A/N: Well... I think that the chapter title should make this pretty self-explanatory, but just in case, let me clear it up- this is to show people what would happen were the Toa of Aincrad and the Slayer of Aincrad were to come to blows. I know it doesn't really make sense, but hey, this is the abridged collection, so I do what I want! :D
Also, unlike most of my other stories, I will be inserting suggestions for which music to listen to at certain points in time. So whenever you see parentheses pop up with a song title, go look it up before you get back to reading- or don't, either way.
All that being said, go enjoy this crazy chapter that I spent almost a full month researching to decide who would win a Death Battle!
The Red Swordsman: Death Battle
"Hey, Mataras," Kirito asked as they strolled through the new Collinia coliseum. "Got a question for you."
"Fire away," his brother said easily.
"Who do you think would win in a fight?" he asked. "The Toa of Aincrad, or the Slayer of Aincrad?"
"Hmm… That's a pretty good question, now that think about it," Mataras answered. "To be honest, I'm not really sure which version of myself would come out on top."
"That sucks," Kirito sighed. "I've been pretty curious about that lately. Too bad we don't have a way of finding out."
"Or do we?!" a gruff voice said, surprising both boys as they turned around to see a pair of men, one dressed in a blue tracksuit with a sword at his waist, and his companion dressed in red and white with a broadsword on his back.
"Uh… Who the heck are you guys?" Kirito asked them.
"Good question," the one in blue said. "Allow us to explain… See, we overheard your conversation, and as it turns out, we happen to know a thing or two about match-ups for battles like the one you just described."
"He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick!" the one in red, the one with the gruff voice grinned.
"And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to see who would win a Death Battle," Wiz added. Suddenly, a bloodied set of letters spelling 'Death Battle' appeared above the two newcomers, and Mataras and Kirito could only watch with interest as they pulled up their menus to start playing videos and display numerous stats.
(Noragami O.S.T. Noratan)
"Mataras, the Red Swordsman of Aincrad…" Wiz said dramatically. "In both of the two existing Red Swordsman fanfictions, he is well-known in the virtual world death game called Sword Art Online for a number of reasons."
"Mostly killing anyone he sees as a bad guy!" Boomstick interjected. "Seriously, he even admitted to losing track of his kill count. Said he had basically spilled an entire river's worth of blood!"
"True," Wiz nodded. "In the Toa of Aincrad chapter 24, Death's Face, he admitted to killing so many people that it was like 'a river of crimson tears'. He also is well-known for using threats to get what he wants, usually followed by him carrying them out, regardless of whether or not he got the information he wants."
"Sounds like kind of a dick to me," Boomstick commented.
"Many would agree," Wiz nodded. "However, he does see himself as justified, and in a way, some could argue that he did what was necessary to get jobs done that others were too afraid to take of themselves. He also maintains a record of never killing anyone that did not commit a crime according to the laws of society."
"So basically, he was trying to clean up society's mess?" Boomstick asked. "He must be a pretty messed-up guy to even think about trying something like that."
"Indeed, he has been noted by people that are close to him to be very mentally unstable," Wiz informed his partner. "This is primarily due to the fact that he lost not only his mother and father at a very young age, but he was also forced to witness his younger sister's death, something he blames himself for. The result was that he became an incredibly bitter, hateful individual who will lash out at anyone who brings up the subject of his family without his permission."
"Man, it doesn't sound like this guy has any redeeming qualities," Boomstick said with a shake of his head. "He's just a rage monster with a messed up head."
"Not quite," Wiz countered. "Although he is generally regarded with hate by the general public, those that are close to him have described him as intensely loyal and a cunning fighter, in spite of his near-blinding rage. If anything, his anger seems to make him even sharper in a fight, helping him to focus on the matter at hand, instead of lashing out blindly."
"Doesn't he also practice some kind of kung-fu type thingie?" Boomstick asked.
"Yes and no," Wiz replied. "Mataras uses a form of Karate known as Shorin-Ryu that originates from Okinawa, Japan. It is noted for being incredibly direct and brutal when used in combat, often leaving most opposing combatants incapacitated after one or two hits due to blunt-force trauma."
"Wait, you mean he doesn't use pressure points?" Boomstick asked.
"No, he does not. It's seen as a waste of time by Mataras, who has stated that in the time it takes to locate a pressure point to exploit and then use a precise enough strike could instead be used to punch his enemies three times over."
"Oh yeah, that's right, he's a pretty fast guy, isn't he?" Boomstick realized as he looked at some the stats in front of him.
"Yes indeed," Wiz agreed. "He has been shown to invest his accumulated experience points in his speed and dexterity stats more often that his strength or HP stats, though those last two were still pretty respectable by Aincrad's standards. The stat that he almost neglected entirely, however, was his defense stat, which he almost never invested in.
"But that didn't matter, cos his friggin' health stat was so high above most people, it wouldn't matter if they could hit him!" Boomstick exclaimed.
"This is shown in the third chapter, Dragon Masters, where both he and Kirito are so high in their levels that a group of seven standard-level players tried to attack them both, but to basically no effect, because their health stats regenerated too fast for their enemies to keep up," Wiz explained.
"And to top off all of his ridiculous combat skills and rage mode abilities, the skinny bastard had one of ten unique skills in the virtual world!"
"Right again, Boomstick," Wiz nodded. "Dragon Blood is arguably one of the best skills seen in SAO, as it allows the user to break completely free of the system's otherwise restrictive skill system."
"Apparently in Aincrad, your hits wouldn't do jack squat if you didn't use some sword skills, which while makin' your weapon look pretty damn awesome, made it pretty easy for other players to predict what you were gonna do next," Boomstick said. "But not the Red Swordsman!"
"Instead of losing attack power because he did not use a normal set of sword skills, Mataras' play style was known to be very unpredictable because no matter what he did, he could maintain standard DPS without the skill system's assistance. This meant that he would not be forced to through a series of predictable movements that a skilled opponent could read in advance. This was one of several reasons why he was so successful at engaging both mobs and players in combat- neither group could ever really guess at what he was going to do next."
"Any drawbacks on this thing?" Boomstick asked his friend. "Cos it sounds like he's pretty much friggin' unstoppable."
"As a matter of fact, there are," Wiz nodded. "While his attack stat and reflexes were far superior to most players in the game, he himself admitted that there were drawbacks to not only his play style, but his unique skill as well.
"First and foremost, his attack stat was not as high as Kirito's, though this was mostly due to the Black Swordsman's own unique skill, Dual Wielding. Also, Mataras noted that Asuna's attack speed was far superior to his own, even going so far as to say that her rapier could barely be seen when utilizing a sword skill. And lastly, his defense abilities were sorely lacking, as noted earlier. Even Sachi, his 'adopted' little sister, has been noted to be capable of taking a harder hit than him, despite her lower level. Again, this is mostly due to how Mataras invested his points into his stats."
"Also, he said at one point or another that his Dragon Blood did not allow for critical hits," Boomstick added. "Man, has this guy never played Pokémon before?! You need them critical hits!"
"Not necessarily," Wiz countered. "While it is true that he himself could not inflict a critical hit with a sword skill, mobs are shown to have several weak points on their bodies in the game. Normally these areas would be difficult to strike directly once a sword skill had started, especially if it was a chain attack, but this did not apply to Mataras, as he could change the angle and direction his strikes at any time."
"Well this is great an' all, but why does this have anything to with the Toa and Slayer aspects of this fight?!" Boomstick demanded.
"Good question, I was about to get to that," Wiz replied. "The thing is about the two different incarnations of the Red Swordsman, is that they are identical in personalities and base skills. This means that while there will be many differences between them, the fact that they both used Dragon Blood in the first half of their stories means that they were both equally prepared to fight in a new environment without sword skills. But now with that out of the way, now we can move on to the differences between the two fighters."
"All right!" Boomstick exclaimed happily.
(Gravity Hurts Instrumental)
Known as the Toa of Aincrad in the first rendition of Sword Art Online, Mataras chose to become a Toa of Fire in order to seek out his lost family," Wiz began. "Thanks to his transferred stats from SAO, he was immensely powerful in both his melee and elemental control skills."
"Not to mention, he was able to use all the money he had gathered from his time in the death game to get ahold of some pretty sweet gear!" Boomstick added. "He got ahold of jets that let him fly without a mask power, a big claw, a bigger sword, a dart gun that could basically paralyze anyone that it hits, and a friggin' shoulder-mounted rocket launcher! He's a walking weapon!"
"Right you are, Boomstick, and that's not the end of it," Wiz added. "He has several mask powers that add to his already considerable abilities. Among them are masks of strength, levitation, dexterity, and a mask of shielding capable of projecting an energy field capable of withstanding some pretty intense blasts, both element based and weapon inflicted."
"Not to mention the fact that he has a mask that lets him basically tear holes in the fabric of space to create a portal big enough to shove a Kanohi Dragon all the way across a city!"
"For those of you unfamiliar with how large the Kanohi Dragon is, we can take a look at Bionicle Legends Four: Dark Destiny," Wiz explained. "In it, we are told that the Kanohi dragon was at least half the size of the Great Furnace of Ta-Metru, which was only superseded in size by the Coliseum at the center of the island. While we don't have an exact measurement of the Furnace, we do know that the Coliseum was about a kio- or a kilometer- in height. That's 3280.84 feet tall."
"And you're sayin' that the dragon was that big?!" Boomstick asked. "Damn! How'd they ever contain that thing?"
"It took four Toa of Ice to subdue the monster in the original story, but we'll get to that part later," Wiz said. "For now, we're focusing on the monster's size. Now, according to Vakama, the building stood about half the height of the Coliseum, which is 1640.41 feet tall- still an impressive size. And the dragon, as described by the Piraka Vezok, was more than half the size of the building, barely able to fit in long enough to absorb the flames it needed to survive."
"So how big was this reptile?" Boomstick inquired.
"If we put it at about three-quarters the height of the Furnace, which is our best guess since we don't have any exact measurements, we would put the Kanohi dragon at just over 1230 feet long, still an impressive length for anyone's standards," Wiz summarized. "That's not even taking into account its wingspan for width."
"I think get the point!" Boomstick shouted. "It's a huge flying reptile that breathes fire!"
"The point is, Mataras had a mask so strong and the mental discipline to use it that even a monster of that size was unable to escape his power," Wiz said patiently. "The Olmak also has a bonus effect in the sense that even if the user is knocked out, the portal will continue to remain until something or someone passes through it. The only way to negate this is to remove the mask from the user, as Mataras did when he defeated Toa Eugene. And that wasn't even his ace card."
"That's right folks, he gets even more OP!" Boomstick grinned.
"Mataras managed to get ahold of the Kanohi Vahi, the mask of time, one of the three masks that could control a fundamental force in the universe," Wiz said. "With it, he could slow down, stop time, or do the opposite and speed it up around a target of his choosing. This included himself, as demonstrated when he managed to defeat all of the Sleeping Knights, save for their leader, in the span of a single second."
"Some might argue that he could have beat her at that time too, but he himself denies the fact, cos it takes too much concentration to last that long," Boomstick said. "Huh. Guess he does have a limit after all."
"Mataras himself is heard describing the effort that it takes to use a legendary mask of power, as seen during both his fight against the Sleeping Knights and the Kanohi Dragon," the blue-themed player said. "In fact, it seems that the larger area that he tries to affect, the more it tires him out and restricts his movement, unless he wants to risk losing control of the power. This essentially rendered him unable to move when he used it on the Kanohi Dragon."
"Now for the weapons part!" Boomstick said happily.
"Toa Mataras has a massive sword in the likeness of solidified flames that he often channels his elemental power through, and has been noted as incredibly sharp, slicing through boulders with impunity, and even cutting through Toa Nuva armor which has been known for its adaptability and resilience," Wiz said. "He also uses a claw-like gauntlet on his left hand that has been seen smashing a full-sized Po-Koro sculpture to fragments just before it crushed him. While it is true that he used his Pakari, or mask of strength while doing so, this still speaks volumes of the gauntlets' resilience."
"Wait just a minute- how much did this sculpture weigh?" Boomstick wondered aloud.
"Good question," his partner replied. "Assuming that it was made of solid protodermis, basically an equivalent to sandstone in the world of the Bionicle in the desert region of Mata Nui. Sandstone weighs about one-hundred and fifty pounds per cubic foot, and the standard Po-Koro sculpture has been guesstimated to be anywhere from fifty to one hundred feet tall. For argument's sake, we'll be measuring in the middle to see just how much he basically disintegrated- without using any fire."
"So we take one-fifty and multiply it by seventy-five…"
"And we get eleven thousand, two hundred and fifty pounds," Wiz said.
"Holy cow!" Wiz said with wide eyes. "That's almost how much my ex-wife weighs! Think I can Mataras to punch her for me?"
"…Moving on," Wiz said. "We noted earlier that Mataras also has shoulder-mounted weapons, the first of which is a nyrah ghost blaster."
"Basically what it does is shoot a giant dart made of energy and locks the target up with chains made of light," Boomstick said, sounding bored. "The fun one is his cordak revolver!"
"Cordak' means 'desolation' in the Matoran language, and it's easy to see why," said the other evaluator. "The missiles are limited in ammunition, but they are incredibly potent if used correctly. They have been seen causing major damage to other players and the environment around Mataras whenever he uses them. One shot was enough to force back Eugene, one of the strongest players in the game, who was also a Toa of Fire, which makes him resilient to flames in the first place. He also one-shot a Toa that he blasted from point-blank in the face with one of his missiles."
"Damn, in the face?!" Boomstick laughed. "That's brutal!"
"Not really surprising, considering what we covered during our analysis of his personality," Wiz shrugged. "He also has lightweight armor that allows for greater mobility and helps with his aerodynamics when he flies. That being said, he was still shown to be slower than Death Kanoka despite being a mainly speed-and-dexterity player with a secondary investment of his strength stat, so it is somewhat safe to say that while he is still fast, he is not quite as fast as he used to be.
"All of that aside, he still has his greatest weapon- his power over the element of fire."
"And boy does he use it!" Boomstick grinned. "This guy knows how to make some fireworks! Wonder if he'll agree to come over to my house for a barbeque and fireworks on the Fourth of July?"
"Not… really relevant buddy," Wiz sighed.
"Can't I dream a little?"
"Not while we're on the clock," Wiz reminded him. "Later."
"Fine…"
"Now, in regards to Mataras' elemental power, he is shown to be insanely powerful, even to the point of killing Eugene, thought to be the most powerful Toa of Fire in the game, with his control over flames," Wiz said. "Mataras was also shown to be precise enough with his fire counter elemental blasts that came from various long-range weapons, including a lightning-laced ice bolt from Sinon's crossbow. He also went on to the point of destroying the Kanohi Dragon by absorbing heat from all of Ta-Metru with a fire so hot, it surpassed its ability to absorb the energy and just its head off."
"So he can control fire that's not his?" Boomstick asked.
"Yes, but this takes more concentration on his part than it does to just create his own fire," Wiz explained. "Also, if he absorbs too much fire, he runs the risk of inadvertently unleashing a Toa Nova blast if he does not discharge the excess fire in time, which would release all of the power in his body at once, and simultaneously kill him."
"How powerful is a Nova blast, just out of curiosity?" Boomstick grunted.
"The power likely correlates to the individual Toa and how much power they have their disposal at the time of the explosion," Wiz surmised. "Even so, it is a very powerful move, and Recon, who had used a considerable amount of elemental power before self-destructing with the technique, was able to instantly kill five shadow Toa with his power over air and destroy several columns in Makuta's lair."
"You mean that whiny little guy that's always hanging around Kirito's cousin?" Boomstick asked.
"Yup," Wiz smirked.
(Fairy Tail Tartaros Theme)
"The Slayer of Aincrad, also known as the Fire Dragon Slayer of Inner Magic online, Mataras is every bit as ferocious and skilled in this form as he is in Toa armor," Wiz said. "Like his Toa form, his base stats come from SAO, making him a natural powerhouse. But unlike his Toa form, in which his elemental power is not directly affected by his mood, though it may push him to use his power in greater quantities- Mataras the Dragon Slayer's power actually increases the angrier he becomes."
"What?! Him being pissed makes even more of a powerhouse?!" Boomstick exclaimed in surprise. "What kinda bullcrap reasoning is that?!"
"It's a technique called the 'Flames of Emotion', and it is exclusive to the Fire Dragon wizard," Wiz explained. "Not to mention that whenever he is exposed to a flame that isn't created by him, he can basically eat it to regain his stamina and lost power."
"Well ain't that convenient," Boomstick said sarcastically.
"Not exactly," Wiz countered his friend. "The system in IMO is actually superior to SAO's in the sense that it is better at reading vitals than the NerveGear was. This includes reading heartrate, body temperature, and the amount of adrenaline running through the player's body. Basically, the system can tell when you're angry enough to reach a point that your magic power can actually increase with certain types of magic."
"And Mataras just happens to have that power?" Boomstick said, still sounding doubtful. "The angriest guy in the game? Still not buyin' it."
"Well, it's not as though he's the only one with ways to increase his power," Wiz pointed out. "Kirito and Asuna are both shown using spells that enhance their magic and physical stats, so it's not as though the ability is exclusive to him."
"All right, fair enough," Boomstick admitted. "What else has this guy got?"
"Slayer Mataras has a wealth of different spells at his disposal, both melee and long-ranged, the strongest of which are the Dragon Slayer Secret Arts, which consume a prodigious amount of magic power, but pack enough of a punch to kill off second-generation Dragon Slayers, which are noted for the vast amounts of raw power that they possess. He is also shown to be even faster than his old Avatar in Aincrad, with his fire allowing him to propel his limbs even faster than normal," Wiz continued. "He is shown using his flames to run fast enough to keep up with a pair of flying exceeds, which were apparently flying at mach speed."
"Wait, so he was running at friggin' 767 miles an hour?!" Boomstick exclaimed. "How did he not crash into something?!"
"Admittedly, he ran in a straight line, and was not swerving to avoid hitting obstacles, and he was lucky not to trip over anything," Wiz conceded. "Still, his speed is impressive in it of itself."
"Yeah, but since when could Dragon Slayers keep up with Sonic the Hedgehog?!" Boomstick demanded.
"As I said before, he was running straight, and he likely would not have a chance to use this ability in battle, unlike a certain hedgehog we know," Wiz said to placate his friend. "However, the fact he was not only able to reach that speed, but also sustain it long enough to reach a meeting several miles away speaks volumes of his power."
"But as we have said before…" Boomstick grinned. "Power levels are bullsh%t!"
"Not really the main point here, but Boom here is right," Wiz nodded. "Trying to compare exactly how much power is available to either version of Mataras is basically impossible, not to mention pointless."
"So how do we know when they'll run out of gas?" Boomstick asked.
"We'll get to that later," Wiz waved the matter aside. "Point is, the Dragon Slayer incarnation has a massive amount of energy at his disposal, just like his Toa version. However, it's very clear that this version of Mataras is much faster than the Bionicle one. But another similarity between him and his other self is that he can, in fact, fly. He only does it once, just before his death while using a Dragon Slayer Secret Art, but he has displayed the ability nonetheless."
"What's this guy got on defense?" Boomstick asked.
"Nothing much to say there, unfortunately," Wiz said. "Mataras wears a set of red-and-black clothing that further increases his fire magic, but offers nothing in the way of defense, forcing him to mostly dodge opponent's attacks instead of being able to take them head-on without receiving major damage."
"So wait, how'd he survive that fight against Laxus?" Boomstick asked.
"Another valid question," Wiz agreed. "Since his main stats were based off of his earnings in SAO, he has a ridiculous amount of HP as compared to most other players in the game. So even though he didn't invest in the stat much, his natural growth in level stacked up his health points to a ridiculous range anyways."
"Sounds like hacks and a cop-out to me," Boomstick muttered.
"Congratulations!" Mataras muttered sourly. "You get a cookie."
"Hey! No outsiders allowed!" Boomstick shouted as he shoved Mataras off-screen.
"Sorry about that, folks…" Wiz sighed. "In any case, this version of Mataras has a couple more tricks up his sleeves that puts him on par with his Toa counterpart's mask abilities."
"He's got another mode that lets him use both shadows and fire at the same time!" Boomstick grinned. "The Shadow Flame Dragon!"
"Indeed," Wiz agreed again. "This mode is incredibly powerful, allowing him to essentially pull off feats that others might consider impossible otherwise, since the mode itself was not even thought of before he first utilized it by absorbing Kirito's shadow dragon power. Despite it being almost a polar opposite to his own power, he was able to force himself to combine it with Fire Magic. This mode grants a high degree of adaptability, allowing him to merge with shadows around him and move undetected. It also increases the power behind his attacks, both melee and magical. However, it does have a serious drawback."
"Wait, he has a drawback?" Boomstick said, surprised. "I thought his power did nothing but increase all the time!"
"Not true," Wiz shook his head. "The Shadow Flame Dragon Mode requires a great amount of magic power to use, so much so that a full-powered breath attack left him with a condition called magic-deficiency syndrome that basically rendered him unconscious, and he was only revived after being fed a considerable amount of fire from other mages. It's kind of like Mataras' version of the kaioken in the sense that the more he uses it, the more power he has at his disposal, but the more of a toll it takes on his body.
"Still, it was enough to defeat one of the game's top three bosses, Jellal, a user of Heavenly Body magic," Wiz finished. "The cost may be high, but it packs quite the punch."
"But wait, there's more!" Boomstick shouted.
"That's right, the Shadow Flame Dragon isn't even his strongest ability," Wiz nodded. "His strongest form is known as the Dragon Force. It helped him to defeat Achnologia, the strongest boss in the whole game, alongside Kirito, who also had to use the power to stay on par with the final boss."
"Achnologia is basically the king of all dragons because he is so overpowered, no one could stand against him!" Boomstick commented. "So wait, does that make Mataras and Kirito the king of the dragons now?"
"Not really important," Wiz pointed out. "The Dragon Force allows the user to use the same attacks as before, only about three times stronger while using the same amount of magic as before. Before someone starts complaining about this mode being overpowered, I will point out that this mode also has some serious flaws."
"Such as…?"
"In most cases, the Dragon Force cannot be activated at will, and it requires massive amounts of magic power to be activated," Wiz explained. "But once they reach that level, they can retain all of the power that they have thus far accumulated.
"The other drawback is that it puts a constant drain on the user's magic power, not including whatever energy they have to put into their spells, and thus, it can only be used temporarily. There are a couple of exceptions to this, such as when Kirito and Asuna implanted lachrymas in their bodies to fuel the power of the Dragon Force, but Mataras has never displayed this ability."
"Dang, and for a second there, I thought we were gonna call this his Super Saiyan mode," Boomstick grumbled.
"It's not entirely unlike a Super Saiyan, but yes, it's not the same," Wiz said.
"So… Like a Dragon Saiyan, then?" Boomstick asked hopefully.
"Sorry Boom, but no," Wiz shook his head. "No Dragon Ball Z around here."
"Damn," he said, downcast.
"But now it's time for the talking to stop," Wiz said with a grin. "It's time to see just which version of Mataras is truly more powerful. And to avoid confusion, we'll just be calling them 'Toa' and 'Slayer' for this narrative."
"It's time…" Boomstick said he took in a deep breath. "For a DEATH BATTLLLLLLLE!"
"Now… where is that Eternal Flame Leafa mentioned?" Slayer muttered to himself as he strode through a densely wooded forest. "I don't see how an eternal flame could exist out here without burning down the forest." He was a quest in IMO to see if he could obtain a rare fire that could amplify his magic power.
Nonetheless, he kept walking, curious to see where the trail led to. He walked for about ten more minutes before he came out into an open field of grass and flowers that spanned about a mile in diameter. Looking around, he could see that the creators must have put a lot of effort into designing this area, due to the sheer amount of color and detail put into each flower. "Amazing…"
It was only a moment before his ears pricked at a strange sound that echoed behind him, almost like a cross between a guitar's deepest chord and a stirring breeze. He turned around to see what looked like a black hole, infinite in its darkness, yet he felt no gravitational pull from it.
"Somehow I doubt that this is part of the quest," he muttered.
His suspicion was somewhat confirmed as a tall figure dressed in sleek red-and-silver armor stepped out of the void, the portal closing behind him without a sound. The figure wore a mask that hid his face, a strange cover that looked like it was designed for cutting through the wind.
"Who are you?" Slayer demanded.
"I am called the Toa of Aincrad, the Red Swordsman," the armored being replied. "Who asks?"
"I am the Red Swordsman, the Slayer of Aincrad," Slayer snapped angrily. "I conquered Aincrad in death, and I brought my family back together in life. Who are you to claim my title?!"
"You are an imposter, for it is I who destroyed Aincrad in the past!" the armored Toa snarled back. He drew a massive sword from his back that looked to be made of solidified fire as he added, "And I don't deal kindly with people that lie."
"The feeling is mutual," Slayer growled, his temper already burning. "So let us settle this, faker, as it should be settled."
"I'm just waiting on you," Toa said confidently. "Come at me, imposter."
That was the last straw for Slayer. "Fire Dragon ROAR!" Fire gushed from his mouth, aimed to incinerate the Toa that was desecrating his name.
Toa snorted contemptuously and batted the fire away with his sword as though it were no more than an annoyance. "Is that all you have?" he taunted. "Let me show you some real fire." Leaping forward with startling speed that was enhanced by jets on his legs, he swung his blade at Slayer's neck while it traced a path of flames in its wake.
Slayer ducked under the blow and reversed his body to kick at Toa as he shouted, "Fire Dragon TALON!" The blow connected solidly, sending Toa back a few feet, though he maintained his balance on his jets.
"That's better," he snorted. "I actually felt that."
"Please, that was just a love tap," Slayer grinned fiercely as he straightened. "You haven't seen anything yet."
"Neither have you," Toa said as a device suddenly popped up on his shoulder.
"What the- GAH!" Slayer's words were cut off as he was sent reeling from a missile that struck him in the chest. Looking up, he could see that his health was already down by about a third, which boded poorly for him.
"All right…" he growled at Toa, who was walking towards him slowly, without any hurry, completely at ease in Slayer's presence. "Want to play rough? Let's see how you handle this speed!" Flames erupted from his body, scorching the grass and flowers around him even as he got to his feet.
"Wasting power by trying to show off?" Toa chuckled. "Idiot." Whatever he was about to say next was cut short as Slayer's fist connected solidly with his mask, sending him flying at high speed. He activated his Kanohi Calix and used its power to transform the uncontrolled flight into a reverse tumble so that he could get to his feet and look at his opponent, who was in a solid fighting stance. "Okay, that's not right," he muttered. His armor should have prevented most fire damage, not to mention his natural resistance to heat and flame as a Toa of Fire.
"Ready to take this seriously?" he challenged Toa.
"Hah!" the armored warrior snorted. "You think that you just gained the upper hand? I haven't even begun to toy with you, Dragon Slayer."
"I think it's time you stopped talking and started showing me," Slayer taunted. "Unless all that fire you talk about is just hot air?"
"Fine, you want fire, you stupid pest?!" Toa roared. "I'll show you fire!" Aiming his sword at Slayer, he unleashed a river of fire hot enough to pierce a Knowledge Tower in Ko-Metru. The flames bathed Slayer, hiding him from view, and Toa smiled darkly. "Looks like he couldn't take the heat," he chuckled.
Shrrrrrrrrrp… A strange sound echoed from the flames, causing Toa to do a double-take on the sight of the burning earth. Is it just me, or is that fire… drawing in on itself?! He wondered with widened eyes. Then, as if to taunt him, Slayer's form began to appear in the inferno, and it seemed as though he was standing in the middle of the blaze itself.
"What the hell is this?!" Toa demanded. The last of the flames finally vanished- into Slayer's mouth?!
"Ah…" Slayer said as he wiped his mouth. "Thanks for the meal. That was some of the best-tasting fire I've had in a long time."
"You… ate. The fire," Toa said blankly.
"Yup," Slayer smirked. "Quite the power boost- let me show you." He suddenly darted forward with great speed as he roared, "Fire Dragon IRON FIST!" The flames in his hand exploded as he struck Toa in the chest, shoving him back a few yards. "Fire Dragon ROAR!" he shouted, his breath attack already following his enemy.
However, Toa was more prepared this time. His mask flared with red light, and a red dome of energy sprang to life, completely blocking the flames and allowing him a moment's respite. This Dragon Slayer is definitely more than just talk, he thought. But he's still way out of his league.
"Hiding like a coward, are we?!" Slayer mocked. "Just like a faker to retreat when he's faced with the real thing."
"There's a difference between running away and taking a moment to think- it can make all the difference, you know," Toa replied as he leaped forward on his jets, the energy field disappearing as he did so. He activated his Kanohi mask of levitation to grant him more precise control over his flight pattern.
"Fire Dragon WING ATTACK!" Slayer sent forth arcs of fire, but Toa either dodged them or countered them with his sword and elemental power.
"Take this!" Toa shouted as he slammed his clawed gauntlet into Slayer's stomach, leaving deep red marks and sending Slayer in the dirt. As he lay there, stunned, Toa spat at him and said, "If you really were the Red Swordsman, you'd know that Victoria would be ashamed to have such a despicable brother."
(Vegeta's Super Saiyan Theme)
Slayer froze in place as he started to get up on one knee. "What did you say…?" he asked in a low voice.
"My sister could never share blood with such a gutless worm like you," Toa said with narrowed eyes. "Is that so difficult to understand?"
"How dare you…" Slayer growled as he got to his feet, eyes still downcast. When they finally rose to meet Toa's they were blazing silver as he roared, "That's my SISTER!" His flames began to burn on his body again, though his red clothing was in no way damaged. "You BASTARD!" This was his Flame of Emotion, and it burned ferociously indeed.
"Take THIS!" He shot forward, an explosion of fire in his wake that propelled him forward even faster than before. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" he screamed at the top of his lungs even as Toa prepared to counter with his own fist, his eyes narrowing as he kept an eye on Slayer's right fist, his favored one. "Crimson Lotus FIST!" Then Toa was completely overwhelmed as Slayer pounded him faster than he could keep track of with both fists, forcing him back step after step, barely able to maintain his balance. To his shock, he began to see dents and cracks forming in his armor from the intensity of the blows.
Time to change gears, he thought as Slayer drew back for one final blow. Shooting back and upwards with his jets once again, he took aim with his nyrah ghost blaster and let loose once the targeting system was done locking on. A black dart that fizzled with energy sped towards Slayer, who glared up at the bolt with all the malevolence in his soul.
Letting out a wordless roar, he sent a blast of fire to meet the projectile head-on. So it was only natural that he be surprised when the dart phased right through the fire and struck him in the chest. He immediately found himself bound with chains of energy that even his fire couldn't burn through.
Toa landed on top of him, his armored foot smashing into his chest and causing major damage, this time draining Slayer's health by more than half, though not quite into the yellow zone. "I'm ending this now, you filth," Toa said as he raised his sword in preparation to impale Slayer and finish the duel.
"Change form," Slayer responded, his red hair suddenly changing to a black shade that matched Death Kanoka's armor color, save for three red stripes. His eyes also stopped glowing silver, instead becoming a bright red that was disturbing to look at, even as his body became wrapped in shadows that gave off an intense heat, even for Toa. "Shadow Flame Dragon Mode."
He suddenly vanished into the ground, and the energy chains faded out of existence since they had nothing to bind. "What now?!" Toa growled as he blasted the spot where his enemy had been into ash. "Is he…?"
"Fool," Slayer's voice echoed from behind him, but when Toa whirled around and swung his blade to cut his enemy in half, there was no one there. "Down here."
"Huh?" Toa wondered as he looked down and saw nothing but his own shadow. However, it seemed a little longer than he remembered, which meant- "Wait…"
Crack! Slayer shot out of the ground, burning shadows in his palm as he struck Toa's Kanohi Hau, breaking the tool into dozens of pieces. Toa cursed as he felt a replacement mask settle on his face automatically, the golden and fierce-looking Olmak.
Slayer wasn't done, either. In a deeper, calmer voice that seemed to echo itself, he growled, "Shadow Flame Dragon Crushing Fang." His hand turned into a claw-like appendage that was emanating black fire just before he lashed out with a palm technique that Toa barely managed to block with his gauntlet. The shadows from the blow wrapped their way around his arm and began to squeeze tightly, even as Toa shoved his opponent away.
"What is this?!" he demanded as he saw his armor beginning to warp from the vicious pressure of the darkness, not to mention his arm's movement was being severely restricted.
"From the shadows you were born, and to the shadows you will return, forced into endless slumber," Slayer growled as he gathered flames in his right hand. "Now… With flames in my right hand, and the shadows in my left…" Darkness flooded across his opposite arm, and his eyes glowed even brighter as he smiled viciously. "Shadow Flame Dragon Vortex Flare." He thrust his hands forward simultaneously, combing the magics and blasting his enemy with dark flames that instantly enveloped him and swallowed him in their shadow.
Once the fires had begun to settle, he let out a long, shaky breath and allowed his shadowy fire to fade away, reverting his appearance to that of his usual self. "That took more power than I expected," he muttered as he forced himself to stand up straight. "But no imposter could- Ack!" He looked down in shock to see a huge flaming sword sticking out of his chest.
"Don't turn your back on a player from Aincrad until you're sure that their health points have run completely dry," the dark voice of Toa said from behind him. He yanked out the sword and kicked Slayer in the back, sending him sprawling in the dirt. "And don't turn your back on the Red Swordsman until his shattered fragments have been scattered beyond the wind."
"How…?" Slayer grunted, almost completely drained of magic power now.
"With a moment's thought, I can move to any spot in reality I choose," Toa snorted. "I wear the Mask of Dimensional Gates, and no place is closed to me."
"How about the gates of hell?" Slayer grunted as he rolled forward, out of the range of his enemy's sword. He got to his feet, flames dancing across his arms. "Let's see if my fire can take you there without your fancy mask?"
"You're welcome to try," Toa laughed as he pointed his sword at his enemy. His golden mask glowed, and a black gate appeared behind Slayer. "But I doubt you'll be sending anyone to hell once I've locked you away in the Shadow Zone with the Zivon." His rocket launcher suddenly popped up and blasted at Slayer, whose eyes widened as he was about to be struck by the mini-missile.
In desperation, he punched the projectile with lightning-fast reflexes that caused an explosion that sent him teetering at the edge of the portal, clothes and body smoking badly. His health was only a shred of scarlet in the corner of his vision. And Toa already had a river of fire on the way to finish the job.
"Gotcha," Slayer smirked. He took a solid stance one pace in front of the portal and began to inhale the power that Toa was casting at him, feeling his health and magic stamina returning to him rapidly. "You fool!" he laughed.
"You're the fool!" Toa laughed back. When Slayer looked confused even as he continued to eat the potent flames, Toa explained, "You misjudged two things- the first is the portal behind you!" Slayer looked back to see that somehow, the black void had drawn closer to him, only inches away from enveloping him now.
Seeing that Slayer was getting the picture, Toa added, "And the fire that I've given you will easily surpass your limits, and cause you to explode from the raw amount of energy contained in it! One way or another, you're doomed!"
"Wait, that's your plan?!" Slayer snorted as he kept absorbing the fire. "Trying to make me explode by overfeeding me?"
"Nice try, but I know you'll be hitting your limit now," Toa said as he shut off the river of fire. He activated his legs jets and began to fly upwards as he scowled, "You'll be going nova any moment now, so I'd best make myself scarce- someone destroyed my mask of shielding, so now I need to be a safe distance away."
"No distance is safe from me," Slayer said under his breath as he smirked. Then, he finished absorbing the last of the fire and felt his skin begin to harden on his face, forearms, and legs. Not when I have the Dragon Force, he added silently. Smoke emanated from his clothes as he gritted his teeth, his canines sharpening rapidly and his eyes becoming snake-like in appearance.
"Hey, Toa!" he shouted to get his adversary's attention.
"What?!" the other swordsman snapped as he looked back. The next thing he knew, he was being kneed in the gut, his armor cracking badly from the force of the blow. The strike in it of itself wasn't was surprised him, it was the fact that Slayer was able to do it at all- he should have exploded from trying contain that much elemental power!
Down below, the portal to the void remained, forgotten as the battle began to take them away from it. True to Toa's word, it did not disappear,bbut it moved to slow to catch up with the Dragon Slayer now.
"Fire Dragon GRIP STRIKE!" Slayer roared as he grabbed Toa's armored shoulders and unleashed a booming explosion that sent him hurtling towards the earth at high speed. Toa was only able to avoid crashing into the ground by triggering his mask of levitation at the last second to negate the force of his fall.
"This power…" Toa growled. "How?! You should be dead from the amount of fire I fed you! How are you stronger than ever?!"
"I don't know how things work where you come from, faker," Slayer snarled as he dove down like a blazing comet. "But in this world, anyone knows not to feed a dragon its element! Fire Dragon…"
"Enough!" Toa shouted, his mask glowing brightly. A wave of golden energy flew from the kanohi to wrap around Slayer, slowing his movements to a crawl. "This ends now," the red-armored warrior growled. Shaking with the effort it took to hold his enemy suspended in time, he aimed his cordak revolver at his doppelganger and let loose a shot that stopped as soon as it entered the time field. He did so three more times before his cartridge was empty, and he was too tired to maintain the temporal field any longer.
As soon as he let go of the mask's power, the golden field dissipated and the missiles collided with Slayer almost instantaneously, enveloping him in a cloud of smoke. "And that's that," Toa said as he began to inspect the damage done to his armor."
"Dragon Slayer…" a voice said from the dispersing smoke.
"…No…" Toa said as he looked up to see Slayer still wreathed in flames, hardly looking like he had been scratched.
"Secret Art…"
"No no no…" Toa growled as he pointed his sword up at his enemy.
"Crimson Lotus PHOENIX SWORD!" White-hot flames showered to the earth as Slayer shot downward just as Toa unleashed another river of fire, this one dwarfing all the one's that had come before it in terms of power and brilliance.
"No no no nononononononononononono- CRAAAAAAAP!" Toa cried out as Slayer burst through the flood of fire and slammed into him, incinerating the earth around them to less than ash.
It took a while, but out of the ruined crater stepped out one figure, battered and bruised, dressed in red. "Toa of Aincrad indeed," Slayer snorted.
"And it's over!" Boomstick grinned.
"Wait, what?!" Kirito shouted. "The Toa incarnation lost?!"
"I had a feeling," Mataras shrugged.
"Why?!" Kirito could not seem to comprehend the fact that the Toa of Aincrad had lost to the Dragon Slayer.
"Both versions of Mataras are incredibly powerful," Wiz explained. "So much so that it's just about impossible to determine any clear limits for either of them. So what do we measure instead?"
"Their recovery rate!" Boomstick shouted.
"We're standing right here…" Mataras muttered. "No need to shout."
"Let him have it, he's excited," Wiz said easily. "Now, we know that both of them have control over fire and are capable of producing as well as absorbing it, but only one of them can do it almost instantaneously in addition to having it restore their health and stamina. Also, both versions were operating under the assumption that their powers would affect the other the same way it did them."
Boomstick blinked once before he asked, "Uh… What?"
"Well, Toa Mataras knew that if someone absorbed too much of an element, it would cause them to explode," Wiz answered. "So he kept trying to overload Slayer Mataras' ability to handle the fire. He did not understand that it could only make his opponent stronger, and not weaken him in any way."
"And why couldn't he just stab the other guy?" Boomstick asked. "You know? With the friggin' sword?!"
"Slayer Mataras very quickly showed his superior speed, something that Toa Mataras would have noted almost immediately," Wiz replied. "He would have figured that keeping his opponent at a distance would have been the best way to deal with him. And if nothing else, Mataras has proven time and time again that he knows how to analyze a fight and exploit it."
"So then why is he the one in little pieces?" Boomstick wondered.
"Because they're both me," Mataras smirked. "Isn't that right, Wiz?"
"True," the blue player nodded. "Slayer Mataras also possesses the same cunning, and a far superior speed to his alternate self. One could argue that Toa Mataras' base elemental energy actually outranks the Dragon Slayer version, since we never actually saw the Toa of Aincrad hit his limit when he used his elemental abilities."
"But boy did pissing off the Dragon Slayer backfire!" Boomstick laughed. "See what I did there? Backfire?"
"Yeah, we got it…" Wiz sighed. "In any case, Boomstick is right. While Slayer Mataras' powers may not have matched his counterpart's to begin with, the Flames of Emotion amplified his already-considerable power and speed. And while both incarnations have been shown to taunt their enemies, Toa Mataras displayed that part of his attitude more often, which explains why he was the one to to anger the other one first."
"In terms of defense, Toa Mataras had some pretty sick-looking armor, but it seemed to do jack-squat to block the fire of the dragon!" Boomstick shouted.
"Well, sort of," Wiz countered. "See, Toa of Fire are naturally resistant to fire, basically cutting down any damage fire from an enemy might do to them in half. The armor helps a bit with that of course, but in the long run, Toa Mataras' element of choice played more the part in his defense against his opponent's magic."
"So the solution was to punch the living daylights out of the Toa?" Boomstick snorted.
"Basically," Wiz nodded. "While Toa Mataras did have superior defense, that really isn't saying much, since the Red Swordsman of Aincrad had very little of that to begin with. Since both incarnations come from that base form, that weakness transfers with it."
"And since Slayer Mataras basically had a spicy buffet handed to him, his power didn't really have any danger of running out while he was fighting the metal man," Boomstick added. "But that still doesn't answer why punching him worked!"
"Well, he wasn't just punching him with his bare fists," Wiz protested. "His blows were enhanced by his magic, which have been shown to break through full structures made of metal and stone in his adventures in Fiore, especially exhibited during the S-Class trial of Fairy Tail. So the fact that he was able to break through armor specifically designed for maximizing flight capabilities shouldn't really surprise anyone."
"Okay, but what about the fact that Toa Mataras can rip holes in space and control time?!" Boomstick demanded. "How do you beat that?!"
"Toa Mataras basically beat himself by using those masks, if you think about it," Wiz replied. "They take a lot of concentration and time to use properly, and they are incredibly taking on the person that uses them. Mataras even said as much while fighting Toa Eugene right before taking the mask from him."
"So he basically should have seen this coming," Boomstick laughed.
"Well, he did use those masks to defeat Makuta and the Kanohi Dragon," Wiz said. "But still, those opponents were larger and slower than him- something that Toa Mataras has grown used to. He didn't take into account just how much faster his enemy would get as the battle went on. Still, to his credit, it did take the Dragon Force to beat him."
"But the winner is clear- and it's the Slayer of Aincrad!" Boomstick roared. "Case closed, people! The Toa just couldn't seem to take the heat."
Wiz nodded and said, "The match between the two blood-red anti-heroes is over. We hope that this battle satisfied your curiosity, and we'll be sure to see you around."
After they were gone, Kirito turned to Mataras and said, "I still think your Toa self should have won."
"Hey, if you want to fight my Dragon Slayer form as a Toa of Shadow, be my guest," Mataras replied stiffly.
"Next time oooon Death Battle!" Boomstick called out.
Mataras: Haha, no. No more Death Battle. At least, not between those two- in both versions, it's pretty clear that Mataras can defeat Kirito. I'm not saying that it's an easy fight, but it has been exhibited multiple times. And for the record, no, that was not the actual Wiz and Boomstick. Death Battle is owned by them alone, and this was simply for recreational purposes, not for profit.
Kirito: Okay man, we get it, your copyrights are covered. Can we get on with what's happening next?
Mataras: Ah, yes! My bad. As I'm sure many of you reading this will know, I've been working on the Red Swordsman: Shattered Fragment for some time now. I want to announce a couple of minor changes, and a release date.
First on the changes is that while Philia will still be appearing, she will not be the love interest of the Red Swordsman. Instead, it will be an OC not seen or mentioned before in any of my fanfictions, so this will a fun and fresh new pairing for everyone to enjoy!
Second is that while the story will follow the canon of the video game series, I don't know if I will use ALO for the Lost Song arc. Sorry, but to be blunt, I'm not a fan of ALO as a game. If I do make another crossover out of that arc, I will be posting it as a separate story so that Shattered Fragment can remain in the SAO section.
Kirito: And the one that everyone is waiting for...
Mataras: The first chapter of Shattered Fragment will be live... on Thanksgiving Day, November 24! I am thankful for many things, and my fans and friends on this site are a big part of that! So in appreciation of the day where we gather to celebrate with family and friends, I want us all to gather and celebrate the start of a new adventure!
Until next time, Red Swordsman out!
