Inspiration for the story comes from Screw Attack's 'Death Battle' series

Clash of Demons

RRRRRAAAAAAAGA!

VS.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZE!

Introduction

Two demons birthed by the hellish and brutal plane that is Ishgria. Raaga, the master martial artist who committed himself to defeating all the greatest warriors in Ishgria in single combat, and Rize, a demon of such terrifying power that she leaves a dying trail of demons in her wake without ever needing to fight. Both demons of unspeakable power, revered in their times. I'm Varthan, and it's my job to analyze their skills, weapons, and weaknesses to find out who would win, in a Brave Clash!

LET'S MEET THE COMBATANTS!

Demon Champion Raaga

"I'll crush any who get in my way! Wha- Shusui, what did I tell you? Students do not touch my weapons, they fetch me food and shut their mouths!"

Born a demon from the hellish plane of Ishgria, Raaga is a man driven by an endless, fierce desire for battle. Ever seeking to grow stronger, Raaga challenged countless opponents in his youth, earning him great renown among the demons of Ishgria as the God of Martial Arts, suggesting that he is naturally adept at hand to hand...to hand to hand...to hand...to hand combat. Yeah I can definitely see that. Early on in his life he turned from martial arts to those arts devoted to weaponry, beginning to amass an infinitely growing pool of different weapons in order to develop his skills with all of them, presumably he's just that good. Eternally devoted to his craft, Raaga came to master every weapon he could put his hands on, relentlessly seeking stronger and stronger opponents in Ishgria to perfect these weapons, some survived his transition from newbie to master, others were dropped, and Raaga slowly realized his favored fighting styles. Eventually it came to pass that Raaga had lain low all worthy opponents in Ishgria, until he found a student... but that's another story.

Debriefing

So let's break this apart into his leader skill, brave bursts, and extra skill. That's right, this series is gonna get meta. So, between all these abilities, Raaga really...really...like, REALLY likes sparking. Probably enough that, for the sake of argument, he could spark with himself. Now we can easily translate this into saying that Raaga favors combos in combat, seeking to drive his opponents into a corner by not giving them a moment to defend themselves. His regular brave burst, (probably self-)named, Champion's Flourish, has the added bonus of increasing the drop rate of heart and brave crystals, which I take to meaning an extravagant display more than an attack, meant to destroy the morale of his enemy and bolster his own spirits in combat. His super brave burst, Vermilion Incandescence, merely continues with the affinity for sparking that he possesses. Now, his Ultimate is where things get interesting, Divine Penance: 108 Kleshas, now I did a bit of research and the implications are quite surprising.

Now from this, Raaga at first presents himself as one of the Buddhist faith, liberating himself of the Kleshas, or 'poisons' of the mind, thus attaining the purity of self and realization of his own inner evils, permitting him to massively increase his own abilities and destroy those that stand before him. And indeed this may still be the case with this ability, but Raaga's no Buddhist, in fact, he's the physical embodiment of one of the five primary Kleshas of Buddhism, known by the same name, Raga, or attachment. It holds that a person possesses fixation, pursuit of a singular goal almost mindlessly, for accomplishment of these goals provides pleasure, and one will desperately seek that pleasure, only to grow bored of something once it ceases to please. Suddenly Raaga's pursuit of weapons is not merely him attempting to beat the life out of everything with a warm body and a heartbeat, but an addiction, a need for mastery of something, once he's mastered a weapon, he loses interest in it, drops it, once he's beaten an opponent, he now knows the basis of what he can defeat, and fighting anything less will no longer be an accomplishment. So this eventually drives him to seek a student, somebody he could show his mastery to, to seek the new, vicarious pleasure of an apprentice learning from him.

Okay, but that's quite enough of that, let's examine his arsenal. Raaga's going to be a very unique case due to his, extensive arms. For his armaments. I'll leave now.

So, firstly is a fairly simple one, the broadsword. Plenty of weighty steel in this one, able to cut through just about anything save for the toughest armors, not particularly good for stabbing, but that's not much of an issue with the rest of the arsenal.

Next up, the hatchet. Excellent weapon for chopping obviously, similar to the broadsword it'll take quite a strong arm to wield effectively, especially one handed like Raaga does, a simple yet elegant means to show just how much raw strength this demon possesses. It carries enough weight to bite into even steel armor. It doesn't require quite a lot to learn how to use this weapon, but it's versatile enough that mastery likely eludes Raaga, as it can prove useful in quite a number of situations.

Beyond these we reach a much smaller weapon, a simple dagger, now this particular blade is crafted with a single edge, the steel angled in such a way that it won't be used for cutting like a traditional knife, but rather for being driven upwards into targets, which is why he holds it so low to the ground. This would see the knife as specialized specifically for driving up beneath an opponent's armor, or simply to catch an enemy off guard. At close and grappling range the knife could also be used for traditional stabbing at any exposed vitals, which Raaga could easily locate given his many arms.

After this we get into some more complicated weapons, first and foremost, the tekko-kagi, or tiger claws, comprised of curved metal nails attached to an oval ring that the user grips, it was originally utilized as a farming implement, a kind of sickle for tearing up weeds, but in the case of combat can be used very effectively both offensively and defensively. The separate nails ensure that there is space that can be used to effectively capture an opponent's weapon and tangle it, rendering the enemy open to attack by any of his other implements. Alternatively the weapon can be used to claw at enemies, either at their face or their weapon arms, both inflicting grizzly, stunning wounds that would open the enemy up for a killing blow.

Then there is the rapier-like sword that he holds in his upper left hand (top right in his unit art), we can't actually seem to identify this blade as it has a number of unique features to it, but the purpose to it can be fairly easily discerned. It possess a straight blade with a single edge, the fact that he holds it higher than any of his other weapons implies that it's used for overhead strikes. However it can also be used for stabbing at enemies, and two indentations on either side of the blade by the pommel indicate that it will be used primarily for resolving clashes with an opponent's sword, catching the blade and providing Raaga with plenty of leverage to wrench the weapon from his opponent's grasp or to keep them ensnared.

Finally there is the trident that he uses, one of his most persistent weapons. The trident is typically built as tall as a man, and is meant to be used against unarmored foes, striking quickly and precisely from a distance, which goes against the rest of his arsenal which is composed of weapons specializing in close range combat, suggesting that Raaga has yet to fully master it despite it being his most persistent weapon, in fact it might be for that exact reason that he keeps it, that mastery eludes him, and he refuses to cease working with other weapons to focus on it, regardless of the fact that they all possess very different uses. The slots between each of the three prongs are built to capture enemy weapons, and to provide the leverage needed to tear it away, although this would require a two-handed grip, which Raaga has decided he's too cool for.

Now, something to consider, all of these weapons certainly befit our diagnosis that Raaga prefers to enter into close range with his weapons and overwhelm his opponent with combos, but, these weapons don't synergize. While yes, all of these weapons with the exception of the trident are suited to close combat, they all have different ranges, thus limiting what can be used at any given time, so it's not very likely that at any given time he'd realistically be fighting with all six out. Raaga gains his exceptional battle prowess by his Extra Skill, Divine Art's Path, which doubles his hit count, again we can look at this as just an attempt to rush his opponent and burn them down quickly by sheer ferocity.

Overall though, Raaga is a force to be reckoned with, not one to be taken lightly, he alone managed to defeat every worthy demon in Ishgria in his time, which shows that he is a being of incredible power and skill, skill that grows by the day as he keeps learning new methods to fight and kill. He is a living weapon, and will stop at nothing to win.

Flaring Massacre Rize

"I have no interest in any other beings. Having interest in anything at all makes no sense."

The demon Rize, a being of boundless power, uninterested in the petty squabbles of her peers, and in battle or conquest, she was an enigma, living a life without passion. However, there was a single demon, as the legends go, that she despised with an overwhelming hatred, and that she considered to be a mortal enemy. Now Rize was passed over in Raaga's conquest, time periods in Ishgria are extremely tentative, but it can be assumed that they came from different timelines, so they never battled one another. But what if they did? What if that mortal enemy, was Raaga? What would the outcome be? Would Raaga slay her like the rest? Or would Rize show him what power truly is?

STOP! META TIME

Alright, now it's high time to break down her abilities. Her leader skill, Cupid's Divine Power, focuses on raw strength, as well as increasing the drop rate of HC. Now her abilities do allow for a flat heal, albeit one that occurs over time, so it can be said that Rize possesses a naturally enhanced healing factor. Her extra skill, Cataclysmic Impulse, works hand in hand with this, when her health is full, she's vastly stronger. Her Brave Burst, Radia Velocity, provides the flat heal over time, and is an attack focused on a single target, this will set the stage for her to utilize the rest of her abilities to their fullest, and will likely be her opener. Her Super Brave Burst, Revelia Familia, is an attack predicated entirely on her health, the more health she has, the harder this strike hits, additionally this lends her the added bonus of ignore defense, we can fairly easily say that this is an attack that bulls through any blocking or defense the enemy can muster, striking directly. However, her close link to her life force as dependent on her abilities can be very detrimental, as it means that she will at some point begin to burn out when she can no longer maintain her healing factor, and when she does she will burn out quickly. Her Ultimate Brave Burst, Vertex, follows the same pattern, dealing maximum damage only when her health is at its fullest.

So we clearly see that Rize is a being bent entirely towards obliteration, getting in, and nuking her opponents down quickly so as to avoid any possible retaliation before she burns out. Now, let's see if her arsenal matches up with this.

Firstly in Rize's repertoire, is her simple cane, now I know what you're thinking, that it's just for flair, it's a gold stick with a ruby in it, which it is, however, this cane seconds as a weapon. Just look at the handle, the way she holds it, not from the very top pointing it down like she needs it for walking, nor from beneath the handle like she's trying to make a show of having it, no, she holds it at her side in a very specific way. Even looking at the handle, the shape of the gold doesn't fit to the remainder of the actual cane, which all points towards this actually being a cane sword, a concealed weapon within an unassuming sheathe essentially. Given the rest of her powers, and the way that in her actual attack animation, she holds it behind herself, always beneath her robes, she wants it to be used as a last ditch effort, and she makes every measure to ensure that her opponent doesn't know about it. However, that being said, it's obviously not something that she uses quite a lot, and will likely only be used once her own powers fail her, a point which won't come until she's at the end of her ropes already, so she will rely solely on the element of surprise to use this effectively.

But let's steer away from the mortal weapons now, let's observe her demonic arsenal. For this, we have the two conduits for her powers, two little creatures at her beck and call, sentient stone in the form of demonic imps, one very tiny and extremely agile, the other a hulking brute, both held together by a nucleus of electrical power in their head that they stem and grow from across her three forms. Now the larger of the two always stays by her side, and directs her attacks, all the electrical power she releases moves through this one, subsequently the smaller imp zips around and directs the current, its extreme speed and small stature meaning that it always strikes where the enemy is most vulnerable. From her attack animations, it's made clear that despite the fact that Rize orders these creatures, they are independent beings with their own will, and will operate separately from their mistress unless instructed otherwise. They obviously possess an incredible synergy, one will cover the other if they are ever in danger, and truly they prove that they make up the muscle of the trio, and do it very well.

Alright, so now we've met the combatants, and have seen examples of their exceptional powers and the results of it. So now, let's take it down into the battlefield, and see how they stack up, ladies and gents, it's tiiiiime for a Brave Clash!

Rules

The Battles fought in the Summoner's Arena have several stipulations to ensure that all combatants are represented fairly and evenly.

All buffs from regular and super brave bursts are considered permanent for the sake of the fight unless stated otherwise, as 'turns' can't be realistically gauged

Neither combatant is equipped with a sphere unless their extra skill or lore orients them towards one in particular

Stats are largely considered equivalent barring any spheres that meet the above criteria, or buffs from brave bursts or extra skills.

Extent of each unit's powers (i.e Farlon's abilities with magic) are up for interpretation, they will be attempted to be portrayed in the most reasonable manner befitting each individual.

That's about it for now, so let's get to the fight!

The roar of the crowd was thunderous, the air charged with excitement as the demons of Ishgria gathered in Oguro's Court for the long awaited battle. The court was commissioned by the old demon to mete out honorable single combat between demons. It was modeled after one of the grand colosseum of the humans of Grand Gaia that had been observed during the last great invasion. It's high walls were built of black and red stone, and today it found itself full to bursting, as two demon titans, both feared and revered by all, had gathered to finally battle one another face to face.

A tiny, winged dragon fluttered up to perch itself upon the Demon King's balcony. The sagely old demon smiled at the little creature, handing it a small scroll, which the gold scaled demon took with a slight bow. The drakling unfurled the parchment, fixing a monocle over its left eye, then breathed an enormous pillar of flame into the air. The sheer force of the sudden eruption blew several demons back in their seats, silencing the court instantly.

"Ahem," it cleared its throat, "Welcome, demons of Ishgria!" The whole court roared their enthusiasm, bloodlust in their eyes. "The contestants have been gathered! The battle shall be to concession!" The cheers suddenly dissolved to a thunder of boo's, the dragon raised its hands for silence. "OR DEATH! LET'S SEE THE CONTESTANTS!" Applause and whistles, demons roaring and spraying gouts of acid and flame into the sky to voice their excitement.

At the dragon's words, two heavy chain gates began to rise at either end of the arena, the combatants striding out to even more cheers, heading towards the center of the open field beneath the stands. The dragon glanced at the scroll in its hands now, scanning it briefly. "'On the east end, the God of Martial Arts himself, RAAAAAAGAAAAA!'" About half of the demons, all evenly scattered about the court, took up to cheering on their favored demon. "'And on the west end, the dark beauty herself, RIIIIIIIIIIIIZE!" The other half rose and took up the cheer for their champion. "FIIIIGHT!"

….

"Ah, Miss Rize, I've been waiting for this," Raaga exclaimed, stretching out both arms, clutching a broadsword in one and a hatchet in the other.

"I'm sure it's a pleasure. Hmm!" Rize looked faintly surprised, raising both eyebrows. "Now would you look at that, you're an eight!"

"Oh why thank you, I did do my hair differently this morning and-"

"Oh ho ho ho-no. No you're about as ugly as sin, I'm sorry I should've clarified, I rate my opponent's' power levels, it's something of a hobby really."

"Well, rude. Still, eight's plenty go-"

"I myself rate an eight and a half, and my associates, MUMBO! JUMBO!" At her will, the ground around her seemed to liquify, swirling in a golden, earthy whirlpool. Two shapes rose up from the pool, one great hulking brute of brown stone, the other a red, crystalline imp wielding a spear nearly twice its body in length, both lacked any facial features, save for a large, pulsing orb of electrical power at their center. "They are both sevens." Raaga whistled. "And another thing, I was lead to believe that you were the infamous six-armed demon Raaga."

"Oh well, you know when you're as fast as I am, stories tend to circulate," he explained with a coy smile.

"I see, well then I suppose I'll just have to eradicate you quickly and find the real one."

"Well, this oughta be interest-"

"FIIIIGHT!"

The little imp, Mumbo apparently, zoomed at him, immediately attempting to impale Raaga with that wicked spear of his. "Ekthcuuuuuuuuthe me thir," it offered, its voice distractingly high pitched, "have youuuuuuuuu ever conthidered living life with a thpear in youuuuuuur chestht?" Raaga growled, swiping at it angrily with both broadsword and axe, but the annoying thing buzzed away far too quickly for him to land a solid hit.

"Get. Back. Here. You. Little. Shit!" He demanded, becoming more and more frustrated with each swipe.

"DIE!" Rize raised her cane, pressing the ruby at its crest to her lips, and a bolt of bright blue lightning leapt from it, "REVELIA FAMILIA!" Raaga spun on the spot to avoid another swipe from the imp. The creature caught the incoming blast, the energy seeping into its stony form, then blasting it outwards into Raaga. The martial artist cried out as the bolt struck him full in the chest. He growled, his knees wobbling slightly, then took off at a full, rage induced sprint straight at Rize. She furrowed her brow, annoyed. She threw out her arm, willing the enormous devil from her side.

"I'MA BREAK YA BITCH!" It boomed, moving just as fast as its smaller counterpart, both fists raised up high, then driving down into the earth in front of Raaga. The demon yelped as the ground beneath him burst, casting him upward. The hulking beast didn't let him be either, flying up after him and slamming both fists down into Raaga's chest, rocketing the demon back down into the ground. "STAY AWAY FROM MISTRESS!" It shot after Raaga, determined to end the fight, screaming and baring both fists downward. Raaga waited, vision blurry from the concussive force of Jumbo's strikes, ribs screaming, a maniacal grin on his face. The creature was a mere breath away of ending it, and Raaga shot up. An additional set of arms unslung themselves from their place at his back, reaching up and catching the plummeting beast, completely stopping its downward momentum. "Oh...you're strong." The shock was deliciously evident in its voice.

"Thanks hot stuff, you're not so bad yourself," Raaga replied. His other two arms swung up, broadsword and hatchet parting through stone as if it were mere butter. Jumbo screamed, it was a grating sound, like metal scraping metal that just refused to stop, it made both Raaga and Rize cringe slightly.

"Ekthcuuuuuuuse youuuuuuu! I'll not tolerate thuch abuuuuuuuthe upon my brother!" The imp Mumbo came speeding from behind, Raaga cocked his hips, planting his feet, then torqued the whole of his body as he heard the nuisance approach, swinging the detached arms of Mumbo directly into it with a resounding crack, sending the imp flying, dazed to the far end of the court before he dropped the arms at his feet. Grinning, Raaga shoved past the disarmed Jumbo to charge at Rize. Her eyes were dull, almost lifeless as she watched Raaga, a flurry of lightning zipping through her, slung towards the approaching martial artist. One managed to strike him full in the chest, but he was determined now, adrenaline buzzing full in his veins now. He swiped at her with the broadsword, but she ducked out of the way, slashed with his hatchet, she threw up her cane with both hands, blocking the strike almost effortlessly, then he landed one solid punch, which struck her cheek with the satisfyingly loud sound of beaten flesh. The demoness brought a dainty hand up to her cheek, coming away bloody, her head rose to look Raaga full in the face, her eyes were hellfire, even while the rest of her face remained neutral. Yet despite the inherent danger in that, Raaga felt her arms begin to tremble in their task of holding his hatchet at bay, had she just gotten weaker?

"RADIA VELOCITY!" She cried, a wall of electricity blasting out of her and into Raaga, sending him flying backwards. "Four arms!? Honestly, I'm going to murder you."

Raaga wiped a hand over his cheek, blood coming away on the white bandages over his hands. His two empty hands reached to the sling on his back, pulling forth another set of weapons, a small dagger and a set of claws; this time he'd put her down. "Mumbo! Jumbo! Deal with him!" Rize demanded, cradling her wounded cheek.

"Ha! Your puppets are good as gone, you're gonna need a different wall to hide behind!" Raaga boasted.

"Is that right? Really?" She replied, voice emotionless.

"Yes, I lopped off the one's arms and sent-"

"YOUUUUUU THALL NOT HARM MITHTRETH!" The imp suddenly came tearing across the sky like a beast possessed, his spear striking right in the meat of Raaga's shoulder, the shock of the blow emptied his lungs, leaving him unable to shout as he dropped his broadsword. He recovered quickly, swinging his head back to bash Mumbo's rocky skull, the imp grunted, stunned. Raaga spun around the imp, tearing the spear out of his shoulder, and locking it beneath the imp's head, pulling it taut against its throat with his now free hands. He roared with an explosive effort, and with the sound of running sand, the haft of the spear passed through, Mumbo's head popping clean off, it's body dropping with an unceremonious thud.

"There, now they're both de-"

"HEY BUDDY NEED A HAND!?" Raaga looked up just in time to get a facefull of fist, crushing his nose in and knocking him flat on his back.

"Oh gods that was even worse than my joke," he groaned, his voice nasal from the blow to his nose. Using the spear as a crutch, Raaga rose unsteadily to his feet to come face to face with Jumbo, whole once more, and wielding his discarded arms like clubs. "Of course you regenerate, of course you would, that's lovely, oh for...hold on a moment would you?" Raaga reached up, firmly cracking his nose back into place with a loud pop, "much better, now, big man, what's it like growing your arms back?"

"YOU WANNA FIND OUT!?" Raaga smiled, cracking his neck.

"Oh you're on." Raaga assumed a fighting stance, his upper arms clasping the newly acquired spear, the dagger and claws held low. Raaga lashed out with his claws, biting into Jumbo's arm and holding it. The brute tried to strike him with the other arm, but Raaga blocked the strike with the shaft of the spear, then slammed the knife into its shoulder. Jumbo reared back in pain, so Raaga took the opportunity, pried his claw loose from its arm and sank it into Jumbo's shoulder, giving him the leverage to leap up to mount its upper back. "So long big man!" Raaga cried, lifting the spear high overhead to drive down into the creature's eye.

"Youuuuuuuuu'll ruuuuuuuuuuue the day you dethided to meth with Mithtreth Rithe!" The other imp? Raaga couldn't dwell any longer though, as he was abruptly torn from Jumbo's back, his arms flaring with a tearing pain as they all strained, some force pulling back on his upper set of arms. He flew through the air, dragging Jumbo by the claws stuck in him. His head slammed against something solid, looking up he saw none other than Mumbo staring down at him, that impassive nucleus hanging ominously. He was all back together, alive and well, and he'd willed his spear back to him. Raaga tried to let go of the weapon, but found his fingers suddenly paralyzed, locked in place. The imp pulled his spear back and planted it flat against Raaga's upper back, barring his arms. At the same time Jumbo got behind Raga, forcibly dragging his other arms back, leaving him immobile.

"I'm quite done with this nonsense, prepare to die fool," Rize intoned, brandishing her cane high overhead. Raaga scoffed, unimpressed.

"Right, look you talk big but I know you're tiring out Rize, you're wounded."

"Truly?" Rize wiped a single hand across her dainty cheek, the blood coming away to reveal her face perfectly unblemished, she'd healed herself! "Enough, VERTEX!"

"Ver-who?" Raaga was cut short as power erupted from Rize's form, an immense wave of electrical force sweeping out in all directions, filling the entire court with a flaring white light, blinding every demon there, the force of the blast knocking every single demon on their backs, a roar of thunder filling the air to accompany the attack.

It took a full minute for the air to clear, everywhere the stones of the colosseum were cracked or crumbling. Dust rose and billowed up into the sky, the court was silent. demons began rising back up to their seats, rubbing their heads to clear the concussive haze, and they all gaped. The two imps were still in the same spot, but their captive was gone, he'd been completely vaporized. The little dragon flew up to his balcony, clearing his throat.

"Ahem, the match, is over! Miss Rize is the vic-" he paused, turning back he saw the old demon Oguro shaking his head, pointing one long, wicked green nail. The dragon adjusted his monocle, and leaned in closer to look, there was something about the imps. "I'm sorry folks it would seem that-"

"THE GREAT CHAMPION RAAGA ISN'T DEAD!" The martial artist's head peaked out from behind the imps, their arms bound back by his as a third pair began waving and gesturing to the crowd, who roared their approval.

"What!?" Rize fumed, gritting her teeth, "How did you… What!? SIX ARMS!?" Raaga scoffed, using the waving arms to pry the heads clean off of Mumbo and Jumbo, holding them high overhead with a flourish for the crowd.

"I had to make sure you were worth all six of them," he bragged, throwing the heads down into the earth, scooping up his discarded weapons, as well as Mumbo's spear, and drawing a trident from the boundless void that was his back apparently. He smirked at Rize.

"WORTHLESS MONGREL!" She raged, her eyes glowing blood red now, "YOU RESIST THE INEVITABLE, AND CHANGE NOTHING!" She began sucking in more power, firing it in great arcs at Raaga.

"Oh quite the contrary my dear, I think I just figured you out." He plunged the spear into the body of Mumbo, the trident into its larger counterpart, then with a burst of effort he flung their bodies into the incoming attack.

The stones sucked up the power in an instant, their heads popping back into existence, animate once more from the absorbed energy.

"I got him mithtreth, he will be dethtwoyed!" Mumbo reached out, summoning his spear to his side, Raaga cocked his hips, ready to move. Rize noticed.

"No you idiot!" But Raaga was already sailing at them, turning back and flinging his hatchet, it passed clean through Mumbo's neck, dropping the imp to the ground. Raaga kept traveling though, straight at Jumbo now, he reached out with his claws, sinking it into the beast as he neared, transferring all his momentum into the devil, chucking him bodily into the ground, landing with a flourish in front of Rize, his devil-may-care grin plastered on his face. "I am going to turn you to as-" Raaga placed a finger to her lips, quieting her.

"Enough monologuing, fight time now," he struck out, his other arms all driving forward. His claws stopped just short of flesh by that cane of hers, which also batted aside his broadsword and struck the side of the wrist holding his dagger. She wound back to strike at his head, his free hand effortlessly caught it, spinning Rize on her heels, he used the cane to twist her own arm, quite viciously. She gasped as her hand involuntarily opened, releasing the cane to Raaga. Her eyes glowed red, and with a roar she unleashed a bolt of lightning directly into his chest, launching him back and away.

Raaga's vision blurred, but he landed on his feet, raising the staff to eye level to examine it, hefting it in his hand to test the weight. The slight shimmer of silver drew his eye, gripping the jeweled top, he pulled, drawing forth a hidden length of steel, his eyes lit up with joy.

"Excellent craftsmanship, great balance as well, it is always fun running my opponents through with their own weapons."

"I'll be sure to try it out once I've riddled your corpse!" Rize continued her relentless assault, so Raaga got to moving.

"Youuuuuuuu're doom drawth near!"

"I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU!" The two devils were back already, Raaga tried to position them between Rize and himself, but they merely directed the current, so long as they could see him, they could strike him. His flesh was becoming charred from the bolts that made it to him, but the adrenaline flowed freely through his veins now, he was just getting into it. He sprung at Jumbo, a flurry of movement as he struck the beast in imperceptibly rapid succession, his arms a blur, his attack continuing even as he rolled around Jumbo to dodge another strike from Rize.

"I'M DONE WITH YOUUUUUU, YOUUUUU THIKTH ARMED BATHTARD!" Raaga felt his arm being jarred aside, the spear flying towards the little imp. He readied his trident to drive into it, but Rize chose that moment to launch a bolt towards the imp, who directed it right into the inbound martial artist, which flung him to the ground, the spear finally flying free of his hands.

"Heh, nice one," Raaga chuckled, spitting out a glob of blood, "now let's see if I can-"

"DIE ALREADY!" Raaga watched as the hand wielding Rize's cane sword reversed its grip against his will, turning the steel inward, and suddenly plunged down. He twisted his torso a moment too late once he realised it was happening, and it lanced right into his gut. He spat up a gout of blood as it burned in him like a hot iron, then without ceremony he was lifted by an invisible force and flung towards Rize.

He came to an abrupt stop directly in front of her, she tore her blade free of his stomach, then slammed her open hand into his chest, leaving him suspended there. She glared at him, her eyes a mix of rage and satisfaction, Raaga was beginning to like her.

"How'd you do that?" He asked tiredly, his eyes drooping to the hole in his chest. She smirked at him the first smile he'd seen out of the woman.

"Enough stupid questions, fight time now." A searing white light began to bloom in her hand, the air hung dead silent for a moment, Raaga almost forgot to be frightened in his anticipation. A solid beam of power ripped through him, bursting out his back and tossing him across the court, slamming right into the far wall, the force of the impact cracking the stone.

"W...Woo! Hole...hole in my chest, tha's a new one!" Raaga coughed out, pained. Rize was trembling in rage now.

"Why are you still alive!?"

"W...whaddya mean?" He slurred drunkenly, rising on shaky legs, readying himself again.

"Why do you keep fighting?" You can't even kill these two let alone myself." At a motion from her, the two imps sped forward and slammed Raaga back into the wall, the demon too dazed to even retaliate.

"'Cuz it's fun!"

"And just what would you do if you manage to kill me? What then?"

"Then I'll kill him next!" Raaga said excitedly, his wind back in him now, he pointed all six arms at the demon king's balcony, Oguro waved, delighted and seemingly oblivious.

"And then what?" She asked, miffed now. "I could never understand you warrior types. Once you've killed the king and rule the world, then what!? What's left? There's no substance left to your actions, no forethought." Raaga slumped a bit, looking past Rize towards Oguro, who sat forward in his throne a bit, suddenly interested. "You'd ascend to the high throne and nobody else would ever present a challenge, then what are you going to do, what's all that fighting going to have earned you?"

"Huh...you're right...I never thought about it like that, eventually I'm gonna be better than anyone...huh." He looked defeated, more concerned by this revelation than the gaping hole in his chest. Rize's expression softened, she collected herself, ever dignified.

"Well, you're not going to need to worry about that, the end of the line is here." She pulled back her sword, ready to plunge it into his heart.

"No…" he whispered, almost inaudible. She struck, and one of his hands shot up, catching the blade, then held it there. "No, you're right, there's no point to it, to all the fighting... I've got to turn over a new leaf, start afresh." A bright light suddenly blossomed from Raaga, growing into a brilliant orb of white light in the crater in his chest. His flesh turned an angelic white, seemingly transparent beneath the light within. His dark hair took on a shock of silver, his golden eyes began to glow, a fire burning in him now. "But first, I need to stop you."

"W...what is this!?" Rize gasped.

"Divine penance, now, we end this."

"What the-" the little imp had one arm grabbed, Raaga flipped him overhead and impaled Mumbo on his trident, the point of it passing straight through the nucleus in the imp's head. At the contact, there came the slightest sound of breaking glass, and the entire construct turned to dust.

"NOOOOO!" The giant charged at him, Raaga stopped its charge easily, merely holding out his hand to grab its arm, then swung his broadsword up, cleaving the arm clean off. Taking hold of the loose arm, he wielded it like a mace and batted Jumbo's head, knocking it back. Raaga leapt up, driving his claws into its neck as he did so, the jump carrying him clean over Jumbo's head, and allowing Raaga to force it right onto its back with a thud. Holding Jumbo down with his now titanic strength, Raaga reached back, pulling yet another blade forth, this one a thin length of steel, with a slight curve towards the hilt, holding the point menacingly over its head. "Please don't kill me," it whimpered.

"Sure thing big man, if, you can promise me that you won't follow her orders to fight."

"I...I can't."

"Well then," Raaga chuckled slightly, then turned to a savage glare, "No." He drove the blade straight down, piercing the nucleus in Jumbo's head, turning it to dust. "And now you." He turned to Rize, his arms returning all his weapons to the void he carried on his back, all save for the newest blade. He held three hands to its hilt, the other three pressed into the groove at the base of the blade.

"You'll be dead long before you ever have the chance!" Rize pulsed with an aura of pale blue light, crackling with power, and began relentlessly attacking Raaga to keep him distant. But Raaga moved faster than she could even process, shifting his sword to catch each attack, the blade diffusing the electric energy, leaving him unscathed. Even those bolts that did manage to strike him didn't even register, he merely continued his leisurely pace forward, towards her, those gold eyes coming ever closer, Rize scrambled, drawing her cane sword in fright. "You won't kill me! I can't die here!" She swung at him, Raaga moved his hands to the hilt of his weapon and countered. Their blades clashed, Raaga lowered his face to hers as sparks began to fly off their swords, his golden eyes filling her with terror. He took hold of his blade, forcing it down, lowering her guard and then slamming a fist squarely into Rize's face.

She dropped her grip on her cane, stumbling back to nurse a bleeding nose. The two swords crossed over her throat, she gulped, closing her eyes as she braced herself.

"Do you concede?" She blinked, glaring up at Raaga, who gave a friendly smile. "I don't wanna kill ya, so ya have to give up."

"I," she shuddered, ashamed, "I concede…" it was barely a whisper.

"SHE CONCEDES!" Raaga turned, addressing the crowd, gritting her teeth, Rize screamed.

"VERTE-" Raaga whirled around in the blink of an eye, drawing forth his broadsword and in one pass separated her head from her shoulders. It sailed high into the air, another of his hands reached back, drawing the imp's spear, and launched it. It pierced the head as it flew, carrying it high overhead to sail towards the demon king, pinning the head directly over Oguro's throne. Raaga smiled, pointing at the old demon.

"You're next old man!" The king chuckled, waving happily. The little dragon came to perch itself on the balcony again.

"RAAGA WINS!" The crowd exploded into an uproar of cheering and applause. Raaga smiled, the light in his chest winking out, his hair drooping back down to its black shade.

"Y'know, she was wrong, fighting's pretty damn fun!" He tapped a finger absently to his lips, thinking. "But if there's nobody stronger...hmm, maybe I'll teach someone to be stronger!" He smiled, decided. "Yeah, I'm gonna train an apprentice!"

BREAKDOWN

When I started writing this, I was pretty decided that Raaga was the inferior fighter here, Rize just seemed to have the odds stacked impossibly in her favor with enough sheer power to destroy him instantly. But then something occurred to me. Raaga's devoted his entire existence to defeating every worthy opponent in Ishgria, he's fought and won countless battles, he has the experience of a veteran fighter. Rize on the other hand, though tremendously powerful, has always used that power as a deterrent to aggressors throughout her life, she won't possess the experience, or any exceptional battle tactics beyond shoot to kill. Raaga's fought countless demons, maybe not as powerful as Rize, but he's doubtless learned how to analyze and counter his opponent's quickly, so despite his lack of complete weapon mastery, he more than makes up for it with base combat skill. Rize's own power lead to her gaining a big ego, and in the end it allowed Raaga to outsmart her, and lead to her defeat.

The Winner Is

Raaga!

...

HEYO!

So we had the idea to do this piece a while back, and I recently decided to really dig into it and I really enjoyed doing this. It was really interesting to dig into their lore and pick them apart, decipher all these different things about them from such small details. I really enjoyed it, and I hoped that all of you enjoy it as well, and I'd like to see what you guys think of it, and I welcome any ideas that you guys provide, units that you would like to see fight or that you think have a correlation, units that you think are cool and just wanna see in a fight, whatever you want, I welcome some interaction on it. Now bear in mind the outcome of this fight is still merely my opinion and are subjective. So, I'll see you guys next time, in the next battle, Selena Vs. Lugina, the Batle of the Arena Lords!