Two Swords

## Queen's Tourney

In the heart of England, every year there is tourney that welcomes the most honorable and respected men and women around the globe to face in a fair joust. There are number of events that can interest any respectable hero or gladiator, but one that catches the eyes of many fans; the Swordsman Tourney. No quirks, just a simple head to head battle of sword wielders till one yields or the match is stopped. It is one of the most loved event in all of Britain and one of the most watched televised events in all the world.

Participating this year's Queen Tourney is the reigning champion, winner of over a dozen, one of the most beautiful woman of all of England, renowned hero, **The Chivalrous Heroine: Heavenly Knight**. Considered the greatest swordswoman Britain has to offer, Olivia is considered to be the fan favorite of the event. Just as previous years, winner acquires praise and respect.

"Could all participants in the Swordsman Tourney please make their way to the Coliseum!" speakers echoed throughout the streets. The streets were empty though, as most were either in the coliseum or stapled to a chair in front of TV. Leaving the Queen's quarters, the leader of the Heroic Knights galloped on her trusted steed, Pegasus. "The battlefield calls our name, Pegasus. Some of the greatest champions are here. Though I must say, I’m feeling proper chuffed I going to win."

The man tossed his cigarette away as he rose to his feet after hearing the speakers announce for his alongside others to make their way to the coliseum. He ran his hand through his hair as he made his way, towering over many of the other contestants. It was his first time partaking in this tournament, as he had only entered to test out his unorthodox one-handed version of Western Swordplay.

Eventually he had arrived at the destination. They slapped a large tag onto his chest and told him to go to the 'Red Square'. Kurono obliged, making his way over and spotting other contestants. He looked at his tag; 'R4'. Behind him a man approached him, patting him on the back. Kurono turned to face the man with an 'R5' on his tag. "I guess we'll be fighting!" he announced, unsheathing his blade. Kurono recognized the man as Henry IV. He usually ended up partaking in the semi-finals, a favourite amongst the crowd.

Kurono simply nodded at the man, making their way to a ring in which they would fight. Pointing his broadsword at Kurono, Henry smiled. "This should be rather fun!" he boasted. Kurono nodded yet again, unsheathing his katana. The referee blew into his whistle and the match began. Henry charged forward, slamming a heavy overhand slash down at Kurono. Using his one-handed style, Kurono parried the blade. As they collided, Kurono stepped to the side, dislodging their blades and quickly disarming Henry.

Kurono didn't even look at Henry as he walked away towards his next match, as he knew the verdict.

"The winner is Kurono Masamune!" the referee called, stating the obvious.

As Olivia entered the coliseum, many of the newer contestants went to greet her. For those first timers, it was honor to meet someone of her skill and stature. She joyfully greeted her soon to be competitors. "You all look like a bunch of ace swordsmen, I look forward to our duel, whenever it may come." she was so kind. The personification of chivalry itself they call her. Eventually they place her tag gently on the front of her armor. "Good Luck Dame..." the lad commented, blushing as he spoke.

Her tag was labeled r26, on the opposite side of the bracket of Kurono. She was the guided to one of the preliminary stages; the red square. This is where she was greeted by one of the rookies she had just met. "It's truly maddam, I mean, Dame Olivia..." he was incredibly nervous, his body trembling from both excitement and fear. Leaping down from her stallion, Olivia gently pet Pegasus. "It shouldn't take long..." she whispered, before making her way to the square.

"My our skill bring us the best of luck..." she exclaimed, placing her closed fist onto her taught to show her respect towards the young jouster. She'd then place on her helmet. "It's quite intimidating..." he mumbled, turning the beauty into the fierce warrior she was. "Begin!" the moderator announced, almost too suddenly. Yet despite this, the lad made the first move. "He strikes first wins!" he proclaimed, dashing at Olivia with incredible speed. He wielded a saber, a long thick black blade. He swung at her with incredible force, enough to easily chop a large man in half. But in the blink of an eye, she made her counter. By extending her left hand, she trapped the blade between the index and middle finger, the rendering his attack useless and preventing him from utilize it further. With her right, she held the hilt of her blade, which was still sheathed but nonethless, just as intimidating. "Yield..." she told boy, in a spooky tone. Out of fear and the inability to retrieve his blade, he surrendered.

"The winner is Dame Olivia the Second!" he moderator announced, none of the spectators surprised by the scene. "It was an honor!" she told the lad, before removing her helmet. The matches that followed were quite similar, easy victories. But she still remained kind honorable and respectful throughout them. She'd take notice to the lazy Japanese man who had also been winning his matches quite easily. "Blimey, look at that. The Japanese have returned with an ace swordsman." she commented, realizing this would be the man she'd face in the finals. And her predictions were correct, after less than a dozen short battles each, the two would inevitably meet in the complete Colosseum.

"Ladies and Gentlement! The moment you've been waiting for. An amazing swordsman, and our champion duking it out!" the crowd bursted into cheers as the two of them walked to the center. "Look forward to a brilliant duel." she noted, honoring her opponent just as those before, prior to placing her helmet.

Kurono recognized his opponent. "Dame Olivia II. A pleasure to meet you." he said, no trace of a Japanese accent; something he had acquired during his tournaments in english-speaking countries. "I hope this match of ours goes well." he finished, unsheathing his blade; entering a stance similar to most of the western fighters. He smirked, awaiting for the match to beign.

Upon putting on her helmet, Olivia place the hand on the hilt of her blade. But just as she was about withdraw her heavenly blade and take her stance, she quickly realized something that challenged her beliefs. Removing her helmet, she addressed the issue. "I beg your pardom, Kurono. But I must ask if you plan on shielding yourself during this duel." she began, referring his lack of armor. "We wear the armor to protect us from any fatal damage, but if you choose to remain unprotected. I shall do the same." she announced. The fan roared in cheer for her claim. "I'm getting two shows at the price of one!" one man yelled, referring to her stripping her armor in front of them. "So what will it be then?" Olivia questioned, paying little attention to the crowd.

Kurono nodded. "I appreciate your concern, Dame Olivia." he began flicking his wrist. "As you've stated, I believe it's best we wear our armour, that way we don't have to worry about killing the other." he finished. The air around them seemed to darken as a sound similar to a jet engine began to emanate through out the coliseum. A piece of black armour collided onto him, before stabilizing itself. Eventually, his entire suit had arrived, and he was covered in it.

"That suit...is that man Excalibur?" a man whispered amongst the crowd. Instantly the whisper spread, and soon people realized who Kurono truly was. Excalibur re-entered the stance, holding his katana with one hand. "Shall we begin, my lady?"

The announcer did not give her a chance to respond. "This is a battle between pro heroes now! Exaculibur vs The Heavenly Knight, the two greatest swordmen heroes. Who will win?!??" he yelled into the microphone, summoning a roar of cheers in response.

"It's Dame, but yes, we shall." Once again putting on her helmet. Grabbing the blade by it's blue hilt, a golden light emerged as she unsheathed her blade. "Oathkeeper, let us once again prevail in combat!" Olivia declared, completely withdrawing her blade for the first time in this tourney. But she did not take on the usual western sword style stance, rather she shifted her body ninety degrees to take on the usual fencing stance. She held her western style sword as if it were a rapier. The amount of strength and control she'd need to perform such a task would be incredible, most swordsmen wouldn't dare to perform such a feat. "On guard!" she yelled, ready for the announcer to commence the match.

## Clashing Metal

Almost immediately after the announcer spoke loudly. "And begin!"

Kurono decided to follow in suit. With the reflexes only master swordsmen like himself and Olivia had, Kurono quickly changed his own stance into a fencing one. He thrust his blade with much more force than should have been possible. It wasn't a basic thrust however, yet one of a more intermediate degree. Unlike other swordsmen, Kurono enjoyed testing the waters. As such, he sent his blade towards Olivia's left shoulder. This would test out not only her reflexes, but her strength.

"A mimic?" she noted, as Excalibur took a fencing stance. While it couldn't be seen under her mask, Olivia was disappointed that her opponent was attempting to copy her style instead of fighting with his own. Although she didn't know his experience in fencing she could be certain that it wouldn't match her own; fencing was the first sword style she had ever learned and had been practicing since the age of four. And from his first strike she could tell she couldn't match her skill. Fencing wasn't about strength but control and accuracy. She required an unusual amount of strength due to the style of her blade, but outside of that, the strength element was irrelevant.

But despite her first impression of her opponent's fencing ability, she made an effort to not underestimate him. Rather that taking on the basic parry, Olivia would perform a circle parry, which would lead his blade away from her torso and toward the outward area of her arm where the blade would rub against her back-arm armor. As a result of the circle parry, Oathkeeper would be place inward of Kurono's torso allow him to perform a riposte. But she did not leave anything to chance. In an attempt secure her attack, the armor protecting her armor would shine briefly, activating it's secondary effect, expulsion of kinetic energy or impact. With the same force Kurono's blade made an attempt strike her, her armor that would release a force of similar caliber to keep the blade and arm occupied. "Point!" she thought, believing her attack would successfully follow through.

Underneath his mask, Excalibur smirked. His mimic had failed, as he had expected. The circle parry was impressive, and as such Kurono decided to show her one of his techniques. Quickly switching his grip, bringing the blade to point towards him. Kurono copied the circle parry, with a slight alteration. After bringing his arm away from Olivia, he brought his blade back out to its original grip, and he then redirected Olivia's blade down to his torso, bringing Olivia’s blade to slam into his forearm. Once that had been finished, he spun backwards, creating distance. He had just utilized Offbeat, a technique that utilized his muscle memory that allowed to him to copy a physical movement with such slight alterations, it seems identical to the original movement. However, those alterations would often affect the original user of the move, rendering them unable to use that same movement for some time. Yet Kurono knew that effect wouldn’t impact Olivia, she was far too levelheaded.

He pointed his blade at Olivia, a smirk on his face underneath his mask. “You’re good, Dame Olivia.”

"Not much honor in taking my techniques, but I guess that's why he's not a knight." she snickered, before reverting back to her neutral potion. "Pretty fast learner. It takes most of my apprentices months to accomplish such a feat with a foil, much less a katana." she spoke to her opponent. "I'm flattered, mimicry is the closest thing to adoration." teasing Excalibur. But in a flick of switch, her tone became more stern. "On guard!" she proclaimed, before launching her next assault. A simple lunge forward; extending her arm as she took her step. It was a basic fencing attack, a straight thrust.

Excalibur took no note of Dame's attempt to get a rise out of him. "I don't believe you invented the Circle Parry, Dame." he stated as the blade thrusted towards him. Aimed towards his chest, Excalibur reacted quickly. He quickly stepped to the side, using his right foot as a pivot to swing away. As the blade continued its motion, it would most likely tug Dame Olivia forwards slightly. However, the Dame was no ordinary lady, Kurono knew it wouldn't effect a swordswoman as capable as her. Knowing such, he brought the blade upwards in a rapid side slice, aiming to slam straigh into her armours side.

Expecting him to once again use his newly acquired move, Olivia found herself somewhat disappointed in her assessment. "Seems he caught my bluff." And a bluff it was. In fencing, this attack was known as a feint. While the attack was successful, designed to draw a response from the target, it wasn't the response she was anticipating. She realized her thought process was too one dimensional. Expecting a fencing response to a fencing attack, it was a simple error in judgement that wouldn't cost. With a different situation at hand, she quickly adapted. Similar to what Kurono did earlier, Olivia simply adjusted her wrist, thus tilting the blade in the same direction as his target. And with her successful lunge, it provided her with a secure ground to allow for her quick and aggressive pivot, which would grant her the momentum needed to launch another attack; another straight thrust.

Kurono smiled. The Dame wasn't bad, not at all. Kurono stepped to the side yet again, this time crouching as he did so. The flat side of his blade grazing against the thrust as sparks flew. As the blade continued its motion, Kurono switched grips yet again, launching to his feet. The grip switched back yet again, the tip of the blade soaring straight towards Olivia's neck. It had been some time since Kurono had to delve into the realm of his own techniques. Maybe the Dame could draw him out once again.

His attack was smooth, well designed and executed. Not only did he manage to keep Oathkeeper at bay, with his initial assault but was able to appropriately transition to an offensive state; Kurono is definitely a pro. But Olivia was no where near bested yet. The beauty of fencing is that it required solely one arm and hand which meant the other was completely free. This fact would allow her to execute her counter. As the two blades clashed, Olivia released Oathkeeper at angle, granting her the mobility she needed to pivot once more. But before Oathkeeper managed to drop even an inch, the Heavenly Knight would secure the blade with her right hand. With danger averted, she began her next attack. Abandoning the fencing style and with her blade already set in the correct position, Olivia swung her blade upwards with an a greater amount of force. Revealing the fact that she was skilled in swordsmanship with both hands.

Kurono was impressed. He hadn't met a wielder of a sword with such skill. Kurono threw his blade into the air, using the claws on his forearm to take on the swing. Yet the Dame had enough momentum and strength to push Kurono upwards, something he had hoped for. Now in the air, he retrieved his blade. He landed quickly, shifting his body weight in order to do so. Once he had landed, he maintained the momentum from the fall, using it to accelerate towards the Dame from her side. Excalibur brought his blade straight towards Olivia's left calf, preparing himself for a potential counter.

As her opponent took to the skies, Olivia was able to switch to a more neutral stance. Returning her blade to her left hand, her position deferred from her fencing style she displayed only moments ago. While it was an one arm style, her body was now centered instead of horizontal. Her right remained close as she was prepared too switch between combat types at any given moment. She watched as Kurono went straight for his legs. "The obvious solution would be to jump over the attack. But he's probably expecting that so..." she thought, before following through with something different. Like many times before, she switched the grip on the hilt of her blade, allowing the peak to point downwards to the ground, in order to stab it into the ground and block his attack, effectively protecting her calf. But her counter was not complete. Arching her leg back and her left hand still holding the hilt of her blade, she prepared to launch a powerful side kick towards Kurono. "Eat this!"

Kurono almost laughed. He was having fun fighting, something he hadn't experienced. No one else had lasted this long against him. As the Knight's foot flew towards Kurono eat blazing speeds, he knew almost no one else would have been able to react. But he wasn't one of those people. Using his right foot as a pivot, he quickly spun away from the kick, now parallel to Olivia's body. The speed at which Kurono had moved was phenomenal, something that would never have been possible less for the years upon years of training the man had gone through. As soon as Olivia's foot was halfway through its journey, Excalibur made his move. Switching his blade from his right to left hand in an instant, he feinted a slice with his empty right hand, while moving in for a vertical slash from behind.

"He's rather nimble with that armor on." she noted, before acting on his act. His speed and mobility would not go undetected by the Knight and thus rather than following through with her kick completely, she'd kick off the leg that remained grounded in order to loop around the hilt of her blade that was implanted in the battle arena. The momentum built up during her rotation allowed her to remove the blade and move several meters away from Kurono, meaning she'd dodge his attack. But she did not hesitate a moment to launch her next attack. In a firm stance, she placed both hand on her blade. She raised the blade over her head "Holy Slash..." she whispered. Before oathkeeper came down like a guillotine. The swing summoned a humongous shash of wind and raw force that bisected into the ground several meters and was on path to hit Kurono.

Kurono grinned under his helmet. "Offbeat...Holy Slash!" Excalibur yelled. Imitating the same stance and posture Olivia had been in, he brought his katana down with a much greater force than should have been possible for such a small blade. A large crescent of wind soared through the air, causing a bisection into the ground as the wind collided into Olivia's, releasing multiple shockwaves of a great magnitude. "Isn't this fun?" he asked, voicing his opinions.

Fun would not be the word Olivia would use to describe the battle. For her, contests such as these are testaments to a warrior's skill and honor. She took every fight seriously. But, despite her feeling towards the battle, she understood where the Japanese Swordsman was coming from. Her heart was pumping and she was getting a good sweat in. For the first time in a long time, she was actually challenged. Understanding that this was his reasoning behind the statement, she responded accordingly "I suppose. You truly are a formidable foe."

"Wow, what a clash!" the spokesman announced. "Trading blows left and right, neither giving any leeway. And so, neither have even been scratched."

Kurono nodded. "As are you, Dame." he responded. He pointed his blade at her, entering a different stance, one he hadn't used in some time. "Let's go."

Maintaining both hands on her hilt, it was time she abandoned her switch method and utilized both strength and speed in unison. "Now the real battle begins..." she thought, as she slowly eased up towards Kurono, maintaining a neutral position that could shift from offense to defense at a moment's notice. Once within two blade distances away from her target, she halted and waited for her target strike first. "With that copy style of his, waiting for him to attack first would be favorable."

Excalibur was unmoving.

Until he wasn't. Suddenly launching himself forward at high speeds, his blade aimed right towards the centre of Olivia's armour. Due to the current way Olivia was holding her own blade, in that neutral stance, she would most likely defend. Using this knowledge, he shifted his footing slightly, preparing for the backlash of a block or to quickly move away in the case of an attack.

She needed to move quick and effectively so her technique could not be mimic. The moment he made his first step, she knew which attack she'd follow through with. She shifted her body horizontally to evade the attack but in conjunction she also squatted. Olivia would then use her lowered position to swing the blade in a upper motion, somewhat like a blade uppercut. Using both her right and left hand the speed and force would be incredible. Best case, the attack would knock the blade out Kurono's hand and leave him open for punishment, but she was expecting only to knock his arms upward with his blade at hand to open up his torso. But despite what she expected or hoped for, she was prepared for the worst; the successful dodge or counter that would lead to his own attack.

Before Olivia's blade could reach his hand, he tossed his blade into the air, using his armoured wrist to counteract the force of the upcoming blade. As the two objects collided, Excalibur used the momentum to increase the rise of his hand upwards, catching his airborne blade. Similar to how Olivia had done a blade uppercut, Excalibur would perform a blade guillotine, bringing his blade downwards at incredible speeds.

As Kurono rose to the sky to catch his blade, Olivia would retract her slash and perform the same technique once more. The two blade would then connect and produce a massive shockwaves that even the people in the stance would feel. "Holy fuck? They're not even using their quirks." one spectator commented. The two swordsmen were definitely at the peak in their field. This was truly a clash of the world's greatest. Utilizing her strength, Olivia attempt to apply more force on the airborne Kurono, with the hopes of sending him flying like a baseball.

And fly away like a baseball Kurono did. Excalibur was launched back at nigh sonic speeds. As the swordsman flew back, he brought his blade down to his feet, using it as a platform. The strain was deadly, yet the swordsman powered through. Using the blade as the platform, he launched himself towards Olivia at drastic speeds, pointing his blade towards her, resembling that of a high speed missile.

His ability to shift from one position to another was surprising, something that Olivia did not expect. Using her blade as a shield, she protected her torso with her weapon. As the two blade collided, Olivia could sense Kurono making headway. She'd slowly move into the the ground as she was losing the power struggle. "Shit" she thought, before revealing an unknown truth about her blade. Crafted of the same metal as her armor, Oathkeeper is able to absorb kinetic and the release it. As so it did. By releasing the same amount force as Excalibur's blade, they'd counter each other, thus giving the Heavenly Knight the ability to move away from the spot and recover from the attack. "That was...unexpected."

"Indeed." Excalibur responded, stretching. "Your blade...interesting." he murmured, pointing his blade at the Dame. "Let's go ahead."

Olivia contemplated her next move. "If I keep attacking him head on, then we'll just continue clashing, making no head way. I could...no way!" she thought, briefly considering the possibility of striking Kurono from behind but then instantly regretting it. But the idea did generate a different strategy. "That might work.." she decided. Spinning rapidly with her blade dragging along the ground, Olivia summoned somewhat of a dust tornado. "Sporadic Whirlwind..." she spoke, but her voice was overtaken by the sound of spiraling wind. Then suddenly, at a moments notice, smaller versions of the Holy Slashes emerged from the tornado at random. Offbeat was certainly an interesting technique, but she wondered if Excalibur could copy what he can't see. After only a few seconds, slashes began to head his way and in many different directions which would make dodging problematic.

Excalibur was impressed. Olivia was a greatly skilled swordswoman. "I approve of the strategy, yet..." the warrior began. "Would I be a true swordsman if I only used my sight?" he questioned, quickly spinning in a circle. Kurono was able to imitate her Sporadic Whirlwind, using it to counter the strikes. Yet it wouldn't be enough. As a few of the small Holy Slashes made their way towards Excalibur, he brought his blade, right in front of him. "Tsukyomi."

Instantly, a large wave of wind exploded outwards, negating his own attack and Olivia's. But the wave kept going, tearing apart the ground as it soared towards the Dame.

While she dramatically span within her tornado, unknown to Kurono, Olivia was solely rising into the air. Increasing about a meter every moment, the moment Excalibur launched his mighty attack she was high in the skies. "As suspected..." she noted that he wasn't able to exactly copy her attack. As his attack collided with her tornado, she viewed from above. "This is going no where." she slowly decended to the ground. "You're quite the fighter..."

"As are you, Dame." Excalibur responded. "At this rate, this fights going nowhere." he stated, bringing his blade down to his side. "Perhaps there's a way to bring it to a draw? I say this only because as of now, we won't be able to make leeway."

Olivia thought to herself, "The Queen might not approve of such an outcome. But the more this battle draws out, the more we might put the audience at risk." she gazed around, viewing the spectators who were on the hinges of their seats. "I'll accept that request under the condition we fight again with no limitations and to our heart's contents."

Excalibur nodded, sheathing his blade. "That would be amazing. I would love to fight a swordswoman of your caliber at your full power." he said, a smile underneath his mask. "I accept your terms, Dame Olivia II."