin-yang, directly in the middle of the emblem that symbolized unity of opposites.

How metaphorical.

His hand were set on his knees, his chest not making a motion. This man did not suffer from the effects of the flesh like mortals, such as the need for air or the beating of a heart. He was the Encorna, and had lived since the beginning of his world.

His hair waved, though there was no stir of the wind in the wooden training center. The black mane looked more like shadows as they swaying independent from an outside force. His eyes were sealed, though the black orbs remained alert without sight. An unseen aura hung around him, seething with power.

His giant body, well over seven feet in height, just seemed to command respect and control. A dark black gi was most of relatively simple garb, with a crisp white shirt underneath. On his chest was his emblem, clashing against the dark uniform, the yin-yang. Surrounding the circle were seven empty orbs, perfectly spaced around it.

His arms were perfectly stationary, not moving an inch. Covering his arms were intricate tattoos of the symbols of the Three Goddesses, Din, Farore, and Naryu, the sources of his strength and birth. Near his hands were the ninja gauntlets, colored black.

In front of him were two swords, both works of art in their own right. One was a massive claymore, the Leviathan, entrusted to the man by a very dear friend. Its giant blade extended six feet from the hilt, sharpening at the end. But the second sword was of much greater importance to his plans.

Thenatos, the powerful sword that the man himself had created out of the Crystal. Its crystal surface could never break, not until Kenjin himself had mastered the weapon. Four feet long was the blade, small in comparison to the Leviathan. Its hilt held an orb at the edge, filled with negative energy.

"Today is the day," the man announced to no one, his voice booming along the walls of the dojo. The weapons that adorned the walls varied in size and appearance, but all shook slightly from the force of his voice. "Today, I find out the truth about power."

The man was old, though he seemed not a day over thirty. Such was the burden of being immortal, the man would never die, but live forever to see things that others would wither and die before they occurred. He had no age, for he had always been. And yet, he was not the ultimate fighter he wished to be. Others infinitely younger than him had proven his limits, and had bested him.

"What is power?" he asked aloud, feeling the power of his energy rising. "Is it simply the expression of a person's strength, or is it something else? Something that I lack, something I missed." For a person that could see the future, the man was very vague of what he spoke of, even to himself.

Power could be drawn from so many places and so many things. A relic, the body, someone else, it could be brought in from anywhere. And yet, some like the man used different methods, different ways to endow themselves with power.

"Three Goddesses grant me strength," the man said, rising from his position. He reached out and grasped both swords, standing upright. "But only if I have the will to use their might. Other times I draw it from myself, and the outside elements. Where does my power truly come from?" He strapped Thenatos into a black sheath, hoisting it to his back by a belt.

"Where does Kyô draw his power from?" he asked, taking up the Leviathan and placing it in its own black sheath, crossing it on his back with Thenatos. "He is a follower of Hephaestus, the God of Fire, so he relies on the God for his power much of the time. But the Gods of Olympus have aided me as well, giving my Phoenix powers divine strength."

Does the reason a person fights have a hand in their strength? he asked himself, before turning to the iron door that blocked his room from the outside world. In fact, only a few people even had the strength to move the giant door. But the man knew that his opponent would move it, he had foreseen the arrival.

Why does Kyô fight, why do I fight? Why does anyone fight? he asked the string of questions, but asking them alone did not provide the answers he sought. "The future is seen by me, but I never see the answers." When he had last fought this foe that would arrive shortly, he had seen his defeat before it occurred. But he had never seen the truth behind his loss. "This time, I shall win, this time Tokumaru must lose, and Kenjin the Encorna must win. That is the only way to unlock the truth I seek, the only way to purify Thenatos."

OoC: Hope that was okay, been a while since I did an intro.

OOC: … My GOD… Power Shot, that was an AMAZING intro. I could never write and intro that well! However, I’m just naturally bad at intros. Oh, and I forgot to mention… before you read this post, check out your inbox for a PM entitled “Be Honored”. Otherwise you’ll be utterly clueless.

BiC: The Dome. An endless realm of cataclysmic to peaceful areas, constantly picking up and dropping off warriors from across the plain of existence. Countless people have witnessed its glory, and a select few had been chosen to stay within its halls, bound to its inhabitants by pure destiny. They were the greatest of the Elite, some of the most powerful warriors in existence; the teachers of the Dome.

In the Old Age, when the Dome was still a speculation,—it had been around longer than any human could ever record—the Teachers of the Dome and their omnipotent Powers were shown as the most powerful beings in all the Universe and Universes, and had been immortalized inside the great Dome Halls, when and if they died, for all eternity. Some were greater than others, and some of the most insanely powerful in strength had been taught by the weakest.

There were many great Teachers, such as the Lion Man, Kisasian, Sileya, the mighty Dragon Summoneress, and one of the Greatest warriors in Existence, Aurora, the Almighty Ominae. These were only a few of the great Teachers, and each had made his or her own impact upon the great Dome in which they taught. However, after time, the Dome decided that even its greatest inhabitants had to leave. Kisasian left first, followed by Sileya. After that, Aurora managed the Dome all on her lonesome, being the main and only teacher. Her day came to leave as well.

Recently, however, a few newcomers and one of Aurora’s old Students began to run the show. A few of them were Kai Awai, Kira Greenthorn, and Leita Spiritwood, who entered the Dome completely accidentally, by the aftereffect of a Rockslide. More were Max, the Great Vampire, Ranul, Aidan, and Merric. All were incredible warriors, and were even lucky enough to be blessed with the return of Sileya in the later days. However, not even the great Summoneress had an important detail in common with the final Teacher on the list, the great Heavenflame Samurai.

The one thing that made this teacher different from the rest was that he was the only one remaining who had been taught by Aurora the Ominae, who was, in his opinion, the Greatest fighter in the Universe. Tokumaru, however, was on a different journey. Now back from the Grave as an Ethereal Warrior, the samurai had been asked by his most powerful student to have a rematch from a previous battle. This warrior… the Great Encorna, had proven himself to hold his own against even the Eternal Inferno, Tokumaru’s previous ultimate limit.

That was then… the samurai thought, This is now. I am an Angel now, like my Father, and his father before him. I can bend space and time, matter and thought, and even the seams of the Universe itself. I am infused with Hephaestus’ Hammer and the Leather of Lemnos that bound it, and will forever be as powerful as the God of Fire and Forge, now that my status of being underneath him has ended. Although I still draw power from him, I am just as strong as he is without him. Kenjin had better be prepared for an insane fight, for this time… I shall not hold back.

Before stepping up a large flight of stairs, Tokumaru glanced over to see a large oak door, carved into with a wondrous forest scene. The samurai had been in that room when his link to Hephaestus was refined, when he had beaten a Psuedo-human, and when he last saw his great teacher.

“Aurora-sama…” Tokumaru said out loud, the calm halls of the Dome empty besides his presence, “Where and what you are I shall never know… but I hope you realize… I might be experiencing the same thing you did when I saw you for the last time in this Form. Kenjin’s strength has increased incredibly, I can sense it… and I might just have a problem on my hands with his strength. Sama… he wishes to defeat an Angel, one of the most Powerful of the Godlike kind; his will to defeat me is so powerful, that I think he might just be able to do it. Sama, wish me luck, wherever you are…”

At the peak of the stairs stood a large steel door, quaking with insane power from within it. Entering his Inferno Stage, Tokumaru opened it slowly.

Prepare for a battle you shall never forget, my Student…

Kenjin sensed the presence before it even touched his door. "Right on time," he said in satisfaction, keeping his voice perfectly in control, perfectly neutral. The iron of his door move slowly, though Kenjin could tell the presence could send it flying without a problem if it so desired.

And so came the form of Tokumaru Kyô, the Heavenflame Samurai. Kenjin felt power, even though the teacher was merely in Inferno form. He could sense Aurora's replacement was holding back a immense force he had not had before, the last time they had fought.

"You have evolved even further Kyô," the Encorna said at last, as the Heavenflame closed the door behind him, the metal grinding as he did so. When it was sealed completely, Tokumaru turned to face his student. "I congratulate you, I did not think you could grow so vastly strong in the short time since our battle."

His opponent had indeed changed. Kenjin felt angelic power flooding from his opponent, Ether was present in the samurai. Tokumaru nodded. "When one trains, one gains power. The only question is, how much does a person train? I have done so, for if a person assumes they are the best, they are doomed. They grow lax in their strength, and someday another defeats them."

Tokumaru could sense it as well, something was clashing against his energy, and the battle had not even begun. Kenjin's will was battling Tokumaru's, the air crackling with force. "You have grown as well, though differently. Have you discovered new ways of training foreign to my own?" The answer was obvious, the Encorna always found something new, his knowledge of the world was vast.

Kenjin nodded, holding in his hand a small Crystal. "My weapon maker," he said unnecessarily, lifting it up for Kyô to see. "With this, I can create weapons that harness the negative force of my Crystal, encoding with the energy of a user to become their exact negative in terms of strength and power. As a result, the weapon must be purified, which unlocks hidden energy within a fighter."

Tokumaru noticed two new swords strapped to Kenjin's back, one a giant claymore, the other, a simple sword made of pure Crystal. "You plan to simply use me as a stepping stone to advance yourself?" Tokumaru asked incredulously, knowing that his student was not that egotistical.

"You give yourself too little credit Kyô," the Encorna answered the Heavenflame. "I do plan on purifying it with your aid, but that is not all I plan on doing." He removed the Leviathan from his back, he would not need it in this battle, and had promised Turaiv to keep it safe, something that would most likely not happen if it remained in the fight.

Tokumaru's face remained expressionless as the sword was drawn, though he could sense a strange new energy brimming from it, something rather unlike anything that the samurai had ever seen. He looked at the hilt, noticing a dark force within the handle. But it was almost gone, it would surely be purified in this battle, given Tokumaru's strength would be more than enough to complete Kenjin's plan.

"Is that your plan, to unlock something within your sword to defeat me?"

"I do not have a plan Tokumaru," the Encorna admitted. "We will fight, and one of us must lose. That is the way of the world, the way of life. What occurs in between the beginning of a battle and the end is up to fate. And not even we can change a person's fate."

Neither warrior could defeat that simple rule, not anymore anyway. The Grievances were already gone, but Tokumaru would remain. He, like Kenjin, was now immortal, the Encorna gazed on his much younger teacher with a sort of reverence, but it was more of an understood obedience.

"Yes, the time that I could bring people back is long since gone," the samurai agreed, unsheathing Hinotama from its scabbard. Its hilt had transformed, turning bright white like his hair, but its red blade still remained. "No one should have the power to alter fate."

"That is why I never do when I gaze into the future," Kenjin answered, drawing Thenatos from his back. The sword glowed, but not as much as in the past. It was having trouble rejecting his strength now. "But I always question the reason why. When I saw my loss to you in our first battle, I did not try to change it. I made you work for it, but I never questioned the reason why." Kenjin felt his power radiating through the room, and felt Tokumaru's flashing back at him.

"This time, I will answer the question," the Encorna stated. "This time I hold nothing back, and I expect you to do the same. Regardless if you cannot die, I shall do my very best to destroy you."

"I will treat you with the same reverence," the Heavenflame replied, pointing the Hinotama's blade at his student. Thenatos did the same, and they both stood in silence, waiting for the first move.

"You had better," Kenjin answered, his face turning into a grin at the thought of such a new challenge. "Because if you don't, I shall never forgive you."

OoC: I hope that was satisfying, after all, I began the fight last time .

Tokumaru smirked a little bit, surprised at the power his student had gained since the last fight. Flares of electricity spared between the two, signaling the insane power that radiated between them. Hinted with a hue of red, the electricity curled around for a few seconds, and instantly sparked out; by that time, another flare had come up to follow it. Closing his eyes, his wings fluttering softly, Tokumaru changed his mind, and sheathed the Hinotama.

Kenjin raised an eyebrow.

“Why do you do this, Kyô?” he asked, raising the Thenatos in a strike stance. “You will not survive a moment without using your exalted blade of Fire.”

A cold face passed over Tokumaru as he turned to his side, keeping his face pointed at the Encorna.

“A test,” he said abstractly. “Come, and see what it is you are in store for.”

Kenjin nodded, taking in a deep breath, and then jolting towards his teacher with his crystal blade. Without even opening his eyes or turning back around, Tokumaru raised a forearm to the blade, and stopped in it midair. Kenjin paused for a bit, slightly dazzled at the feat, and whacked the Thenatos down upon Tokumaru once more. The same result occurred. Getting a bit frustrated—on the inside, that is—, Kenjin began wailing down his Crystal Sword upon Tokumaru numerous times at insane speeds. Each time, Tokumaru blocked the hit without drawing a bruise or any hint of blood.

Kenjin kept pounding, his brow furrowed.

“What…” he said, ramming his blade furiously upon Tokumaru, “What have you become?”

At that instant, Tokumaru turned, his leg erupting into Heavenflames, and roundhoused Kenjin back across the room at a suicidal speed. The Angel then turned around, still not unsheathing his blade, and opened his eyes.

“I have become infinitely powerful,” he said neutrally. “I exist in the Ether, and am not even on this plain of reality. This prevents only those of insane power to be able to touch me, and you have proven yourself to be just one of those people. Your power is greater than most people I have ever fought. But you must understand… I am infinity. I take the place of the Angelic Tutor, Aerias, the place of the Angelic Pupil, my father, Khayoro, and the place of the Heavenflame. I have no limitations, for my power draws from everything in the Universe. Like the Ether itself, Heavenflames exist in everything. Without this factor, Heavenflames would not be able to appear, for they are merely the atoms in which they stand superheated and turned into a plasma. When the Heavenflames move, the atoms revert to normal, and the atoms at the Heavenflames’ new location are superheated and turned into plasma.”

Kenjin stood up, realizing what exactly he was up against, and contorted Tokumaru’s speech.

“That’s a nice explanation of your power, Kyô,” he said. “However, everything has limits. I have limits, the Gods have limits, Din, Farore, and Nayru have limits, Olympus has limits, and the Universe has limits. Thusly, you must have limits as well. Thinking that you are an infinity will be your downfall in this battle, Kyô, and I shall prove it to you!”

Tokumaru grimaced.

“Do you think that I consider myself better than you?” he asked. “Kenjin, from the moment I met you, I knew that you had the power to surpass Eternal Inferno easily. Now at this new stage, I worry that you might even be able to defeat the Ether itself. If you so wish to pass this boundary, to complete your training, to make yourself the ultimate warrior, come forth and Destroy me!”

Kenjin then leaped back at Tokumaru wordlessly, who then unsheathed the Hinotama alit with Heavenflames, and began fighting mercilessly. The two swords clashed, sending fiery sparks and lighting high into the air. Objects around the room suddenly burst into flames, although neither fighters noticed. Slamming their blades together simultaneously, Tokumaru and Kenjin entered an insane deadlock.

Kenjin, now sweating from the heat, pushed down the Thenatos hard upon the Hinotama.

“I will never loose to you, Kyô. The Angels themselves cannot save you now!”

Tokumaru pushed just as hard back, and kicked Kenjin hard in the gut, ending the deadlock. Flames erupted upon Kenjin’s stomach for a moment, and disappeared as Tokumaru’s foot went away.

Landing, the Heavenflame held out a hand to Kenjin.

“If Ultimate Power is what you desire…” the samurai said, “…Then allow me to be your Final Negotium Exitalum.”

My Final Deadly Task… Kenjin thought, looking up to his teacher.

“Heh…” the Encorna chuckled, readying the Thenatos, “…So be it.”

OOC: *I AM THE LATIN NERD*

Both swords clashed, the Encorna and the Heavenflame assaulting one another in rapid succession. One parry after another was made, Thenatos and Hinotama struggling for dominance in the battle. The sword of flames, who obeyed its master's will without hesitation, and the sword of crystal, created for the sole purpose of defying its user.

"You're holding back," Tokumaru grinned, ducking and sending a spinning kick that knocked Kenjin off his feet. The giant being chuckled, flipping through the air with the momentum. He swerved, getting behind the samurai.

"So are you, even more then last time," the Encorna muttered, striking hard against the warrior's back with the hilt of his Thenatos. Tokumaru flew, shooting towards the other edge of the room with the force of the blow. The samurai laughed, throwing his feet upwards to touch the surface of the wood, before leaping back.

Tokumaru branished the flame sword, but as he soared towards his student, Kenjin vanished into thin air, disappearing completely from Tokumaru's view. The samurai blurred, becoming nothing more then a see-through version of himself, speeding up to see where his student was.

SLAM.

Tokumaru crashed into the wall, erupting it into flames. The wood burnt, but Tokumaru was unconcerned about such a thing. Something had attacked him, faster then he could see, striking his back once more. "What?" the Heavenflame asked, surprised but not worried that his student would have mastered high speeds.

"You seem surprised," the Encorna stated, reappearing on the other side of the dojo. "And look at how you have tarnished my room. Can you not control those magical flames of yours?" Kenjin smiled, knowing that his sensei was too wise to fall for such an insult.

He held up his palm, a burst of fire emerging from his fingertips. "All in that brief exchange, I have absorbed enough fire energy to power myself for a good while, and you will only continue to fuel my strength like that."

"Those are not Heavenflames," Tokumaru replied, drawing the Hinotama on Kenjin. "You have only the strength of yourself."

"They are not Heavenflames, you are correct," the Encorna answered, closing his hand, the flames vanishing in a puff of smoke. "But I hold some power, my Phoenix Tear's shadow bonds me to the Elements, and as long as you use one against me, I can still battle."

"Just using flames is useless against me," Tokumaru answered steadily. "I am a follower of the God of Fire."

"Such is the will of fate, but I need it to defeat you," Kenjin stated. "I am not concerned however with your strength Tokumaru. Before you ascended to the Ether which you live in, I knew that you were weak. Yet you were stronger then me, and I know why."

"I am certainly not weak, but share your theory," Tokumaru retorted, wondering what could be up the ancient being's sleeve.

"There is something about you I cannot sense," the Encorna answered. "Something strong, something that you possess that I do not. I feel it within you, but I don't know what it is. I only know the answers to many thing, but never do I recieve the questions they go to."

"Fighters are not often meant to know both those things at the same time," Kyô replied, judging for his next attack. "Only with diligent training can both be unlocked, and given to a warrior."

"Wise sayings Kyô," was the Encorna's reply. "But you yourself are not perfect. Neither of us is, both not yet at our fullest potential. The Ethereal might take you to a limit you were not meant to pass, but you still have training to do, as have I. When warriors cease to train, it is inevitable that someone will appear to strike them down."

Tokumaru rushed forward, intending to silence his student for his accusation. As he neared Kenjin, he once again vanished, untracable again. How is he doing that? he asked himself, scanning the room for signs of his student.

"Growing rusty?" a voice growled to his left, a punch striking Tokumaru's cheek. The samurai ignored it, slashing at where Kenjin had been again, only to find that no one was there. "I don't blame you, but if you can't beat this attack there would be no point in fighting me at all."

Tokumaru spun around to see the Encorna standing quite calmly behind him, his arms crossed. "Where...did you acquire such speed?" Tokumaru asked. "I can't even see you move."

"Oh- this little trick is the very least of my power, though it is strong," Kenjin answered, dismising the notion with a wave of his hand. Thenatos hung loosely in his hand, its hilt tipping to the ground. Its black sphere was almost gone, the purification process completing with every stroke of the blade. "You can't break what I have done without very powerful protection, something that I'm certain that, even in this Ether plane you speak of, you do not have. Your mind is still an open book to me."

Kenjin vanished, before Tokumaru was attacked once more. Kenjin appeared almost in front of him, his face one of utter seriousness. Thenatos came down so fast that Tokumaru barely had time to dodge, before returning the favor with a slice from Kenjin's blind spot.

CLANG.

The infinite flames of the Hinotama met the wrist guards, spikes emerging from them to catch the blade in its grasp. The black gauntlet of Kenjin's right hand twisted, locking the Hinotama in its grasp. "Nice try," Kenjin said dully, not turning around to face the samurai. "But I can see the flames in you before you can act. The Element of Fire that burns within that body of yours marks you, and makes it impossible to sneak up on me."

Kenjin turned the left side of his body, dragging the Hinotama with him. Thenatos came up to strike Tokumaru's stunned face, smashing against the Heavenflame's nose. Hinotama came updone as the samurai was sent flying once more, though this time landing on the ground, clutching his face in annoyance.

"That is impossible, there is not a force that can touch the Hinotama," Kyô muttered, shooting an annoyed look at his pupil.

"I did not touch your blade, my gauntlet did," Kenjin said, waving his hand. "And like it or not, there are limits to even your power, just like mine. Except as of now, you are at my mercy, and not the other way around."

"What do you mean?"

"This!" The Encorna vanished once more, before Tokumaru was attacked yet again, flying into the air from the resulting smash from behind. The Heavenflame launched fire back in response, trying to catch a glimpse of Kenjin moving towards him, but the giant was nowhere. The room was empty, save for when Kenjin attacked him.

"Have some of your own medicine!" the Encorna roared, as he appeared in front of the Heavenflame once more. Tokumaru wasted no time, launching his own attack before Kenjin could fight. Thenatos came up, resisting but losing against the will of its master, slashing against the Hinotama's burning embers.

"Chaos Gunner!" he shouted, taking a hand off Thenatos to point towards Tokumaru. The samurai sped up, getting out of the line of fire, before swerving back to strike the Encorna in the back with the Hinotama.

Kenjin vanished, and as Tokumaru ran through air, a series of blasts issued from the left, striking hard against the samurai's side. Tokumaru was forced off course, and landed again to face Kenjin once more. "How are you doing this?" he demanded, having never before encountered such a strange way of attacking.

"If you can't figure that out soon," the Encorna stated, "there would be no point in continuing."

OoC: Part of this was rushed, I hope this is okay.