Preliminaries! Match #2: Jen Zukong vs Veylora

[Liari]

Zukong watched the first match with disappointment across his features, arms crossed over his chest tightly as he beheld such... trickery. It was barely even a FIGHT, just... deception with only a few solid blows actually thrown throughout it's short lifespan! For Zukong, a fight was just that, a clash between two powered individuals! Not mind-games and magic tricks! It mattered not. When he won this match and faced the Majin in the ring, he would show her just what he thought of her games... and no ridiculous manipulations would stop him.

"THE SECOND MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT! CONTESTANT THREE: JEN ZUKONG! COME FORWARD!"
"Indeed." Zukong muttered, clasping his hands in anticipation. "Now the tournament can begin in earnest."

Zukong would step out into the arena, his face solid stone, the fighter ignoring the cries and cheers of the crowd. It seemed as if they were as hungry for real battle as he was and, if there was ONE trickster among the combatants here that can skirt the spirit of this tournament, then there would likely be others... like that Veylora-woman he had been paired with. One glance in her direction didn't make the martial artist confident that she was anywhere NEAR strong enough to compete in a fight like this... If she had made it past the punch machine, it must have been due to some kind of magic... or some other means of circumvention. At least the Majin came dressed for the event but this lady... She came in a dress.

To fight for the title of strongest, high-heels and a dress.

Bah... Zukong's expression soured as he awaited his opponent. The lineup of fighters this go around wasn't particularly encouraging and.... did he see a KID back there? They let children, regardless of strength, participate in the Tenkaichi Budokai? He bowed his head and sighed. It seemed like it was up to him to restore honor to the tournament he had trained for his entire life. He would come at this fight as a warrior, head on, prove himself and to this crowd that there were still legitimate warriors in the world ready to prove their strength for them!

Zukong began a quick mental game while he waited for Veylora to make her appearance, remembering every little trick the Majin had done to get away, manipulating her body as if it were water to flow and entrap her opponents! He would then begin a series of quick mental sparring matches, coming up with scenarios he could imagine HIS opponent would have prepared for him! Magic, substitutions, anything to keep from getting one's hands dirty.

"Come then. I am ready for you." He muttered under his breath. "I am Jen Zukong... and I bow to no-one."

Post Order: Zukong -> Veylora

 

[Yozu]

Listen while you read
She didn’t move at first when Liari wrapped her arms around her. She let it happen, her eyes lowering slightly as she took her in. Something about her had changed. Still loud, still obvious, but not as scattered.

“…You did,” she said simply.

When Liari kissed her again, She didn’t pull away. This time she leaned into it just a little. Her hand came up, resting lightly at Liari’s jaw, steady, grounding more than anything. It wasn’t rushed, but it wasn’t drawn out either. When she pulled back, her expression hadn’t changed much, just a faint softness at the edges.

“…Better,” she murmured. “You learn quickly.”

Her gaze drifted past her toward the arena, landing on Zukong for a second.

“…So that’s mine.”

She stepped forward, brushing past Liari, her fingers grazing her arm as she went.

“…Watch.”

The change came the moment she stepped into the ring. It didn’t burst out, it slipped. Like pressure finding a way through, her energy started leaking into the air around her. Thin at first, then heavier. The space near her felt off, like the air itself had weight to it, she didn’t acknowledge it, she just walked out, stopped across from him, and looked at him.


“…You’ve already decided what I am,” she said calmly.

A small pause.

“…That makes this easier.” A faint smirk “…for me.”

She didn’t take a stance. She just stood there, letting that quiet pressure settle between them.


___

Post Order: Zukong -> Veylora​

 

[Liari]

"CONTESTANT FOUR: VEYLORA! COME FORWARD!"
Zukong's judgemental gaze must've given something away as, when the demonness came out to meet him, she would comment how he'd already made presuppositions regarding her! The man's eyes narrowed and his scowl deepened as this observation of hers lead the demon to believe that she was going to have an easier time with this... somehow.

"You presume too much." The man growled, his aura, almost like that of the sun itself, beginning to glow across his body. He would lower himself down into a fighting stance, one palm up in forward defense, the other tucked back by his hip, ready to strike. Veylora would NOT do the same. She stood before Zukong, that confident little smirk upon her face, body completely open to him as if he were of no concern at all.

She didn't see him as a threat, he realized!

Zukong's eyes widened slightly with incredulity... then hardened into a cold, baleful glare.

Fine. If she was going to throw this match, then it was just another unworthy individual being cast out early. He had no problem being the instrument of correction... so long as a true warrior awaited him further up the brackets.

LOOK AT THESE TWO! YOU CAN SEE THE STRENGTH RADIATING OFF OF THEM! BUT WHICH ONE WILL COME OUT ON TOP!? LET'S FIND OUT! CONTESTANTS... BEGIN!!!
With that, Zukong would strike first, LUNGING at Veylora! His fist would glow golden with sunlight as he cocked it back... before throwing it forward, the hand opening into a palm aimed to strike right at the demon's face!

"Sunflare Palm." Zukong would growl as a BURST of radiant light pulsated from his hand! Should it connect, he expected the demonness to go recoiling violently, repelled both by the power of his strike... and the radiant burn of the energy within! Should she remain standing, though... Zukong would continue his assault. His palm-strike would be followed up by a rising kick towards her jaw followed by a transition to an axe-kick down onto the top of her skull! He would then unleash a flurry of quick palm and fist strikes, aiming to keep the woman off balance, pressuring her and making any potential tricks she might intend... difficult to prepare and set off!

Post Order: Zukong -> Veylora

 

[Yozu]

Veylora stepped into the ring without urgency, and the change came with her. It didn’t flare or explode. It leaked. The air grew heavier, subtle at first, then pressing in, like something unseen was settling over the arena. She stopped across from Zukong, completely relaxed, no stance, no guard, just that faint smirk and half-lidded gaze.

“…You presume I need you to take me seriously.”

When the signal came, Zukong moved fast. His golden aura surged as he lunged, Sunflare Palm aimed straight for her face. Veylora didn’t retreat. The space around her warped slightly, just enough. His strike passed along her cheek instead of landing cleanly, the light flaring past her instead.

“…That’s better.”

His follow-up came immediately. A rising kick, then an axe kick, then a flurry meant to overwhelm. This time she moved, but barely. Small shifts, slight angles, just enough to let each strike miss or glance. No wasted motion. No strain. When his assault pressed in fully, her hand came up, not to block, but to guide. Each strike was redirected just enough to throw him off balance.

All the while, the pressure in the air kept building. Not violently. Just steadily. Every movement felt heavier. Every breath tighter.

“…You’re disciplined,” she said quietly, brushing one strike aside. “…Focused.” Another slipped past her. “…honest.”

Then she stopped.

Her hand caught his wrist. Lightly. It didn’t look like force, but it stopped him completely. Her eyes met his, calm, certain.

“…That won’t be enough.”

She let go and stepped back half a pace. The pressure eased slightly, but didn’t disappear, then she moved forward again. slow and Intentional, her hand lifted, palm angled toward him. The air around it distorted more clearly now, the pressure pulling inward, tightening into something focused. For a brief moment, the shape flickered there.

An “M.”

“…You rely on what you are,” she said softly. “…let’s see what happens when that changes.”

Her hand moved toward his forehead, unhurried, like she expected it to reach him. The forming mark pulsed faintly in crimson-violet as her energy bean to slowly enveloped around him, the exposure to her leaking energy wasn't a bluff, it was intentional, for each prolonged exposure increases her chances of finding the darkness in his heart, latch onto it and bend his mind to her will.
_____
Post Order: Zukong -> Veylora​

 

[Liari]

The way she avoided his punch... it was sheer trickery! Space warped before his punch, splitting the image of Veylora in two! It was like trying to fight with double-vision, unable to determine which image was real when BOTH were equally distorted! When he threw his blow... it passed harmlessly over Veylora's shoulder, just a bit of distance from the woman's face! He huffed and began his follow-up combination, each punch just the tiniest bit off the mark, each blow, SURE to be devastating, just NEARLY connecting... but not quite.

...Then he caught one of his blows, snatched it out of the air by his wrist and held his arm still! Efforts to wrench it out of her grip proved fruitless as the demon complimented him on his apparent attributes... only to reverse it the next second in claiming it was all for naught!

"You don't know me, witch." Zukong growled, pulling back for another blow!

...Veylora would step in to meet him, hand extended! Zukong braced himself... but he could not prepare for a direct attack on his very MIND! As the 'M' arched across his forehead, Zukong's perception of the world would fade away to a tiny point inside, his memories darkening, twisting down to their CORE! Veylora's magic was just as she described it, changing the fundamental core of what he was: An honorable warrior who cared greatly for the art of battle... to something darker, nefarious... that cared for nothing but VICTORY!

The man recoiled as Veylora's energy surrounded him, clutching at his head as he desperately fought the fingers know kneading into his brain! Veins bulged up and down his limbs, along his forehead, across his hands... as the magic pulled every ounce of dark out from beneath the surface!

...But if that wasn't enough, the darkness BENT SHARPLY in another direction! Before, Zukong would have been a marauder, a warrior bound by no code or creed, only the concept of VICTORY... now was twisted facsimile of what that would have been, a mere... tool to the woman who had bound him.

It wouldn't take long for Veylora's magic to do it's work. In a matter of moments, Zukong would stand before her, a twisted grin across his hard features, eyes sunken, aura having twisted harshly for the dark.

"Aah... I believe I understand you now...." Zukong would growl, relaxing into his new, darkened self. "...What would you have me do?"
...Zukong scarcely remembered what malice he had for Veylora before. All he knew now was that she was his master... his RIGHTFUL master, someone who knew what was best, even when he might disagree. She was the one who gave the orders, he was merely her dog to unleash upon her foes.... And Zukong... was okay with that. He didn't know why... or what the significance of that was... just that Veylora being his master... brought him contentment.

Post Order: Zukong -> Veylora

 

[Yozu]

Veylora didn’t say anything at first. She just looked at him, quiet, like she was checking something over one last time. The change was there. Clear enough.

That was all she needed, when he asked what she wanted, she stepped in a little, not fast, not threatening. Just close enough.

“…Nothing complicated.”

Her hand came up and rested against his chest. Light. Almost nothing. But the air around them tightened all the same.

“…Step out.”

She didn’t raise her voice. Didn’t have to. The mark flickered once, faint but there, her eyes stayed on his.

“…You’ve already lost.”

She let that hang for a second, then pulled her hand back and turned away like it was already done. No follow-up. No second thought.

“…Welcome to the Majin Empire.”

And she just waited for his word and then the announcer to announce it, like the match ended the moment she said it.

____

Post Order: Zukong -> Veylora​

 

[Liari]

The man who Zukong once was would have scoffed at her request. The thought of surrender... at ALL was unbelievable... Him? A warrior? Surrender simply on the request of a strange demon woman!?

...But this wasn't the same man that walked into the arena this day.

This M-headed man, when he heard Veylora's words, it all... just clicked into place as if this was simply the way things had always been for him! He nodded slowly, acknowledging her orders, even going as far as to smile when she claimed he had already lost. Yeah, that sounded about right. It was already a loss if he had been paired up to fight against his master... She was simply too powerful and besides... fighting her? It was simply ridiculous. She was the one who held all the power. He simply wielded it in her name.

"Of course." He agreed, nodding. The two would turn to walk away, Veylora sending him his welcome to the 'Majin Empire...' whatever that was. he supposed he would learn in time.

"It is my pleasure, master." Zukong would say, grinning somewhat darkly over his shoulder. "Your wish is my command." ...And with that, Zukong would take a few long strides... and step out of the ring! The area fell quiet... Even the announcer was stunned! Two matches in a row ended with barely even a fight!

UM... JEN ZUKONG HAS STEPPED OUT OF THE ARENA... THE WINNER, BY RINGOUT, IS VEYLORA!

Zukong would nod. It was all proceeding as his master had wished. Now he would simply wait out the rest of this little tournament, let the unenlightened have their little game... at least until Master Veylora gave him new orders.