The much awaited second round was about to be underway. Agni was most curious as to who or what they would be facing next. He did not however expect it to be one of the first people he has considered a friend since his arrival here. Zack had been so helpful to him in the beginning, they had both been looking for people who were important to them-- and now they were pitted against one another.
The news gave him pause, but he wouldn't let his opponent down. This was only a show of skill, to go easy on him would be insulting. He smiled lightly as he recalled the last time he'd engaged in combat against a friend. It was a wonder-- that.. Sebastian hadn't managed to follow his master here. The thought troubled him... but shaking his head he decided it was better to focus on the here and now.
Zack hadn't had much difficulty against the pirates.. he would certainly do his best to make sure this next match would be more of a challenge. Entering the arena he awaited Zack's arrival. He would of course offer a traditional bow, a sign of respect, before they would begin.
Oddly enough, Zack's first reaction at seeing Agni on the other side of the arena was one of relief. He didn't really want to go up against Sephiroth - wasn't sure if he could, really - and what sort of bodyguard would he have been if he'd had to fight against Lillisette?
Oh, well. At least it was someone he knew, though he'd never seen the other man in battle before. That'd make it more fun, though - like he ever had a battle plan anyway!
Zack grinned, taking his sword from his back and holding it to his forehead, a gesture of honor he'd long since adopted from Angeal. After a moment, he moved to get into battle stance, a wide grin on his face and speaking before he lunged for Agni.
The unspoken irony being that these two both shared the duty of bodyguard, though Agni's duties also including cooking, cleaning, and other butler related tasks. Had he been pitted against Lilisette or Pluto... it would have been more difficult to justify engaging them in combat.
As Zack readied himself and his weapon, Agni raised his right arm and gently pulled off the wrapping. The pleasantries were exchanged, and soon the battle was underway. Zack didn't waste any time rushing towards him. He nodded silently to the request, his primary focus on the task at hand.
He swiftly drew backwards to put a little space behind them, it was easy to move to the side to dodge the blade. The length of Zack's sword was going to make it more difficult to land a blow, but it wasn't impossible. Agni's agility and speed would also allow him to dodge much of the attacks as long as his footing was sound. Recalling the first match, and some of his opponents from then.. gave him an idea. He rushed forward, and feigned a head on attack, only to gracefully execute a series of turns to attack from behind. With only two fingers he tried to strike the others marman (pressure points). If he could hit those... it would be possible to immobilize his opponent from the get go-- and it would minimize the damage incurred.
Luckily for Zack, he was too quick for Agni to strike his pressure points. Unluckily, they were both so darn fast that he was starting to wonder how he'd be able to get in a hit. Since he didn't have the intention of using all of his strength - Agni would be in bloody pieces on the ground in no time if he did - Zack had counted on using his mako-given speed to get the edge. Apparently he needed another plan.
He used the flat side of the Buster Sword to whack Agni away, wondering if it'd be a bad move to use materia. Probably. Maybe as a last resort, but not when things were just starting.
For now, he'd try an all-out offensive approach. He went into familiar movements, slashing his sword with gusto and trying to get in a hit, something that could possibly lead to his victory.
The combination of their speed was more than likely going to result in a lengthy battle. Agni was also keeping some of his strength and power in reserve. It was imperative to feel out one's opponent before selecting a strategy nor did he wish to fatally harm the other. This was not a life or death battle, it would have been foolish to approach it as such. That being said the potential that things could escalate was taken into consideration.
Seeing the sword aimed at him, Agni drew backwards again just barely avoiding contact. The action did however force him to retreat for the moment in order to set up for the next encounter.
Zack came at at him with a series of sword strokes, the Indian ducked and weaved to avoid the blade. Lunging forward whenever he found an opening to strike out with with his fists or variety of kicks in rapid succession before drawing back and repeating a similar process. Upon one of the passes instead of simply rushing forward he dropped to the ground and swept his leg around to try and knock the other off his balance.
There was definitely an advantage for Agni, Zack realized. Though he'd long since gotten used to the weight of the Buster Sword, the other man being weaponless allowed him to move a lot more quickly. If Zack kept up with his crazy speeding, not even all the mako in his veins would keep him from losing stamina.
He managed to dodge a lot of the blows, but not all of them. Not that it really mattered; he couldn't really feel them at the moment. Battle adrenaline or something, he figured.
However, one of the hits managed to distract Zack and he was knocked over by Agni's leg out of nowhere. He crashed onto his side for a moment, holding his sword out as though it was some kind of shield instead. Quickly, he rolled over onto his back and tried to hop to his feet, but nearly fell over again due the weight of his sword. Awkward.
With a shout, Zack cast Blizzaga from one of the materia he had with him, just sort of aiming every which way. He figured it would be a well enough delay and got back up to his feet seconds later, a little grin on his face. So much for saving magic for a last resort.
Agni made contact with Zack on a few of the encounters, and more importantly he had managed to throw his opponent off balance. Standing back up right, he lunged toward the other man only to be deflected by the sword. It was a smart move to use the weapon both for it's offensive purposes and for the additional defensive measures. For a moment it looked as if Zack might fall again, Agni tried to take advantage of the situation which got him in range of the unexpected magical attack.
The first wave barely missing him as Zack didn't seem to have a handle on where he was aiming, however the motions were so sporadic that it was impossible to dodge all of the icy debris. The frozen chunks rained down like hail. The shards were a mixture of sharp and blunt pieces the former sliced through portions of Agni's skin, the latter were more of a nuisance. He grit his teeth to keep from exclaiming, and focused primarily on avoiding the largest portion of the assault.
It was ample time for Zack to get back to his feet. "I was unaware that you could also use magic," Just like the heartless he'd fought in the first round. Humans and creatures could both possess supernatural abilities here. The statement had been merely that, he didn't expect nor require a reply.
Magic, could change the nature of this match. Getting too close meant getting in range of both the magic and the large sword. A long range attack would have been ideal.. however Agni relied on short range. He would simply have to make do. Zack may have plenty of arsenal but Agni still had one very important thing, he had his faith in his God and his desire to fight for him. If he had to-- he would resort to that other skill.
Briefly taking stock of the damage he incurred, Agni was ready to continue. He rushed Zack, feigned to the left.. then the right, trying to completely confuse his opponent as to what direction he'd strike from next. As soon as he had the chance he would strike for Zack's arms. Anything to try and disarm him.
NOT REALLY A TAG BUTsoldierboy777July 24 2011, 09:12:02 UTC
[[ooc: If it's all good with you, I think we can just say that Agni won this. I feel really bad I'm flaking out on you due to my lamery when you could've been pwning things in the third part of the Hades Cup. ^^; WINNER IS AGNI. Zack will sulk somewhere later. xD
I'm really sorry for being so slow! Lack of sleep and battle tags don't mix with me, it seems. T_T]]
The news gave him pause, but he wouldn't let his opponent down. This was only a show of skill, to go easy on him would be insulting. He smiled lightly as he recalled the last time he'd engaged in combat against a friend. It was a wonder-- that.. Sebastian hadn't managed to follow his master here. The thought troubled him... but shaking his head he decided it was better to focus on the here and now.
Zack hadn't had much difficulty against the pirates.. he would certainly do his best to make sure this next match would be more of a challenge. Entering the arena he awaited Zack's arrival. He would of course offer a traditional bow, a sign of respect, before they would begin.
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Oh, well. At least it was someone he knew, though he'd never seen the other man in battle before. That'd make it more fun, though - like he ever had a battle plan anyway!
Zack grinned, taking his sword from his back and holding it to his forehead, a gesture of honor he'd long since adopted from Angeal. After a moment, he moved to get into battle stance, a wide grin on his face and speaking before he lunged for Agni.
"No holding back!"
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As Zack readied himself and his weapon, Agni raised his right arm and gently pulled off the wrapping. The pleasantries were exchanged, and soon the battle was underway. Zack didn't waste any time rushing towards him. He nodded silently to the request, his primary focus on the task at hand.
He swiftly drew backwards to put a little space behind them, it was easy to move to the side to dodge the blade. The length of Zack's sword was going to make it more difficult to land a blow, but it wasn't impossible. Agni's agility and speed would also allow him to dodge much of the attacks as long as his footing was sound. Recalling the first match, and some of his opponents from then.. gave him an idea. He rushed forward, and feigned a head on attack, only to gracefully execute a series of turns to attack from behind. With only two fingers he tried to strike the others marman (pressure points). If he could hit those... it would be possible to immobilize his opponent from the get go-- and it would minimize the damage incurred.
Reply
He used the flat side of the Buster Sword to whack Agni away, wondering if it'd be a bad move to use materia. Probably. Maybe as a last resort, but not when things were just starting.
For now, he'd try an all-out offensive approach. He went into familiar movements, slashing his sword with gusto and trying to get in a hit, something that could possibly lead to his victory.
Reply
Seeing the sword aimed at him, Agni drew backwards again just barely avoiding contact. The action did however force him to retreat for the moment in order to set up for the next encounter.
Zack came at at him with a series of sword strokes, the Indian ducked and weaved to avoid the blade. Lunging forward whenever he found an opening to strike out with with his fists or variety of kicks in rapid succession before drawing back and repeating a similar process. Upon one of the passes instead of simply rushing forward he dropped to the ground and swept his leg around to try and knock the other off his balance.
Reply
He managed to dodge a lot of the blows, but not all of them. Not that it really mattered; he couldn't really feel them at the moment. Battle adrenaline or something, he figured.
However, one of the hits managed to distract Zack and he was knocked over by Agni's leg out of nowhere. He crashed onto his side for a moment, holding his sword out as though it was some kind of shield instead. Quickly, he rolled over onto his back and tried to hop to his feet, but nearly fell over again due the weight of his sword. Awkward.
With a shout, Zack cast Blizzaga from one of the materia he had with him, just sort of aiming every which way. He figured it would be a well enough delay and got back up to his feet seconds later, a little grin on his face. So much for saving magic for a last resort.
Reply
The first wave barely missing him as Zack didn't seem to have a handle on where he was aiming, however the motions were so sporadic that it was impossible to dodge all of the icy debris. The frozen chunks rained down like hail. The shards were a mixture of sharp and blunt pieces the former sliced through portions of Agni's skin, the latter were more of a nuisance. He grit his teeth to keep from exclaiming, and focused primarily on avoiding the largest portion of the assault.
It was ample time for Zack to get back to his feet. "I was unaware that you could also use magic," Just like the heartless he'd fought in the first round. Humans and creatures could both possess supernatural abilities here. The statement had been merely that, he didn't expect nor require a reply.
Magic, could change the nature of this match. Getting too close meant getting in range of both the magic and the large sword. A long range attack would have been ideal.. however Agni relied on short range. He would simply have to make do. Zack may have plenty of arsenal but Agni still had one very important thing, he had his faith in his God and his desire to fight for him. If he had to-- he would resort to that other skill.
Briefly taking stock of the damage he incurred, Agni was ready to continue. He rushed Zack, feigned to the left.. then the right, trying to completely confuse his opponent as to what direction he'd strike from next. As soon as he had the chance he would strike for Zack's arms. Anything to try and disarm him.
Reply
I'm really sorry for being so slow! Lack of sleep and battle tags don't mix with me, it seems. T_T]]
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Don't worry Zack! Agni is not a bragger XD.
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