Necrophage

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"Good. You learn just as I do." Zelriane showed some true intelligence but drawing together always posed risks to both fighters. Oz pushed his hand forward, exhaled and drew in a focused breath. He completely dropped his barrier.

Whether it was stupid or bold could be answered later. He reeled his arm up and threw his weight forward to elbow strike Zelriane. He followed all the way through and added some spin so that he could backfist Zelriane should he flit behind Oz.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Oz reflected the last few shots before widening his stance and bending his knees. "Anvil."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Oz managed to deflect each and every projectile while waving and weaving his hand through the air. The rapidity of Zelriane's attacks left him with little room to make any immediate counterstrike, it was all he do to keep up his defense with one hand.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

The proximity to agoniki made Oz's skin crawl. He zipped into the wall, crouching against it and then bounding back to the floor. Zelriane always won drawn out fights. Oz needed to keep the man from physically touching him as much as possible. There was a creeping feeling in the back of his head that Zelriane didn't always need to touch to apply his agoniki however. It would be best to slow him down if direct hits were ineffective. Maybe he could disorient Zel with the built up energy by damaging his ears. He frowned, he missed having two arms.

Oz shielded himself against his own attack before lifting his arm and slapping the ground with all the built up energy in order to produce a roll of thunder. A sound wave to damage Zelriane's ears and hopefully disrupt his balance.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

The attack came with more force than was expected but it was just what he needed. Force and energy rippled off the shield until Zelriane's akari form broke through. The very friction caused by the opposing forces heated the room. This was not a desperate defensive measure. It was one he'd hoped to use against blatant heavy-hitters like Rajaka. One that was impossible to use against other order members like Adarina. As his shield cracked, Oz thrust his open palm against the technique. At first he was pushed back a foot or two across the floor without faltering. That was all the space it moved him.

It became increasingly evident that the attack was losing its effect as the energy that should have been lashing and cutting Oz instead bounced off to the sides, collecting in the air like a cloud of raw blurring motion. Zelriane seemed to catch on quickly as he dashed around the arm and kicked off of Oz's chest to create distance.

"With your eyes I'm sure you saw it. The moment I diverted your technique." He raised the arm between them and all that motion and energy forcibly trapped in the air swarmed around his hand like a great invisible gauntlet. "Let's see how much that would have hurt." It was a force-master's feat to redirect that much energy. If Zelriane had changed tactic instead of advancing his attack Anvil would have been in vain.

Oz punched backwards, launching himself at an alarming speed straight at Zelriane's torso with a flying kick.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Oz pivoted back toward Zelriane. He bent both knees toward the speedster and instead of positioning his arm forwards for any kind of block rested it with a closed fist on his hip. Energy streamed off of him, growing brighter until the aura embellished his skin. "Anvil." He really was making no attempt to dodge.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Zelriane was fast but he almost always struck from behind as his first move. If anything he was predictable in always going for the easiest looking opening. Oz pulsed shielding across his legs and pivoted on his foot so he stood against his attacker, leaning into the sweeping leg and standing resolute as Zelriane hit his shin. "Feels nostalgic doesn't it?".

Oz went in for the counter attack, his signature energy trailed off his arm as he swung down at his opponent's head with a powerful hook.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"You put me up to this, whether intended or not." Oz replied. Zelriane knew their encounters more than the rest. The speedster had always come out on top of their fights but this time would be different. Oz was different. "Without your actions I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be fighting. The changes that have come to me thus far would not have. You've made me what I am, Zelriane. You have brought this on yourself." He explained.

Oz turned to Bruce. The technique he employed was a little unsettling to look at regardless of how effective it is. He locked eyes with him and nodded. "Leave Zel to me. If he wants a duel, I'll grant it to him. Help Jenso. He has a demigod to stop." He turned back to Zelriane and raised his fist between them. "Let's do this."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

A pair of silhouettes appeared in the light of the hall. Oz was here. He let go of the cat that had been helping him to reach the others. "Thank you." He said to it.

The room was filled with a slurry of different magic attacks and moving characters. The others likely didn't notice his injuries just as he entered. Regardless of that, he stomped away from the aiding animal and into the fight. Oz reeled back his arm and swung it forward, releasing a wall of rippling, physical energy at Zelriane amidst his fight with Bruce.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

The prone fighter stirred. He let out a drawn out groan. "I feel like I fell in a river of cheese graters." He pressed off the ground with his arm and slipped off balance. "I can still fight. Hell, we can't afford me not doing so." Oz forced himself to a kneeling position. He was already starting to feel better and his arm was no longer bleeding despite the crimson rag tied around it. Those pills were something else. He looked down at Dacer, fallen beside him. "I owe you one. Don't you dare die on me." He got up aided by the cat, slowly regaining his mobility. "Otherwise I can't pay you back."

Oz let the cat guide him. Thinking about the whole crappy situation. He was barely conscious enough to see Yzeira get popped in front of him. No, blood, nothing. That couldn't have been him. This wasn't over. It must have been a clone like Jeff always loved to use in his tricks. But what the hell was with that power? A clone exhibiting that kind of strength? They were in for a world of hurt when they finally reached the tyrant.