Seaside Fight Night: Mizu vs Rafaela

Huh?! Mizu was befuddled as she watched the flaming rocks fly slowly in a circle instead of at Rafaela. Her only guess as to why this was happening was maybe the spell could not properly detect it's target, but she could not be sure. The one thing she could be sure of is Rafaela, unsurprisingly given her great confidence, is a capable opponent and shouldn't be underestimated. Still, she had not seen much from the woman yet. Even if her abilities were straightforward Mizu was confident she had enough still in the tank to worry about. At minimum the threat some kind of released power was enough to keep her on her toes.

Having not created a big enough gap between them, Mizu was given little time to react when Rafael rushed from where the burning stones levitated harmlessly. So fast! The woman's beam of energy rushing toward Mizu allowed the latter only enough time to conjure a thin Kidō barrier which, when struck, shattered and sent her skidding backwards. After coming to a halt the blond Shinigami turned toward Rafaela and, while still kneeling, shouted "Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan!". This spell created and then fired a handful of glowing white Kidō rods at Rafaela which quickly multiplied into dozens, while at the same time the flaming chunks of rubble homed back in on her. Mizu aimed to lock the woman down between a rock and a hard place.

Not good. This shinigami's kido was versatile, far more versatile than Rafaela's own power, and it only reminded her of her own nagging feelings of inadequacy. That she hadn't been able to protect the emperor, or the lands she'd come to call her own home. Gritting her teeth in irritation as the spells flew toward her, Rafaela focused the last of the energy she had in her all into the long coat she wore, and whipped it off of her shoulders in a single motion to flare it outward. The cloth began to glow and crackle with that remaining energy, hardening into a makeshift shield as the diminutive Reichsritter threw it toward the incoming spells.

As her coat absorbed the brunt of the spells, pierced and scorched by the intensity of the kido, Rafaela herself bolted past it with one final dash, her dull blade swinging toward Mizu to either batter her into the floor, or to fail in this final strike. Either way, Rafaela refused to give anything less than her absolute all.

Clever! Mizu thought to herself as she watched Rafaela deal with both spells with a single well-timed move. Now the human woman had apparently once again turned her sights on her. Knowing after earlier there was no way she could outrun Rafaela, Mizu drew her own sword again and placed her left hand along it's blade as she said "Hadō #11: Tsuzuri Raiden!", causing a surge of electricity to run through the weapon. She then prepared to meet her opponent head on.

When Rafaela closed in, Mizu swung her electrified Zanpakuto at her with all the strength she could muster. She hoped the extra oomph from her Kidō spell would afford her an advantage in the clash, though she knew her foe was physically mighty from the times she busted up the stone stage. Her mind was entirely clear at this moment, with only the desire to win in her sights. Overcoming a worthwhile opponent had become her raison d'être, and Rafaela certainly satisfied that condition.

That was it. Rafaela knew that as soon as she heard the shinigami incant another spell, doubly so as she saw the woman actually swing toward her with that kido. If Rafaela had just kept a bit more energy on hand, she probably could have clashed with that attack effortlessly. But she'd been on the back foot this whole time, and now it was all coming to an end.

She wouldn't ever just lie down and take the loss, though. Even knowing it was going to turn out poorly for her, Rafaela followed through on her swing, the weight of her sword and her own impressive strength creating an exceptional impact on Mizu's zanpakuto. However, the kido itself was still a mighty attack, and without any remaining defensive measures, Rafaela simply ate the full force of it, slammed down into the floor and left staring at the sky, scorched and defeated.

"...You're good."

That was all she could get out before she passed out from overexertion. She had a long way to go, it looked like.

The moment their weapons clashed Mizu knew her judgment of Rafaela's strength was true, and perhaps even an underestimation. Pain rocketed through her arms as a loud CLANG rang out through the arena. Though her own spell helped bridge the gap slightly, Rafaela's momentum was more than enough to knock Mizu off her feet and send her skidding a few yards across the stone battleground.

Now laying on her back as well, Mizu sensed and listened for any further actions from her opponent. All she could made out was a last moment acknowledgment from the woman. Despite still having a couple tricks up her sleeve, Mizu shut her eyes and breathed a deep sigh of relief at the curtain closing on their bout. With a sizable effort she dragged herself to her feet and stood upright as the apparent victor. Brushing her hair from her eyes, she set her gaze on her fallen opponent and returned the woman's acknowledgement in kind "As are you, Rafaela Leone."