The King and the Shadow: Jacogos (Jacob the Shade) vs. RedKayne (The Cold Emperor)

[Jacogos]

Colosseum Match

Deciding Factor: Death or surrender, if accepted.

Time Limit: None.

Jacob the Shade (http://role-player.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10331&p=437441&viewfull=1#post437441) vs. The Cold Emperor (http://role-player.net/forum/showthread.php?t=52619&p=1770558&viewfull=1#post1770558)



The Proving Grounds was once again being entertained by its very own creator. Kaizan found the thought to be quite hilarious, but then, the Shade knew what he was doing. If he was going to risk his own neck in a fight, then surely it was one he knew he could win.

The winged man once again was perched on the high, single seated platform that served as the 'announcer's booth'. The wind up here was sandy, but at least it was a refreshingly cool relief from the hot sun of the Outback. Kaizan barely noticed it for now, however, as he had to focus on riling up the 'crowd'.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Proving Grounds!" he roared, his voice echoing in the empty colosseum. But then, it was always empty. These events were live-streamed to every part of the world; no need to come here in person. "Today we have another exciting match-up as promised! Your very own patron warrior, Jacob Shu, will be fighting a titan of magic and weaponry, the enigmatic Cold Emperor! Will our fan-favorite be able to prevail? Or will this mysterious challenger prove to much for the Shade! Well sit back folks, cause we're going to find out together!!"

With a smirk that was born of self-ridicule due to how phony he had just sounded to himself, Kaizan sat back in the judge's seat and pressed the button that would open the gates for the two warriors to enter. The match began, and it would no doubt be the most interesting one he had witnessed yet.



As the two fighters enter the field that appeared almost exactly like a remake of the Roman Colosseum, reality shifted as suddenly the arena fell away from around them like smoke in the wind...

and was replaced by a country village, a group of buildings almost out of a scenic postcard. The two warrior were standing at opposite ends of the 'town', much further apart than they had been in the arena, by some sort of bending in the reality of things. They could still see each other, however, as they stood in the center of the main road that cut the two in two, a paved cobblestone path that had seen quite a few horses and carriages over the years. No one else was in sight, as the time of day and weather accounted for nicely.

It was the middle of the night, as seen by the full moon overhead. Which was curious, as it was also storming quite badly, rain pelting down heavily enough to obscure vision. The fact that one could see the moon clearly yet barely able to make out the fifth row of buildings from oneself was a disturbing fact that was better left unquestioned. Thunder rumbled lowly, causing a few horses in a nearby (to the Emperor) stable to whicker uneasily.

The arena was set and the two warriors stood poised for battle. Yet one couldn't help but get an uneasy feeling about the little hamlet they would do battle in. Something told the warriors that this fight would be far from straightforward...



(Over the course of the first few rounds, the moon will slowly turn red in the way of a lunar eclipse. The peak of its eclipse will fall on my 7th post, not including this one, at which point an event will happen that will most like affect the battle. By that I mean it definitely will, heheheh. Anything following or proceeding that is fair game, as I have absolutely no prior outlook of how this village is laid out other than what was stated. [i.e. feel free to put a building here or there conveniently or what-have-you] Best of luck and may the best warrior win! ^.^)

[RedKayne]

The Beginning of the End (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc7lUbWEbqY)



The Cold Emperor stood at the opposite side of the arena, awaiting for the gates to open and the match to start. He heard much about his opponent... Jacob Shu the Shadow Warrior. Apparently, he was a participant in a famous tournament of some sort a while back, and it was called the Rumble. Even though the Shade Warrior didn't get very far in the tournament, his powers and demeanor won over most of the fan support afterwards.

He clenches one of his fists as it begins to shake with anticipation. The Cold Emperor knew this will be a worthy opponent of his time... and if he defeats him... when he defeats him... the Emperor will be one step closer to his true goal.

As soon as the annoying voice of the announcer finished, the gates opened, and the Cold Emperor stepped through and revealed himself. He looks around his environment, it was very similar to the Roman Colosseum of ancient times. However, before he even blinked, the environment around him began to warp.

He found himself staring into a new reality. He felt the constant vibration of heavy rain pelting against his black armor. His glowing eyes of blue-fire caught the sight of a full moon up above the midnight sky. His eyes glances down, he was standing in an empty village. He could barely see his opponent's figure through the unending darkness and the heavy rain.

The sound of low thunder caused the few horses near him to become antsy. As he saw the horses, a small idea formed inside of the Cold Emperor's head. He walked towards the stable, and the horses began to neigh even louder out of fear of the approaching stranger.

"Don't worry, Nessie, I don't bite," the Cold Emperor chuckles darkly. He takes another step forward, gently patting one of the horses side and trying to make it calmer. It seemed to work out for the moment as the horse became a little less uncomfortable. He climbs on to the horse's back, and gives a good kick to its side to make it start moving. It exited the stable and into the pouring rain. The horse whined in protest, but the Cold Emperor kicked its side again and directed it towards the opposite side of the town. It started walking there slowly, but then he gave it another hard kick. It was perfect timing as well, because at the same time, a loud thunder boomed and spooked the horse, which caused it to start galloping at full speed.

The dark figure of his opponent grew more and more visible with each passing second. As the Cold Emperor began nearing his opponent, he began to stand up on the horse's back. He actually managed to balance himself on top of the galloping animal, and then he raises both of his arms. A ball of radiant light formed on each hand, and the light began to shape itself into his summoned weapon set. The lights disappearing, and his Destructive Dual Blades were formed. These were his most proud possessions. He created these blades himself during his late teens. His bastard of a father actually did taught him a useful lesson or two.

He was about twenty-five feet away from his opponent, and the Emperor's time to act was now. With a quick flash of his steel, his right blade actually slices through the horse's neck, decapitating it. Before the fresh carcass smashed into the ground, the Cold Emperor did a backwards flip and landed safely on his feet. The decapitated head of the horse rolled by his feet and left a thick trail of blood. Its beady black eyes devoid of life were staring helplessly up at its killer.

The Cold Emperor chuckles wickedly, "Well, here we are," he says and glances at his opponent, Jacob Shu. "I figured I could make a little bit of a flashy entrance for my first battle here. Oh, and just to let you know, this will be your fate," he briefly points one of his swords towards the horse's head. He could already picture finishing this battle by slicing off Jacob's frozen head. "I hope your ready, shadow demon," he chuckles again. Suddenly, with a swift kick, he launched the bleeding head of the horse towards Jacob's face. It would only prove to be a distraction, however, as the Cold Emperor quickly rushed towards Jacob, making an x-slash with his dual blades towards his opponent's chest.

[Jacogos]

Theme of the Shade (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzbvcsNPEEE&list=PL4619CDF2FD0D8394)


Jacob entered the arena with a full knowledge that the colosseum that stood before him would not be their true arena. What would be was not for him to know, but he was at least prepared when the reality that he walked in began to shift. He did not even pause his stride, simply continued walking. He was eager for this fight to begin.

The Cold Emperor, his opponent was called. He knew little more than the name and what he was like. A brutal killer, a powerful opponent, and a wielder of fearsome Ice magic. It would be quite the challenge. Jacob always liked challenges. As he walked, his left hand gripped the exposed hilt of his katana with anticipation. Soon...

The area that came to life around him was quite unlike what he expected. Within seconds, his motionless cloak was soaked through to his normal clothes, which only survived about a minute before they too were wet. This did not please the demon, but he certainly wasn't bothered overly by it either. He had had to fight a man naked once; at least he was still clothed here. Pulling his hood forward a little more, the shadow demon continued his walk down the main street of the village.

He heard the thumping of hoof beats only moments before the figure appeared in the pouring rain. He had not expected the man to be mounted, mostly because one was not allowed to bring mounts into the Proving Grounds without specific accommodation approved by the Shade himself. That meant that the man had found one here or that this was not the Emperor. However, knowing the arena like he did, Jacob was far more willing to bet on the former. Left hand tightly gripping his blade's hilt, Jacob stopped walking and awaited his opponent.

Though he was prepared to dodge out of the way of the horseman charging him, Jacob had to admit he was not prepared for what the Cold Emperor did instead. The horse's still-running body collapsed a few feet behind Jacob, who had rolled out of the way of the literally-dead weight. He glanced behind him for only a moment before returning his attention to his opponent, who was speaking.

"You're a talky one... I like it when I can banter at my opponents," the Shade replied with a chuckle of his own, a smirk twitching at the corners of his unseen lips. "The fact that you know what I am also gives me hope for your ability..." Jacob's right arm crossed his body to lay on Kokuou Kotonashi's handle, his gauntleted hand moving to grab the sheath. And then his opponent attacked.

It was a simple maneuver, rolling his upper half to the right and ducking at once, avoiding the horse-head with the smoothness of a trained boxer. Almost as simple as his quick-draw, freeing his blade from its sheath in the span of a second and connecting with the Emperor's attack in a scream of metal meeting metal. What Jacob had not prepared for, however, was his opponent's brute strength, which easily overpowered the smaller man. Stumbling back, Jacob fluidly turned his retreat into a lithe series of hops that put some distance between himself and the armored man. Melee would prove very very dangerous for the Shade, he could already tell.

I may have to shake things up a bit, he thought to himself, holding Kokuou Kotonashi at the ready with both hands now, the standard samurai pose. As he did this, his shadows began to fan out towards the Cold Emperor, studying him as they slowly drew closer to learn more.

[RedKayne]

The Emperor's Wrath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4-AVow9WBc)



This one certainly did have fast reflexes, as Jacob effortlessly dodged the horse-head and drew his katana from his sheath in less than a second. The Cold Emperor expected no less from his opponent, and he was grinning wickedly as their blades clashed and sparks flew everywhere. However, he was pleasantly surprised when he realized that the Shade Demon was significantly weaker than him in physical strength. Usually, the Cold Emperor had to battle savage werewolves and barbaric orcs, and his own physical strength proved useless and he had resort to something more extreme. The Emperor was hoping he won't use that same resort within this battle.

The Emperor's opponent hopped back a few times to create distance between them. The mage-knight laughed quietly, his opponent already began to fear the Emperor's powers. It was subconscious fear... but it was there nonetheless. He takes a couple steps forward, his footsteps causing splashes on the muddy ground. "Trying to escape my wrath is futile, shadow demon," the Cold Emperor flips the hilt of his left blade so that it was facing backwards. He then raises it and stabs it into the ground.

He points his free left hand, and Ice magic began to gather around his palm. The slightly visible blue-light began to gather around his palm, and the temperature of the air around it dropped dramatically. Soon, about a dozens shards of razor-sharp ice formed in front of his hand. They quickly shot forth towards Jacob. The heavy rain slightly slowed down the shards, but it did not matter. The Cold Emperor expected Jacob to either block or dodge his attacks. The Frost Shards were only used to see more of the Shade Warrior's powers... and to buy the Emperor some time. He was already calculating his next move. The Emperor will make sure that the Shadow will not escape his wrath.

[Jacogos]

A strong enemy... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W26IRMHOefg&list=PLP4PjxVSPgUstgOOvjV3d1xkqyjrihJwl)


He gathers power! roared Jacob's shadows in his mind, a statement Jacob felt as well as heard, as was the way of the shadows. Similar to Te Kage, the man's hands telegraphed his element ever so slightly, which Jacob noted for future reference. However, because of this, Jacob would have to wait before he could initiate his plan.

Keeping his stance, Jacob waited for the attack to begin. Then, he removed his left hand from the handle as Te Kage began to exude small flickers of flame. A split second before the shards were on top of him, Jacob unleashed his uncharged Flame Burst, engulfing his immediate area in fire that easily melted the ice magic and even flash-evaporated some of the water near him. He was just a bit too far from the Cold Emperor to hit him, but it would come close enough to feel the heat. As such, Jacob took the moment of possible distraction to lunge forward.

Noting what his shadows said about the Emperor's movements and positioning, Jacob shot forward and struck out at the warrior's left arm, slipping around to the side to strike again at his same-side leg, then quickly attempting to retreat again. Kokuou Kotonashi was unbreakable, so Jacob had faith that the weapon could at least deal a bit of damage if it hit. Otherwise, he was about to be in a world of hurt.

[RedKayne]

Shadow and Ice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glplE1BZ2Fc)



The Cold Emperor watched as the manipulator of shadows used his magical gauntlet to summon forth a burst of flames that melted away the ice shards. Even though the fire itself was too far to touch the Cold Emperor, he could still feel the heat of the intense flames from afar. A flicker of annoyance came across the Emperor's face, but it was masked beneath his black helmet and his raging eyes of blue-fire. Fire is one of the Emperor's main weaknesses, most of his Ice magic spells at this stage will be no match against flame spells. He may have to use his own magical gauntlet sooner or later to even up the odds...

As the Shadow Demon rushed towards him, the Cold Emperor picked up his left blade from the ground and quickly combined the two hilts together. He had to use a little bit of Ice magic to attach the hilts together to form a double-bladed sword. His offense and defensive capabilities have now significantly increased, and the sight of such a weapon may cause intimidation for some foes. However, he doubted Jacob would feel such fear since he himself carried a large katana.

With a simple thrust, he quickly deflected the attack that was aimed towards his left arm. He saw the second attack coming, and with a simple twisting movement, the other side of the sword swung down and deflected Shu's katana away. As Jacob began to retreat again, a wicked smirk came across the Cold Emperor's face. "Gotcha," with a quick flash of light, his double-bladed sword disappeared. He clenched his right fist and gathered Ice magic into it. He then punches the ground hard, and quickly the magic he gathered formed ice in front of him. The ice rapidly covered the area in a 30x30 feet square, and most likely it would cause the Shadow Demon to lose his balance and stumble or fall. It especially wasn't helpful for the Shadow Demon that the heavy rain would cause the ice to become even more slippery.

Regardless of what would have happened, the Cold Emperor straightened his body and another ball of light appeared between his hands. The ball of light began to shape itself into a large weapon, and then his Death Claymore appeared. "Time for you to bleed!" the Cold Emperor shouts and then uses his enhanced physical power to leap towards his opponent. He swung the heavy blade down. A direct attack from this claymore would immediately crush any limbs caught in its way. However, the Cold Emperor was sure his opponent would try to roll away from the attack.

Unfortunately, what his opponent doesn't know... the Cold Emperor was sending more Ice magic into his claymore. Once it collides against the ground, the impact will create a powerful Ice Shockwave. Six-feet of ice spikes will erupt from the ground in a five-feet radius, which would surely impale the sneaky shadow.

[Jacogos]

Close one! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro-Gq6hsLUI)


Jacob's eyes widened in surprise as suddenly the ground underneath him became a completely different traction. Mid-retreat as he was, the ever-graceful shadow demon was almost immediately flat on his ass as soon as the spell was cast, causing him to grunt in frustration. He wasn't going to go anywhere fast on this ice, either.

His opponent's next action forced Jacob to have to think outside the box and fast. Swearing quite loudly, the demon held his left arm out towards one of the buildings behind him, willing the gauntlet's power to heed his call. In his mind, it screamed its acquiescence, causing the warrior to wince at the noise. No sooner than that happened than the gauntlet produced a small hole from the center of its palm, from which a dagger and chain launched out at amazing speed. with enough force to puncture almost all the way through the wooden frame, the dagger hit one of the nearby buildings with an impressive thunk!

It was almost too close. Jacob immediately grabbed the chain that was appearing from his own palm and heaved, pulling himself towards the building by sliding across the ice. A sharp pain lanced through his leg anyway, however, as one of the ice-spikes struck the bone of his shin. The tip of the frosty spear snapped off as Jacob continued to speed away, leaving the chilling sensation next to the burn of the bleeding wound. It was a wonderful contrast that Jacob thoroughly disliked.

As soon as he stopped sliding due to there being no more ice to slide upon, Jacob planted a boot and yanked the dagger free, letting it trail the ground for now as he could not store it back in Te Kage yet. Slowly getting to his feet, the shadow demon winced as he felt the pain still in his leg. He left the bit of ice there for the numbing sensation. It helped slightly. Just ignore it, ya damn fool, he told himself, blocking out the pain as he sheathed his katana. Cracking his neck, the Shadow Warrior grabbed the chain with his right hand, allowing a bit of the slack to retract within Te Kage, the only part that was allowed by the gauntlet's strange rules. As soon as he had the right length, Jacob began to twirl the chain in circles beside him, the dagger at its end picking up speed as it began to spin through the air with a quiet whisking noise.

"An impressive onslaught..." Jacob cooed at his opponent. "Think you can actually get me this time?"

[RedKayne]

Unstoppable (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLrY7W2EKLc)



The Cold Emperor straightened his body after the impact. He glances up, his blue-eyes staring at his wounded opponent. "That was quite impressive, I truly thought victory was mine for a brief second," he chuckles loudly. The ice floor beneath him began to melt rapidly, for his ice magic could only last for so long. His black metal boots began to slowly sink into the extremely muddy ground. He took note that they will have to change their battlefield soon. The heavy rain and the large puddle of melting ice is making the current area quite slushy, and would significantly slow down the movements of both the Emperor himself and his opponent.

"I must admit, though, I am utterly disappointed," the Cold Emperor said in a slightly saddened tone. "I expected a whole lot more from this battle. You have a pretty nasty wound right there, yet you still haven't touched me," the Emperor begins to taunt, a wicked smile forming beneath his helmet. He raises his Death Claymore with a single hand and points it at Jacob, "No wonder you lost that Rumble, you're pathetic for a shadow demon. You're weak... you struggle to avoid most of my attacks... and I'm barely breaking a sweat!" he cackles.

That last part he may have exaggerated, he used up a lot of his magical powers, and practically all of ice abilities needed to rest right now. The Emperor was hoping that his insults would fluster his opponent and cause him to act reckless. And from there... he would perform the killing strike and finish this battle.

[Jacogos]

Snake in the grass... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oQsSPbOG9Y)


"You done?" Jacob asked with a twitching hint of a smile, still unseen past his cowl. "Gloating tends to mean someone's bluffing to cover up a weakness... You getting tired, old man?" The laugh that followed could've chilled the Cold Emperor's ice further. "How many demons of my variety have you fought, human? Even one? We do not fight heavily armored opponents very often. You clearly have the advantage here. However..." Jacob paused as he began extending the range of his chain's circling, slowly letting out more slack. Water splayed from the dagger's tip barley slicing through the thin layer of water that had accumulated on the ground. The moonlight glimmered off of the droplets, revealing that the dagger was much darker than it had been, as if a shadow had covered only it.

"We're just getting started!"

Jacob let the chain loose, the dagger flying through the air at an impressive speed, easily capable of puncturing that armor by an inch or two. However, that was not Jacob's only maneuver. Electricity sparked off of the gauntlet as Jacob channeled his Lightning Strike. However, due to the chain coming from Te Kage, Jacob would much rather fire the attack from his other hand. Because of this, Jacob forced the magic to flow through him, electricity dancing off of him for a split second as it did, only to then have the spell shoot from his right hand, lancing towards the Cold Emperor. It was a full two seconds behind the dagger, which allowed Jacob to compensate for any dodging maneuvers in that time.

The onslaught did not stop there. Since Jacob had begun speaking, his shadows had been slowly creeping along the ground towards the Cold Emperor. As soon as Jacob flung the dagger, they would darken noticeably and shoot forward in an attempt to attach to him From the Shadows. In addition, a shadow attached to the dagger was also in play, which meant if the weapon struck, yet another shadow would attach to the Cold Emperor. Each one drug at the man with the weight of about thirty pounds, but with more than a dozen shadows converging on him at this time, it could easily add up.

[RedKayne]

It's About Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwyDphk-v00)



The Cold Emperor's eyes slightly widened as the chained dagger approached him at a rapid speed. He quickly sidesteps to the right in an attempt to get out of the way. However, he felt the dagger piece through his armor and slash across his left shoulder. He couldn't even think about the pain in the moment, however, as his eyes of blue-fire flared as they saw the upcoming electrical attack. He attempted to leap away in an effort to dodge it, but suddenly felt the tug of several weights grasping and pulling his arms and legs down. His eyes stared down in disbelief as several of the demon's shadows managed to shoot from the ground and attach to his body.

The Lightning Strike made a direct impact against the Emperor's left arm. His black armor then shattered into pieces and his toned, pale left arm was revealed. The burning pain began to course through that limb, and the Emperor had to clench his teeth to avoid crying it in pain. His left arm began to spasm uncontrollably, the pain was screaming at him from the sudden jerking movements.

The Emperor glances back up at his opponent, glaring at him with blue-fire full of rage. How could I have let my guard down against these damn shadows! He scolds himself harshly and begins tugging with his right arm. It was relatively easy to break free from the shadow's grip using his enhanced strength. He quickly then punches the ground with free fist, sending ice magic on to it. He activated the Cold Floor ability once more, and the ground around him quickly freezes. The Ice magic even manged to encroach on the darkened shadows that trapped the Emperor. Once they were completely frozen in a block of ice, the Cold Emperor grins wickedly. "Heh, well, would you look at that. I never would have thought to see the day where actual shadows are frozen by my magic," he cackles and then stands up. The movement broke him free from the frozen shadows and shattered them into pieces. He wasn't sure exactly how these shadows work, and whether they would regenerate or not, so he was going to keep a close eye on them.

The Cold Emperor sighs heavily as he glances at his damaged left arm. The spasms stopped, but the skin was really sensitive. Unfortunately, the heavy rain pelting away on it felt like constant bee stings. He growls before glancing back up at the Shade Warrior. "Well, looks like things have finally gotten serious," he says a bit dully. He was still quite annoyed that he let himself get caught from Jacob's attack earlier. In a flash of light, his Death Claymore disappeared. Light then surrounded both of his hands. A small-short sword formed on his right hand, and then the Dark Gauntlet surrounded his injured left hand.

Heh, its about time... I was thirsty for blood.

"However, you are still no match for me, Shade." He begins to raise his Gauntlet, but flinches slightly from the pain of it. He points his left hand towards Jacob. Ice magic rapidly wrapped around it, and in the blink of an eye, about two-dozens of Frozen Shards were formed. "Bleed," the multiple shards shot forth and rapidly approached Jacob.

[Jacogos]

Things are getting interesting! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcdMEpIiyns)


Jacob grunted audibly as at least twenty of his shadows screamed their release inside his head, piercing his mental barriers like sharp blades of glass. He winced further as he put a bit of weight on his injured leg, bracing himself against staggering from the sheer off-balancing of the mind rape. Great... It'll take hours to rebind those souls... he thought irritably, dismissing their pain for the moment as the rest of his shadows immediately backed off, returning to their normal immune forms.

Jacob pulled his chained dagger back with a whip of his arm, drawing the weapon back into Te Kage with a shink! of metal. At about that moment, the Cold Emperor summoned his own gauntlet, a piece of work not very unlike the Akuma Yaiba. From the distance they were at, his shadows told him that there was something very powerful about that gauntlet.

So he wields something akin to my own... The more we fight, the more similar we seem... Eerie, Jacob thought, readying Te Kage once again. He didn't want to use any more magic right now, even though it would be a lot easier... he was draining his stores fast. The Shade was prepared for the man's assault this time, but the sheer amount of it caught him off guard. The gauntlet amplifies his powers! he deduced, barreling to the side and narrowly avoiding the brunt of the attack. His right arm gained two gouges along its width as a price for his surprise.

Hissing in pain, Jacob laid his left hand on Kokuou Kotonashi's pommel, activating the gauntlet's power. The sword itself, not its sheath, began to glow bright white, disassembling its very being before it was absorbed into the gauntlet's palm. However, another beam of light shone as the katana's sister was put into the sheath in its place: the ninjato, Kumori.

Moving his gauntleted hand to the sheath as he had before, Jacob gripped the hilt with his sword hand, readying himself. Ignoring the dull pain in his leg and arm, the shadow demon rushed the Cold Emperor as he had before.

This time, however, Jacob did not go for a straight-on attack. Instead, he anticipated a defense of some sort, leaping clear over the Cold Emperor in a stunning display of agility. He didn't stick the landing quite as well as he would've liked, costing him a precious second or two as he bit his cheek to fight the pain in his leg. However, he still landed facing the Emperor's back, immediately drawing Kumori in a flash of steel. The dark-enchanted blade would easily find its way through the man's armor and flesh if it hit, the shorter blade allowing Jacob to draw it out that precious half-second faster than his katana.

He hoped it would be all the time he needed.

[RedKayne]

The Sly Shadow


So this is your opponent? A shadow demon? How interesting, I shall enjoy tasting his tainted blood...

Get out of my head, the Cold Emperor was already battling for control over his mind. Once the Dark Gauntlet was formed, it would continuously send corrupted thoughts into the Emperor's head. However, he was not weak, he had the willpower to fight back. He made a vow to himself, a vow of vengeance.

Even though he rather not use this cursed weapon, he was not afraid to use it in order to win the battle. The Emperor opens the palm of his gauntlet and glances at the sapphire embedded into the center. The sapphire seemed like a blue eye of a demon staring into his own dark soul.

The Emperor glances back up to face his opponent. A few of his Frost Shards managed to slice against Jacob's arm. The Shade's chained dagger apparently returned back into the his magical gauntlet, and then his katana was absorbed as well. In its place, a ninjato was formed. The Emperor prepared himself and got into a defensive stance, readying his single-handed blade for an attack.

The Shade went on the offensive and charges towards the Emperor. This seemed a bit too forward for the demon, especially since Jacob already knew that his physical strength was no match for the Emperor's. However, the mage-knight prepared to deflect against the ninjato's attack and slice the demon in half.

However, the Emperor's eyes of blue-fire flared in surprise as the demon leaped gracefully over him. He heard the sound of feet landing in the mud behind him, and then the screeching sound steel drawing against its sheath. The Emperor knew he didn't have enough time to turn around and deflect against the surprise attack.

He tightens the grip of his single-handed blade, and chuckled lightly before immediately sinking into his own shadow as if it was liquid. The ninjato's slash narrowly missed over his head as he was about waist-deep into the ground. Before he would dissolve completely into it, the Emperor turns his torso quickly, and slashes across the shade's abdomen with his blade.

Jacob Shu would hear the Cold Emperor cackle as he completely disappears into his own shadow. The shadow then rushes away at an incredible speed. It disappears into the darkness of the night and leaves Jacob on his lonesome.

[Jacogos]

Beware! Darkness Falls! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7mLcfXrPm4)


Jacob swore as the warrior before him simply dodged the attack, sinking down into his shadow like a man being swallowed by quicksand. It was only the Shade's reflexes that saved him from being split in half by the man's counter-attack, ripping open his cowl and shirt instead of slicing into his body.

And then the Emperor was gone, slipping away like the elusive shadow he had disappeared into. The shadow demon grit his teeth in irritation, immediately resheathing his ninjato. Fan out. I want to know if he draws close again... he ordered his shadows. It would be much harder for them to find him now, but as the mass of dark two-dimensional creatures spread out over the ground and covered around 50 yards in any direction around him, Jacob felt a bit better about his chances of detecting the warrior before he came back to surprise him.

However, what the Shade was not prepared for was the area suddenly becoming completely bathed in an eerie red glow, prompting Jacob to look skyward for only the second time this fight. The moon had eclipsed completely, its unnaturally large and ominous presence in the heavens initiating a shift in the field that was tangible to both combatants.

Suddenly, they were not the only two combatants.

As if on cue, the sounds of fighting and the screams of death and murder began to rise from every building and alleyway within the village as the inhabitants began ruthlessly slaughtering each other with no pause for reflection over their own safety. If something lived, they wanted to kill it, including each other... Including Jacob and the Emperor.

Focused on finding his opponent, Jacob was almost caught off guard by one of these villagers, wielding a kitchen knife that had already claimed a life if the blood on its blade was any giveaway. The man grabbed Jacob's cloak and attempted to turn him around so that he could slice his target in the face, but the demon wasn't having any of it. The cowl came away in a haze of shadows that quickly dissipated in the rain, revealing the man beneath. However, his normally human-like face was not present, instead replaced by a pale-white, scarred visage of horror. No eyes sat in those sockets, instead housing dark red flames that trailed out into the air heedless of the rain that beat down on his body and matted his dark hair to his head. Even as this all happened, Jacob was spinning on his uninjured leg and slamming Te Kage into his assailant's chest, producing a mass of flesh and organs that burst out the other side of the pitiful human.

Grunting in disgust, the demon removed his arm swiftly, turning his attention to the other villagers that were now spilling out onto the streets in their mindless need for violence. His face returned to its humanesque form, tanned and sporting normal dark brown eyes and a distinct lack of scars, plus a short goatee of dark hair.

"This is no good...." Jacob murmured to himself, wincing as he began to move towards the center of town. Staying in the open would allow him a better chance at seeing these violent people coming, as well as his opponent. The Cold Emperor was still his priority.

[RedKayne]

Memories of that Tragic Night (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ERtsI1Y37w)


The Cold Emperor found shelter within one of the houses from this cold rainstorm. He figured that it was either empty, or its inhabitants were sound asleep in the upper floor. His physical body then jumped out of the shadow, and the Cold Emperor found himself in the kitchen of the house. He gazes around the room, it seemed strangely vacant of life. As it nothing has touched the room for years.

He then noticed an eerie red light through one of the windows, and then gazes through it to notice the moon eclipse. "How odd," the Emperor muttered to himself. A piercing scream then sent a chill down the human's spine. It sounded like it came from upstairs. He then heard the unmistakable sound of steel stabbing into flesh and blood splattering on to the ground. The Emperor tightened the grip of his single-handed sword and walked towards the corner of the kitchen. The only entrance in this space was through the living room, and he watched that doorway carefully.

Heavy steps then rushed down the stairs, and a dark figure appeared through the doorway and raced towards the Cold Emperor. The Emperor saw the dagger glistening under the red light, but before his assailant could even swing his weapon, the Emperor threw his blade and it pierced the enemy's throat. There was a blood-gurgling sound and red liquid dripped on to the floor, and the man slowly collapsed onto the ground.

The Cold Emperor growls as he kicks the man over, and kneels before the corpse before grabbing the hilt of his blade.

Well, this night has turned quite lovely...

I warned you to stay out of my head! The Emperor pulls out his sword from the corpse. He then heard a loud commotion outside, apparently the whole village has gone mad. He takes a seat next to the table and sighs, apparently these insane villagers are going to be troublesome. But based on what he had seen, they were going to be more of a nuisance than a threat. The Cold Emperor must simply watch over his back while battling the Shade Demon.

Allow me to help you out... I can finish off this bug of a demon...

He rested his gauntlet hand on the wooden table. Massive cold energy began to focus on the tip of his index finger. I can take on this demon by myself. I still have my ace in the hole. Now, leave me be! The Cold Emperor was getting tired of this corrupted voice bothering him. He glances at his gauntlet hand, visible swirls of blue energy were levitating over it. No doubt, the Shade Demon would use one of his shadows to sense the gathering of his power. The Emperor would wait for him. He will wait for the demon to strike, and then the Emperor will unleash his ultimate attack.

The Touch of Winter could only do so much... you need more power than that... I can give that power to you... Kyril.

Never, the dark warrior's anger began to rose inside of him. He hasn't been called that name so long, and the entity inside of the Dark Gauntlet was only invoking memories of his tragic past.
---
"Kyril! Kyril!" she screamed his name over and over again, her tears falling upon his bloodied chest. "Stay with me, Kyril!"

"It's no use, he's a goner," the dark figure spoke and took a step beside her, grinning wickedly.

"Don't.... don't you dare touch her," Kyril raised a bloodied hand and pointed it towards the dark figure, trying to gather what remaining magical power he had left... but it was to no avail. He then saw the dark figure strike... and all he saw was red before his world was gone.

[Jacogos]

This has become a burden. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Y1vlPvFIY)


Jacob cut down yet another villager with a grimace on his face. Damn my masterpiece... This arena makes them so realistic... he thought grimly, turning away from the woman whose eyes stared sightlessly up at him from her place of eternal rest on the muddy ground.

Lightning struck nearby, lighting up the sky with blinding light. The unfortunate building that happened to be the landing point erupted into flames that roared far too hot to be extinguished by the rain. Jacob cast about for his opponent. Even as he did, however, he knew from his shadows that the Emperor was nowhere nearby. Resigning himself that the man was playing the waiting game somewhere, Jacob ran towards the nearest building and skillfully climbed up the wall to reach the roof.

From his vantage point, Jacob could see all about the village and take note of the various fights that were occurring in plain sight, though he knew just by the sounds that there were far more hidden by the buildings and in the dark alleyways that he could not see. The Shade frowned as he leaned upon his wounded leg; the hole was no longer filled by the ice shard, leaving the numbed gouge open and still bleeding, though Jacob couldn't tell how much as it was continually washed away by the rain that beat down upon him. His arm wounds weren't that much of a problem, but they would pain him if he overextended while fighting.

Other than that, he was tired. This fight had not drug on quite as long as it felt, but it still managed to drain Jacob of his stamina. Either he needed to take a moment to rest or find this man and end it. However, the shadow demon had a sinking feeling that the Emperor was just waiting for him to come and try to 'end it'. It would end, but not the way Jacob planned. He needed to find the man first, then set a course.

It only took a few moments of moving further into the village before one of Jacob's shadows detected the Cold Emperor's presence within one of the houses. Even from this distance, Jacob could tell the man was building up power. That didn't bode well. Well... I could always match him for power... Jacob thought, holding Te Kage up in front of him. It didn't take long for him to make up his mind. The gauntlet began to glow red faintly as he began charging up his magic. Jacob dropped down onto the street that would provide him an entrance to the house that his opponent was in. It was barren of life, villagers' bodies strewn every which way after their compatriots did away with them as they would. Jacob's boots splashed in the mud as he approached the house, Kumori sheathed in preparation for what was about to come.

[RedKayne]

The Epic Face-down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNTwpYg3Jkc)

The Cold Emperor stood up after he finished gathering all of the energy he needed. There was much focused power upon his gauntlet as blue light gathered around his index finger. Onene direct hit will surely end the battle. While gathering his ice magic, the Emperor was slightly worried of a surprise attack by the Shade Warrior. He recalled hearing rumors about the Shade's last battle in the Rumble, where he fought against the Millennium Psychic, Kelly Sanders.

He heard that the Shade literally disappeared from the face of combat, and magically reappeared to perform a coup de grace on his opponent. The Emperor was hoping that if the Shade used such a move, he would simply sink into his own shadow and disappear from combat and wait around until the Shade came out of hiding. Perhaps there was still a chance to do so later on in the fight.

However, the Emperor could feel himself exhausted. He used up a lot of energy in this battle, and his wounds still stung deeply. The mobility of his left arm would be limited after that paralyzing lightning strike, and blood still dripped from the slashed wound where the Shade's dagger managed to injure him. He started flexing his left arm, clenching his teeth and fighting through the pain, while trying to determine the range of his movements.

Kyril, just let me take over already... I will win this for you!

I can't rely on you. I will win this battle on my own. I need to get stronger on my own. If I can defeat this Shade by myself, than I will be strong enough to challenge the person that destroyed my life.

Heh, you really are a fool, Kyril. Well, I shouldn't let you know about this, but your opponent is also gathering power. Who knows what his attack will do? You best be careful...

The Cold Emperor walked out of the room, and then stood at the opened entrance of the house. He stood in the middle of the doorway, staring down at his opponent as Jacob Shu approached him.

This was it, the Cold Emperor cannot allow this battle to go on any longer. He had to finish here and now, before the entity of the Dark Gauntlet consumes his mind. "I must say, demon, you truly are a worthy opponent," the Cold Emperor calls out aloud over the heavy rain and thunder. "So far, you are the second strongest opponent that I have faced."

The Emperor eyed the demon's gauntlet, it was glowing red to due its gathering power. He could feel the high tension in the air between them. The Emperor's eyes of blue-fire watched his opponent, he had to get into extremely close range in order to use the Touch of Winter upon the demon.

He held his blade tightly in his right hand, unfortunately there wasn't a way to catch his opponent off-guard. So what will happen next will simply be a test of strength and speed. The Emperor already knew his physically strength was stronger than the demon's, but speed is quite debatable. It almost made the mage-knight regret he had forsaken one of his earlier armor forms. If I still had the Crimson Beast, I would definitely be able to outmatch him in speed, the Emperor mused to himself.

"However, I won't let you win," the Cold Emperor said with determination. "I shall defeat you... here and now!" he roars and quickly charges at his opponent, using his enhanced speed to close the distance between them.

About midway through his charge, the Emperor raises his blade, and throws it at the Shade and directly towards his injured leg. The gaping wound inside of it should prove to be a hindrance and slow down that limb's movement. While the Shade would attempt to deflect or escape that attack, the Emperor closes in upon his opponent and thrusts his Dark Gauntlet towards the demon's chest.

A direct contact will freeze the demon's torso, and most likely, effectively killing him. Any other limb, such as an arm, that would be caught by the gauntlet's touch would surely be crippled by being frozen. If a weapon was caught in the Dark Gauntlet's path, that weapon would freeze over and shatter in a matter of seconds.

"Now, fade away from this life!"

[Jacogos]

We shall end this... now! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAOVZP4JtW4)


"Only second?" Jacob called with a fake smirk, gritting his teeth behind the façade. "I can't imagine how badly you got beat by the first." He chuckled darkly at that, preparing himself for the ensuing clash, what was likely to be their final bout.

The Cold Emperor charged, and Jacob was ready. However, he was not prepared for the man throwing away his weapon, no matter how obvious it was that his magic was focused into his hand. Hissing in pain that he fought to ignore, the Shade lithely side-stepped the thrown weapon to his left, boots splashing up water with each motion. Now, though, he had to deal with the Emperor himself.

In came the gauntlet. Jacob's eyes darkened to black as time seemed to move in slow-motion. There was little choice here; he could not move fast enough to dodge. Putting all of his faith into ending this fight in one more blow, Jacob's right arm, bleeding from two gouges, moved to intercept the gauntlet, the Emperor's magic entering the demon through his palm. Jacob's mind reeled as he felt the limb lose all feeling due to it being completely encased in ice, almost worse than feeling it being ripped off entirely.

But the shadow demon was not about to roll over yet.

Pushing through the pain, ignoring it entirely, forcing his body to heed his commands from his true place in the other realm, Jacob the Shade shoved Te Kage palm-forward towards the Cold Emperor's chest. His magic was ready; if he made contact with the man's armor for merely a hint of a half-second, he would use Rupture and end this charade once and for all.

"Go in peace, Lord of the Ice," the demon hissed.

[RedKayne]

In the End (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZkfEEl5Y4Y)

“This is Rhonin (http://www.jjclassic.com/Stallions/FantasticFrenchman.jpg),” Myra informed Kyril, gold-green eyes beckoning him over to greet the stallion. She patted the horse’s neck and walked over to the glossy black Friesian, rubbing its muzzle as well then running her fingers through its beautiful mane.

“And this,” she said with a bit of awe in her quiet voice, “is Braego (https://www.breyerhorses.com/files/imagesBreyer/Community/Horsepedia/Breeds/Fresian/Photos/DSC_7123csm.jpg).”

Her heart swelled as she beheld the striking creature, her eyes soft with admiration. She turned to face Kyril, the expression unchanging. Myra suddenly realized just how fortunate she was, looking at the battlemage. In that moment, everything was simply perfect. The chaos of the past few days seemed meaningless, the terrible way the year had begun forgotten. She realized that she had already gained far more in the past two days than she had all last year, and he was standing before her.

Kyril chuckles at Myra's enthusiasm as she basically dragged him over to the horses. She introduced them to him, and Kyril stepped beside Braego. He raises a gentle and cautious hand towards it and pat thick neck, admiring the softness of its black fur. "They're amazing," Kyril mutters before walking towards the other horse.

As he reached Rhonin, he sighs. "You know what I wish, Myra?" he begins a question while patting the horse's side. "I wish we could just take these two horses, and run far away from this school. I wish we could escape all of the craziness of the past few days, and just leave it behind."

He then turns around to face the shapeshifter, he had a small gentle smile across his face. "And then it would just be you and me," he said, taking a couple steps and wrapping a hand around hers. Her eyes of brilliant gold and green were shining brightly upon him. "Just the two of us... and the horses," he made a small chuckle. He leans forward and gently kisses her on her cheek, before whispering into her ear, "Living together... without a worry in this world."

They both made a promise to each other that night while finally succumbing to their passions. They made the promise to run away from their troubles very soon, and live out on their own. They promised to stand by each other, and live only for each other.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for Kyril... and he couldn't keep his promise...

The Cold Emperor made a triumphant shout as his Dark Gauntlet made contact with the Shade Demon's right arm. The demon's arm immediately became encased in ice, and the Emperor could sense the demon's pain.

He could imagine that the pain was worse than having your arm sliced off. However, he was still wary of his opponent's focusing power and his magical gauntlet. Everything occurred in slow motion as Jacob Shu thrust his Te Kage towards the Emperor's chest. The Emperor could almost imagine his life flashing before his eyes at that moment, and memories of his beloved, Myra, resurface back into his mind once more.

I cannot die... I'm doing this... for her.

Mirroring the Shade's exact same movements, the Cold Emperor quickly moves his right arm in the way of Jacob's gauntlet. He in fact grabs it, halting its movement. Upon contact, however, the armor of his right arm immediately shatters like glass. Then there was the pain.

It felt like his insides of his right arm was imploding, but nothing visibly was happening to it. However, the Emperor could tell that the demon's magic has completely ruptured his limb, destroying it from the inside out. The pain was overwhelming, and his vision became blurry. He clenched his teeth and hisses in pain, but he stood his ground.

The worst was over, and the Cold Emperor stood quietly, only breathing heavily after their last attacks. The heavy rain cascaded all around them, and the blue-fire of the Emperor's eyes seemed to dim a bit.

"I will not die tonight, demon," the Emperor straightened his body before pulling back and casually taking a few steps back. "But neither... are you..."

The Emperor's blurry vision suddenly became black. His pain threshold has passed, as he was only human after all... he could only take so much until his body gives away. The Emperor felt the air rush around his as his body falls forward and collapses on to the mud.

His eyes of blue-fire completely completely faded away as his mind slips into unconsciousness.

Myra...

[Jacogos]

And so it is finished (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCJ7FDAkUXw)


Jacob grunted as the man mimicked his own tactic; the Rupture went off not in the Emperor's chest, but into his arm. However, the effect was still quite effective. Without his sword arm, the Emperor would likely be unable to continue the battle, at least not immediately. Similarly, though, Jacob felt his mana reserves deplete massively after the use of his most powerful spell, and his normal stamina was not any different at this point.

The Shade's pitch-black eyes met the fiery orbs of the Emperor for a moment, and both warriors were silent save for their heavy breaths. Then, the armored warrior stepped back a few paces.

"I will not die tonight, demon... But neither.... are you..."

It was with those final words that the Cold Emperor collapsed to the ground, the mud and water beneath him splashing outwards with a loud splat. The Shade stood there a moment more, staring. I... have won... For now... Jacob thought, peering about. The sounds of villagers fighting had ceased. There was only the rain and the rolling of thunder.

"I could... finish you here..." Jacob hissed to the still body, knowing by his shadows that the man still yet lived. "I could end your quest... Prove to you that you will never finish whatever it is that you set out to do..." For a moment, the Shade moved his gauntleted hand towards Kumori's hilt, contemplating his own words. Lightning lit up the sky for a moment.

"However..." Jacob's hand came away from his blade, Te Kage instead moving to grasp his frozen limb. "I rarely have the chance to fight worthy opponents. Perhaps we will meet again one day, Lord of the Ice..." The Shade chuckled quietly, closing his eyes. Even as he did so, his form slowly began to grow flimsy, as if pieces of it were falling away. Layers of darkness fell away from him, and he slowly began to evaporate into nothingness. The Shade's false body had taken too much punishment this day. He needed to rest, recuperate, and wait to send his body into the physical realm again.

The Cold Emperor was already gone by the time Jacob's consciousness fled the Proving Grounds' makeshift arena, whisked away to yet another fight. Jacob managed one last smirk before he returned to his True Body. Funny... I haven't thought of her in a long time...

Ramisha...