Curiously enough, Mister Sunshine hadn't actually noticed that Tanzo had a tail. In fact he hadn't even noticed that he wasn't human, merely a humanoid creature. This really put a damper on his plans and made this whole ordeal a fair stretch more difficult than it would have been. If he had've gotten Tanzo on the ground, this fight wouldn't last much longer. Right now, however, he was likely to break his arm. There wasn't anything that he could do about that, and it would certainly make this whole ordeal even more difficult to deal with. A pickle like this was far too dill for his tastes, and Mr. Sunshine loves sour foods!

With the situation quickly turning bad, Brighton would have panicked if he were a lesser man. This is not the case, and Brighton actually came up with a brilliant solution to the current problem. Saving his arm was the first and most crucial step, though it might still break, he wouldn't be totally helpless. A broken arm is nothing to a man such as he. . . Alright, it's definitely something, but he'd like to think he'd be totally unphased.

Mid swing changes to the course of his fist would be difficult, especially with the short distance that it was actually traveling. However, he does have a very particular and keen reflex, making it possible but difficult. By shifting his weight back onto his right foot and pulling his left shoulder upwards, he changed the angle of his punch to not directly collide with Tanzo's frozen fist. Instead opting to break his own wrist instead of his arm, he let it clip against the side of his hand instead of directly against the knuckles. A sickening crack and a short yelp permeated the air as Brighton's vision and mind clouded. The spiked knuckles cut into his arm, a chill running up through his blood through both sides of his body. He would have joked about how it was getting cold in here, but right now he was more concerned with his follow up.

Not enough to just survive the initial attack, Sunshine had to reply a blow for a blow. With Tanzo's hand gripping his forearm and his leg already out from under him. Brighton had an opening. See, Brighton's strong. Really strong. He's wrestled cattle before and won, so he's got a pretty decent gauge of his own strength and willpower. So a good follow up would be to actually succeed at his previous attempt to topple Ryozan.

Tanzo's hand was still in its deathgrip on his arm, and his tail was capable of supporting his weight. However, his tail was likely not strong enough to withstand Brighton's upper body strength. So, Sunshine did something that Tanzo would never expect. With his wrist broken, he was now down a limb, and his right arm was being restrained. At least a little bit more than usual, though not fully restrained. Brighton let his right leg drop and pushed outwards with his left leg, while twisting his upper body towards Tanzo. At the same time, he also jerked sharply to the right with his right arm, now very much numb. This shifted his center of weight off to the right side of his body, and made all of that weight fall onto Tanzo's left hand. Likely not Tanzo's dominant hand. This would either jerk Brighton's arm out of his grip, or more likely, force Tanzo's weight onto his left hand side.

The side currently being supported by his tail.

If his happens, Tanzo would likely fall to the ground. Both losing his footing and his grip of Sunshine's arm.

Ryozan did not feel the impact he had hoped for when their fists collided, but he did manage to do some serious harm to his opponent. The spikes on his gauntlet dug into Mr. Sunshine's flesh as his hasaiken shattered the bones in his wrist; for all practical purposes, his opponent's left hand was neutralized. Even though it was not the exact damage he had hoped for, he felt a certain amount of pride in what he accomplished with that attack. After all, Mr. Sunshine had said that his flesh had yet to taste a blade, and while Ryozan's blade was one of ice rather than steel, this still meant that he was the first person to draw blood against this formidable man. It meant that he was better than all those men that fell before him leaving nary a scratch; it meant that all of his opponent's conquests were now, in part, his. However, the Tanzo family had not retained its power for so long by being the strongest loser. This brief taste of success spawned a small grin across the kitsune's face and spurred his desire for victory even further. But first, there were more immediate matters to deal with.

Ryozan had dealt damage, but he had sacrificed his balance for it. He did not want to enter ground combat with a man who was larger and stronger than him, even if he had two injured arms. Yet, Mr. Sunshine seemed to know that the ground was where he would have the advantage, and seemed keen on forcing him into that position once again. He felt the shift in weight, and indeed, his tail would not be able to support any excessive force. However, he had been given plenty of time to pour ice energy into Mr. Sunshine's right arm and while he still had enough control of it to jerk it around, the frostbite would likely reduce his dexterity, and the strength of his sword strikes would suffer as a result. For the sake of regaining his balance, he was willing to let the sword arm slip from his grasp. But, thanks to this new positioning, his opponent had left him a nice opening to take advantage of.

His left leg landed on the ground once again, relieving his tail of its burden, and then he clenched his left hand into a fist. By shifting the left side of his body forward and jerking his sword arm to the right, Mr. Sunshine had exposed the front of his body to an attack. Based on where Ryozan's left hand was after releasing Mr. Sunshine's arm, it was already inside the defenses of his sword arm, and blocking with a broken wrist would be both painful and difficult. So, Ryozan aimed a compact left hook at Brighton's gut. His opponent was unarmored, so the blade protruding from his gauntlet would be able to dig no less than three inches into his flesh. If the blow bit deeply, Ryozan would follow up by ripping the blade out with a violent slash, tearing his opponent's body completely open.

The kitsune was not unwary of the threat from the right, though, and even from this close range, there was still a vital area his opponent would be able to strike. Rather than drawing his right hand back for another strike, as he would normally do in this situation, he brought his arm up around his neck and braced his right hand against his left shoulder, protecting his neck from any desperate sword strikes that would come his way.

Ryozan wanted to keep this close proximity that he had established, so if Mr. Sunshine tried to dodge away from the strike, Ryozan would track his movements and try to maintain the in-fight. Likewise, he was now on to Mr. Sunshine's plan to take him to the ground, so he diverted some of his attention to his opponent's footwork so he could react to another sweep attempt without resorting to his tail.

Being in a lot of pain is a lot better than being a little dead, so Brighton had zero intent to allow Tanzo's strike to land. Catching it with his left wasn't possible, he could still move his fingers and he wanted to keep it that way. And his right hand was down at his waist after being jerked away from Tanzo's grip. Well there weren't many options for getting out of this, it was terribly inconvenient. Nothing good can come from a man with two hands at sharply decreased efficiency and a man with an extra limb. But, even without working hands he's still got plenty to work with.

Such as this.

Putting his weight onto his right leg and carrying the momentum from his downward jerk into a forward step, Brighton raised his left shoulder before his body and pushed forward into Tanzo's reach. Stepping past his hand and forcing himself into Ryozan's guard. With his weight focused into his shoulder and elbow and the momentum heading forward, Brighton was set to topple right into Ryozan's chest. To top it all off, Brighton let electricity rush through his body and start to spark outward.

The activation of Sparking was short and sweet, so once he made contact with his foe he would flood him with a sharp charge of electricity. And, by stepping into his guard he would have no way to immediately strike out against him. A punch wouldn't carry as much force without the full extension of his arm. As he would make contact with him, Sunshine would push upwards with left elbow and forearm into Tanzo's diaphragm and shove outwards. Stepping forward again, and pushing into him, this should both wind him and force him backwards. With the shock to his system and the wind knocked out of him, he'd likely have a hard time recovering. It would at least give Brighton enough time to compose himself.

See, the pain wasn't actually clouding his judgement. It was exhillarating. Something that he had never experienced before, it was making him flush with joy.

Ryozan was pleased to see that his opponent would not go down without a fight, even in such dire circumstances. Plenty of lesser men, whom Ryozan had already defeated, would have dropped to their knees and begged for mercy upon losing the use of their hands, but Mr. Sunshine proved that he was a resourceful and determined man, able to use his entire body as a weapon. Indeed, the kitsune had to admit that he had committed the cardinal sin of underestimating his opponent's abilities at this critical juncture and had left an opening that was now being attacked without hesitation. Ryozan had enough time to react to the strike, twisting his body slightly to avoid a direct hit to the diaphragm and tensing his abdominal muscles to buffer the impact, but Mr. Sunshine's blow still had much of the effect that he wanted.

The electric shock timed perfectly with the body blow sent the kitsune staggering backwards. For a brief moment his vision blurred and he felt his knees begin to buckle, but Ryozan was no stranger to pain, so he just gritted his teeth and steadied himself, pulling his arms up into a guarded stance to block any follow up attacks. What he would not do, however, was give his opponent the satisfaction of hearing a gasp of pain. No, aside from a brief scowl, Mr. Sunshine would see no sign on Ryozan's face that his blow had indeed hurt like hell. He would, however, get his moment to compose himself while the kitsune did the same.

They were back to square one in terms of positioning, but unlike his opponent, all of Ryozan's weapons were still working; he could use that to his advantage. As one would expect, Ryozan began another assault on his opponent's damaged area. He dashed forward once again with his left hand raised to protect against the sword and his right hand drawn back ready to strike. Upon entering striking range, he would aim a right hook at Mr. Sunshine's ribs, accompanied by another explosive impact from his hasaiken. It was a strategically sound, but predictable move. If it hit, great; if not, well Ryozan's mind wove another layer to the attack.

The kitsune had noticed that Mr. Sunshine was not very mindful of his tail, and so this would be his secret weapon. While delivering the right hook in earnest, he kept his tail hidden behind his back, out of his opponent's field of vision. As he advanced, ice crystallized around his fifth appendage, covering it in razor sharp spikes. Ryozan wondered if an unorthodox movement would catch his fundamentally sound opponent off-guard as he reacted to the punch...

Reprieve? If Sunshine had've heard the notion he would have been offended. At least a little bit, not too much. Maybe he wouldn't be offended, but it would make him frown for a moment but go right back to smiling. Definitely at least a little slighted by it, to be sure. Even with a terrible amount of pain rushing through him from both sides, Brighton couldn't be anything but excited. No beating or breaking has ever felt like this, the spill of blood from his flesh and the burning chill of near-hypothermia shaking his arm, it was so new. It wasn't just a normal pain, it was a wholly new experience.

Honestly it was the worst pain he's ever felt, and that's really saying something. Something about it was so exhilarating, a thrill like none other. It suddenly clicked in his mind. This was the fight or flight response! Something that he's never felt! The chemical waves that crashed through him gave his subconscious a choice. Turn tail and run? No. Stand and fight?

"Yesss!" From his throat roared the most unnatural howl he's ever unleashed, a parody of his own voice ripped its way from his own mouth. Saliva and tension forced his throat to shudder into a growl as the word left his mouth, excitement overtook his usual composure. A stunningly different voie from his norm was juxtaposed by the naturally cheery grin that still adorned his face.

Immediately after his first charge, Brighton straightened himself back up and stepped forward again. With his right hand locked into holding the blade, he couldn't use the fine control that he was used to. However, he had been taught an alternative to fencing. Swordplay relies more on the shoulder and body than the wrist, and his shoulders were still just fine. With two quick steps he threw himself into a charge once again, leveling the blade against himself before lashing out in a wide sweeping motion.

Placing the flat of the blade against his left arm and stepping forward, Sunshine turned his right shoulder towards Tanzo for a fraction of a second before unleashing the massive swing. A full 180 degree swing with the strength of his arm and his entire torso thrown into it. All while running towards Tanzo, the length of the blade and the reach of his arm made this an incredibly long swing. Aimed in a near straight line that would strike at Tanzo's hip and would cross upwards towards his belly button.

If he chose to let it hit.

Ryozan knew too well the feeling that invoked his opponent's roar. When he was young he would often yell out like that himself after a challenging match, and indeed he felt the same rush of adrenaline that brought about such urges, but his training and culture had instilled equanimity in him so that he would not partake in the cathartic bellow. And, no doubt, while fueled by such emotion, Mr. Sunshine's blade was still something to be feared, even a wide slash telegraphed as blatantly as the one he now displayed. However, Mr. Sunshine's windup did not daunt Ryozan at all, nor did it change his plans for his attack with his right hand. Although he had not intended to use it as a shield, the layer of ice that he had put on his tail would come in handy.

As the distance between the two men closed, Ryozan poured what ki he could into the ice on his tail in the brief time he had, planted his feet as if to make a strike, and then wrapped his tail halfway around his body to intercept the slash. There was a metallic clash as the sword struck ice, sending shards and a plume of fur into the air, but he had managed to strengthen the ice just enough to save his tail. The impact of the blow drove the spikes on the inside of his tail into Ryozan's side, leaving a few shallow punctures, but it was nothing debilitating and nothing compared to the damage he was now in perfect position to deal.

As Mr. Sunshine's sword scraped upwards along Ryozan's tail, the kitsune let his right fist fly under the arc of the blade and towards Mr. Sunshine's ribs. The only modification that needed to be made to the strike was that at this distance a straight would be more effective than a hook. But, the explosive force of the hasaiken would be just as damaging to his opponent's bones as ever. Perhaps with two damaged arms and shattered ribs making it painful to breathe, his opponent would yield; if not, Ryozan wouldn't complain. He was having the time of his life.

With their faces towards eachother Tanzo might have caught a glimpse of the wry little smile that peeked through the mayhem of their melee. Even with both of his hands out of the picture, the two seemed to be fighting on totally even ground. Blow for blow they matched eachother's force with force, their totally different martial styles seemed to be total mirrors.

Fate does some funny things, don't it?

Bending his right elbow slightly so his blade would glance away from Ryozan's tail and the momentum of his swing would carry out and back. At the same time he let the momentum from his arm pull his body back and to the left. This forced him to stop his left leg from moving and his right leg to twist back with the rest of his body. This moved his torso directly parallel to Ryozan's strike. The back of his hand and the blade of ice slashed into his shirt and tore it in its wake, the edge of the blade sliced into his flesh and left clean lines digging into his abdominals. The ice froze the blood on contact, so none poured from the wound.

A chill ran through him as it dug into him, but that was the price he was willing to pay for his next strike. See as he stepped around Tanzo's fist he had brought his left elbow up and over. Raised as high as possible and aiming the sharp point of it straight at Tanzo's face. With all of the speed that he had built up in his spin, he would drop that elbow right into the corner of Tanzo's jaw with enough force to tear his flesh and knock lesser men unconscious.

Even now as he was preparing to crash his elbow into Ryozan's face, he was preparing his next move. Once his elbow either collided or missed he would continue spinning. Bringing his right arm back around with the sharp of his blade angled flat towards the ground. Aiming to slice into the kyuubi's back with a new accumulated force of his spin.

In his mind all he could think about was to keep moving, to keep striking. Forcing his brain to tell itself that nothing was wrong, forcing it to ignore the pain.

Willing himself to move, even as his blood pumps cold through his veins.

Ryozan felt the satisfying impact of his fist digging into Mr. Sunshine's flesh. The Tanzo family's strikes were not something to be brushed off lightly. For years, he had refined his form, built up his power, and hardened his knuckles to make his fists as deadly as any weapon. A man who could tank his blows like that was a sturdy man indeed. A man who could attack immediately thereafter could only be called beyond human. Fortunately, the windup of Mr. Sunshine's blow was plainly visible to the kitsune; Ryozan bobbed and weaved under the elbow strike like a boxer, then clenched his left fist preparing for a second blow. He leaned into his opponent, plunging his fist into Mr. Sunshine's body once again with all his might. The trajectory of the blow hooked upward so that it would jostle his opponent's organs around upon impact.

The blade disappeared behind Mr. Sunshine, and since his opponent was now spinning about like a top, Ryozan had a good idea where it would emerge. He couldn't count on his punch incapacitating his opponent, despite how much damage he had already accumulated. He had to defend himself or else that sword was still likely to take his head off. Rather than drawing his right fist back for another blow as he struck with his left, he pulled it up to guard his right side. The sword came around and crashed into the ice gauntlet, first sending cracks rippling through it, and then causing it to crumble away. Ryozan's arm buckled under the force of the blow, but still retained enough strength to thwart the slash. However, with the loss of his gauntlet, his right side was now exposed to the blade. He needed to make Mr. Sunshine fall before he got chopped to pieces.

Being mid spin doesn't really steady your footing, nor does being caught unaware by a snuck in punch to the gut. Brighton couldn't do anything about the punch he was about to take, because he had no idea it was coming. He actually thought it impossible for Tanzo to react in such an inconceivably short window of time, but the kitsune had proven crafty before. Unfortunately for the kitsune, the human body is far more resilient than its weak appearance belies, and being loose while being struck with tremendous force is actually a blessing. With only one foot on the ground, and his body in a rather loose state to facilitate the whipping motion of his spin, he was struck directly in the gut by Ryozan's boulder breaking punch.

If his footing had've been sturdy, and his body squared away, this would have been a killing punch. His organs would have ruptured, bones broken, and he would have crumpled before Tanzo's blow. However, none of this was the case. Instead, the punch slammed into his midriff and unsettled his already weak footing. Its weight carried him backwards and launched him several feet away, dust was kicked from the ground as he struck the old arena's floor. Brighton sprawled his weight across the ground, the breath knocked entirely from his lungs. His chest heaved with the effort of filling itself with air once more.

Tanzo, so far, had outstripped him in strength. Cunning, maybe not, they seemed to be on even footing in that regard. Brighton had never fought someone so superhuman in ability. Even the strongest men weren't comparable to Tanzo in his ability, and that was exciting. Truly this was his greatest challenge, as every foe he had fought to this point had been human. No matter how strong they were, no matter how great, no matter how swift. They were still human.

Ryozan Tanzo, however, was more than that. And it was very self-evident.

As he milled these thoughts, he pushed himself up into a seated position. Heaving still with the effort of breathing. His body was still moving, he refused to let himself be stopped. A great bruise was already forming on his torso, and the wound that was cut earlier was still bleeding slowly. The cold was keeping him from bleeding out, a fortunate happenstance.

His right hand was moving again, but he didn't want to let Tanzo notice yet.

Whether Tanzo would take advantage of his vulnerable state was to be determined, but as it stood, Brighton slowly inhaled and attempted to push himself to his feet. If Tanzo would attack him now, there wouldn't be much he could do to stop him, but Brighton didn't peg him for the sort to kick a man while he's down.

Though he still doesn't know that much about the kitsune, does he?

The Tanzo family was not known for showing mercy on their enemies. After all, sparing one's life did nothing to alter the circumstances that made enemies of people; it would only lead to more conflict. No, the Tanzo taught that a battle was only over when the enemy stopped breathing. It was a precaution brought about from dealing with enemies that relied on treachery rather than honorable duels, but it was a policy that had kept the Tanzo family in power for so many generations. However, Ryozan considered Mr. Sunshine an opponent, not an enemy, nor did the kitsune sense an ounce of duplicity with in him. If the man yielded he would relent, but by the looks of it, he intended to continue fighting. Even in friendly sparring matches, the Tanzo did not believe in "rounds" or "respite." An opponent needed to be defeated before either side could rest, and so Ryozan would now crush his wounded opponent.

As Mr. Sunshine panted and heaved, slowly forcing his body to stand, Ryozan wrapped his hand around the hilt of his blade. Sunshine's electrical technique had sealed away his blade thus far, the kitsune deeming it too risky to fight with what was essentially a conductive rod in his hand, but now, with his opponent battered and bleeding, it was the perfect way to deliver one last strike. He unsheathed the blade an raised it high above his head, pouring a flood of ki into it from both arms, then, with a single mighty chop he brought it down in a vertical slash. It summoned the most powerful gust of winds and ice shards thus far. Even if Mr. Sunshine could avoid the strike as injured as he was, the scramble required to do so would likely leave him open.

However, despite how seemingly merciless the strike was, it was an unusually kind choice for the kitsune. The last thing so many of Ryozan's opponents saw was the flash of his blade coming out of its sheath before it bit into their neck. This attack, while lethal to an average man, would not kill a hardy man like Brighton. It would coat his body in pain, perhaps draw a bit more blood, and hopefully extinguish his fighting spirit. If he chose to fight even after seeing what energy Ryozan still had left, then that would be on him, and the kitsune's conscience would be clear. However, Ryozan said one thing after the strike, making his intentions with the blow crystal clear: "Do you admit defeat?"

There were several things that Brighton didn't want to happen quite yet, but it seemed as though fate was wrest from his hands in this situation. Or rather, to be more precise, hand in the singular sense. The first was Ryozan acting on the unfortunate difference between Eastern and Western honor, which to Sunshine's misfortune, he had. That difference would cost him this fight if he weren't a clever and resourceful sort. Escape from a vertical strike while being seated was easy enough, that wouldn't be a problem at all. Right when his right hand had started working again too, he was going to have to cause himself physical pain just to get out of the way. Whatever it takes, you know? Just as Ryozan swung his blade, Alexander forced a smile and spoke softly. "Not yet." As if preemptively answering Tanzo's question.

Sunshine was having difficulty standing because he couldn't balance himself right, that punch to the gut had totally knocked his sense of balance around. Sitting down on the ground and relying on feeling rather than balance to make sure he was upright was easy. So, with his right hand still tightly clutching the handle of his sword, he shoved his knuckles against the ground and through his weight to the left and rolled. He felt his knuckles pop painfully, but nothing serious enough to break them, it really just hurt like hell. Especially with that awkward tingling feeling that you get when your hand is just waking up after lying on it all night. That's sort of how your hand feels while warming up from nearly succumbing to frostbite.

The second big thing that he didn't want Ryozan to know about was Body Breakdown and its cost. As he rolled off to the left, Brighton desperately sucked air into his lungs and tensed his entire body just before placing his left elbow on the ground to continue his directional roll. Pushing himself further away from Ryozan's freezing winds. Flooding himself with Ki and then forcing it all inwards towards his heart and brain, Sunshine had begun Body Breakdown. All he had to do was not get hit, if he got hit it was all over, and Body Breakdown was always a last resort.

And that was the third big problem. Alexander didn't want to activate Body Breakdown, but neither did he want to lose this fight. The adventurer didn't come all this way just to lose this duel of fates. What would usually be a lethal technique that he would only ever use on the most vile of humans, was the only way that he could even the playing field with a superhuman creature such as Tanzo.