Please stay tuned for a special announcement.
Zivon sat on a couch in his apartment, enjoying himself a good read of much higher quality fan fiction than most were accustomed to. His peace of mind was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He picked it up off the arm of the couch and took one look at the screen, grimaced, and set it back down. Within a few more seconds, the ringing ceased, allowing his smile to return and his attention upon his book to return. His enjoyment was short lived, only for his phone to ring out once more. Groaning in frustration and with his head flung back, Zivon brought the phone to his ear, answering, "Hello?"
"Zivon, get down to the studio, now!" a man's voice demanded on the other end.
"Dude, why now? You haven't talked to me in years, how about a 'hello' or a 'how's it going'?"
"What are you, a pussy? Dude, I've got it figured out! We're going to get back to Death Battle."
"Oh, great, let's dig up something you haven't done in years, what could possibly go wrong? Forget it, count me out."
"Come on, Hazzamo is already on his way. I've got the next fight ready."
"Oh, yeah, smart one. A guy who can defeat planetary threats versus a robot. Good one. Can't wait to see how that turns out, I'm on the edge of my seat in anticipation."
"Man, fuck that fight. I've got a new one set up."
"What," Zivon shouted, shooting upright, "You can't just keep changing everything around! People are gonna get pissed and drop off. Stick to a plan, will you?"
"I will. Now get your ass down here and stick to the script, Jew." DAM ordered, hanging up.
"Ugh, such an asshole. Would be nice if he told me what I'm in for." Zivon bemoaned, rising from the couch as he closed out My Immortal.
Zivon: There are various things that go bump in the night and many of those things are very, very dangerous. Thankfully, we have
DAM: They are Momiji, the shrine maiden of Ninja Gaiden, and Taki, the ninja of Soul Calibur.
Zivon: I came back for this? If nothing else, your taste in women is consistent.
DAM: Thanks.
Hazzamo: He's DAM, that's Zivon, and I'm Hazzamo, and we're here to analyze their weapons, armor, and abilities to decide who would win a Death Battle.
Zivon: Imagine a world where evil has seemed to overcome all of existence and only you and your siblings can stop it from taking fully over. Such was the case for the fabled 13 Dragons.
DAM: Yeah, this is a doozy, folks, strap in. After the good god, Gurdu, was split by the evil creator, Vigoor, with one of the pieces being Serpent, it was up to him to plant the seeds that would become the 13 Dragons, who would wage a long period of war with Vigoor and ultimately defeat him.
Hazzamo: Or so they thought. Vigoor used the insecurity and resentment of the youngest to continue to exist, overthrowing his brothers and becoming the Dark Dragon.
Zivon: Realizing that only humanity could defeat him if they did something drastic, the 12 Dragons encased their souls Eye of the Dragon, a jewel housing their immense power and, when combined with Dragon Sword, it's power is planetary threat.
DAM: But, because we obviously can't have that much power running around with dudes in tight leather suits, the sword and Eye were to be kept apart until the most dire situations. The sword would be watched over by the Dragon Ninjas and the Eye by the Dragon Shrine Maidens. Cue the lady of the hour.
Hazzamo: That lady was Momiji and her sister, Kureha.
DAM: Well, hello.
Hazzamo: She's dead.
DAM: Ah, dammit.
Hazzamo: These sisters were the guardians of this jewel of immense power, entrusted with guarding it with their lives. And, every once in a while, purging the Earth of evil beings.
DAM: Like a sexier version of the Spanish Inquisition?
Zivon: Your search result history must have your FBI agent in a psych ward. Anywho, this was their life until the ridiculously named and even more ridiculously dressed Doku killed Kureha and took the Dragon Sword. Momiji, who was away from her village, came home to find all she had known and loved had been taken away from her.
DAM: To absolutely nobody's surprise, she immediately started training every day with the greatest ninja around to become the strongest Shrine Maiden possible: a kunoichi. And she even managed to save Ryu time and again by tossing him the Eye to defeat the demons, deities, dragons, and even the jealous pansies known as the Black Spider Clan every time they tried to mess with her village. They've even had to save the world from everything from demonic takeovers to zombie apocalypses. No, I am not shitting you.
Hazzamo: Her training under Ryu has helped her immensely. With the aid of ninpo, or spiritual power, she is able to jump in mid-air, move with incredible speed, conjure fire blasts with the Autumn Flame, and even unleash a fire attack that burns the wicked to dust in the the Art of the Crimson Lotus. Even if it is mostly effective against the wicked, Dead or Alive 6 showed it is capable of knocking somebody out if they're beat up enough. And her style of combat is further aided by her training in martial arts like aiki-jujutsu, focusing on grappling and throws, and ninjutsu, the art of all things ninja.
Zivon: But that skill is best partnered with a great arsenal. Her favorite tool of combat is the Heavenly Dragon Naginata, a polearm forged from the tailbone of a dragon that she wields with incredible power and blinding speed. If things have to go to a battle at range, she also wields the Heavensong Bow, a bow that is part musical instrument, part bow carved from a holy tree capable of shooting huge arrows with deadly velocity, and kunai.
DAM: And what's more Japanese than kunai? No, not those two cities that are killing it at hide-and-seek for the past 80 years, I'm talking about the most overrated sword of all time: the katana. And, spoiler, she can use that well, too. Throw out her ninja sense for danger and that she can heal herself from even fatal wounds with the help of her Spiritual Regeneration. To top this all off, she has the Eye of the Dragon itself to boost her spiritual abilities.
Hazzamo: Momiji has certainly proven herself as a kunoichi and shrine maiden. She can move at hypersonic speeds, moving so fast she leaves after images and dodges bullets and explosives, has reflexes sharp enough to dodge multiple attacks from different directions and ranges at once, defeated the likes of the Tengu Brothers and dozens of ninjas single-handedly, and is tough enough to tank explosions, bullets, magical fire, and blades.
Zivon: While she certainly is tough, it has it's limits. Her Spiritual Regeneration with her own life-force. Should that be too low, she cannot heal and will die. On the topic of her abilities, her Crimson Lotus attack can incinerate the wicked, those pure of heart are completely unaffected by it.
DAM: And she's constantly in need of rescue. Seriously, whether she gets knocked out, kidnapped, or left in peril, Ryu has to save her ass at most junctures. Seriously, what is with that? Is it because she's a woman?
Hazzamo: Look at that, he's progressing into a responsible, conscientious adult.
DAM: I'd kill to get that hug Sanji got.
Hazzamo: And there it is. Lastly, despite her drive to be a warrior and her non-stop training regimen, she was somehow tricked by Zack into going to his island of degeneracy. But, make no mistake, Momiji is among the deadliest kunoichi without reason.
"Give Sanji back to me."
Momiji:
Age: 21
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 110 lbs.
Weapons and Abilities:
Katana
Heavenly Dragon Naginata
Heavensong Bow
Kunai
Eye of the Dragon
- boosts spiritual power
Superhuman Speed, Agility, Reflexes, Senses, and Endurance
Aiki-Jujutsu
Ninpo
- Autumn Flame
- Double Jump
- Art of the Crimson Lotus
- Spiritual Regeneration
Feats:
Defeated the Tengu Brothers by herself,
Defeated Obaba and the many of the most powerful demons, gods, and dragons (w/ Ryu)
Can move at hypersonic speeds
Training with Ryu has given her to ability to dodge multiple attacks simultaneously
Can tank explosions, blade attacks, gunshots, and fire attacks
Assisted Ryu in defeating planetary threats on multiple occasions
Weaknesses:
No armor
Damsel in distress
Spiritual Regeneration draws on limited life-force
Deceived by Zack, somehow
Zivon: Long ago, apparently prior to the 30th century BC, a blacksmith forged the ultimate sword. But, as it was passed down to more and more users, the bathing in the blood and hatred of untold scores of slain enemies birthed life in this sword. That life was a demon named Inferno and this blade was Soul Edge.
DAM: While sounding like the account for some edgy emo teenager, Soul Edge was one of the deadliest swords in history thanks to Inferno, who sought to plunge the world in evil and shit. But, because battles and shit, this sword was losing more pieces than a balding guy does hair follicles and one of these shards was made into it's holy counterpart: Soul Calibur.
Hazzamo: And this blade was used to split Soul Edge apart, with many of its powerful shards being used by many for its great power.
Zivon: And one such user is Taki.
DAM: Wait, wait, wait, let me guess? Her family is dead by some awful means? Murdered by ninjas? Soul Edge ate them?
Zivon: You're half-right, she was orphaned as her family passed away to an unknown illness that wiped them all out.
DAM: Damn, that's somehow surprisingly tame but also more fucked up.
Zivon: Fortunately for her, a ninja by the name of Toki took her under his wing and helped her hone her skills to become a superb kunoichi.
DAM: I see nothing creepy at all with allowing your adoptive daughter to dress like that. Then again, I'm not her adoptive father and applaud him for allowing her to express herself.
Hazzamo: Serious question: have you ever touched a woman who was consenting before?
DAM: You know what? Uh...shut up!
Hazzamo: I rest my case. When she was finally old enough to strike out on her own, she dedicated her life to wiping away the evil forces of the world. And no greater goal of hers is than to wipe out the evil blade itself, Soul Edge.
Zivon: In her training, Taki discovered she had a gift for supernatural powers, allowing her to use anti-demonic attacks and seal demons away. She's also a gifted weapons forger and all around ninja. Stealth, spying, and her martial arts mastery of Muso-Batto-Ryu and Seong Musoh-Battoh-Ryu, which hones her use of her blades, kicks, and magic to an incredibly lethal level to suit her close-range style.
DAM: Speaking of her blades, they are Rekki-Maru and Mekki-Maru, a pair of enchanted kodachi short swords designed to cut down even demons. Rekki was a sword of her own creation but Mekki was an entirely different beast.
Hazzaom: Supposedly a cursed blade, Taki was tasked with retrieving this sword from from rogue ninjas, as it was an heirloom of her adoptive clan. While sparing one who was her former childhood friend, the blade is enormously powerful and longed for by her master because of its power.
Zivon: That was until they were broken in combat with Nightmare, whom she sought to strengthen her preferred sword, Rekki. Upon reforging them, she infused Mekki with a piece of Soul Edge, truly cursing it, if it were not already.
DAM: And, while those sounds like cutesy little names, Rekki-Maru literally means Demon Ripper and Mekki-Maru is Demon Destroyer. The reason she has little fondness for Mekki-Maru is infused with a shard of soul edge, granting it immense but evil power that Taki uses as seldomly as a fat kid uses the gym. And it can corrupt her and shit, just like every cool thing ever invented.
Hazzamo: Her prowess with many other blades is impressive, but they are largely similar to her kodachi swords.
DAM: Hold the fuck up, rewind the tape! She has a kunai that isn't thrown?! How many more pieces of new ground is Soul Calibur going to shatter?
Hazzamo: We'll have to see if they go down the route to Reboot City. One that stands out is her Fu-Ma Kugi, a unique blade that, while also being able to slay demons, also grants the wielder limitless energy. In addition to her favored swords, Taki uses tools such as poison darts to stun enemies as well.
Zivon: In addition to this, her powerful supernatural abilities grant her the ability to fight with up to two other clones of herself, teleport, strike with magical fire and lightning, and even create powerful shockwaves to send opponents soaring into the air.
DAM: And this girl is well suited for all things demonic. While that red bodysuit has caused as much harm to wrists everywhere as it has demons, the color actually is demon repellent. Her mask keeps her unharmed from demonic and poisonous fumes, and the armor on her forearms, shins, and definitely not purposefully selected portions of her upper body also aid in her being untouchable to most demons and ghouls. Hell, even the sheath Mekki-Maru is in is enchanted to prevent it from overtaking her.
Hazzamo: Taki has certainly proved her worth to her master, Toki, who she had to defeat as the Mekki-Maru had driven him mad, as well the likes of Ivy Valentine, the absurdly named Gel-o-Fury, Edgardo,and even Cervantes de Leon when he had his hands on Soul Edge. She's even defeated fury demons while her magical powers with her swords were weakening. She has also is able to rival Mitsurugi, who can dodge and block tanegashima fire. She's even blew up the top two levels of a pagoda with her magic.
Zivon: If we assume the floor she was was 20 feet by 20 feet and the approximately 10 by 10 floor above it, with a one-inch thickness all around, and we account for this the violent fragmentation as that of red pine, as akamatsu is a common building implement and this is feudal Japan, this would be over 7,000,000 joules. She's even held a Soul Edge shard in her hands and not been consumed by Malfestation.
DAM: While that's all impressive, it all means nothing when compared to that outfit. Hot damn.
Hazzamo: But, she is not without fault. She is lacking the range department, preferring to fight up-close and personal. Her magic is also limited to being purely offensive, save for some ability to block strikes, and only truly lethal to demons, which is even the case for her Fu-Ma Kugi.
Zivon: And, as a throwback to the good old days, her armor leaves literally every one of her most vital organs completely unguarded.
DAM: Listen, guys, I have one more important thing to say: boobs.
"Demon defeated. The deed is done."
Taki:
Age: 29
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 117 lbs.
Weapons, Armor, and Abilities:
Rekki-Maru & Mekki-Maru
Kagenui
- can be used to scale walls...and dig holes
- somehow not a projectile weapon
Kris Naga
- Can boost Taki's magical abilities
- Curses
Assassins Dagger
- Poisoned
Hunting Knife
Fu-Ma Kugi
- grants limitless endurance
Kagekiri
-can cut shadows
Poison Darts
Armor
- covers back, diaphram, shoulders, forearm, and shins
- protection against demons and spirits
Red Suit
- demon repellant
Mask
- protection from poison and demons
Superhuman Speed, Reflexes, Agility, and Stamina
Magic
- Fire and energy
- Teleportation
- Cloning
Muso-Batto-Ryu
Seong Musoh-Battoh-Ryu
Feats:
Destroyed the top of pagoda
Removed shards of Soul Edge from Sophitia without becoming malfested
Defeated Ivy, Toki, Edgard, and Gel-o-Fury
Defeated a Soul Edge-possessed Cervantes (w/ Sophitia)
Keeps up with her rival, Mitsurugi
Defeated fury demons with a weakening blade
Weaknesses:
Lack of ranged attacks
Armor covers absolutely no vitals
Magic and Fu-Ma Kugi are only effective on demons
Zivon: Alright, the combatants are set, let's settle this debate, once and for all.
Hazzamo: They are Momiji, the Dragon Shrine Maiden, and Taki, the Demon Huntress.
DAM: It's time for a Death Battle!
Cherry blossom pedals fill the air like large snowflakes, rushing along the hissing wind throughout a forest of the pink trees. In the midst of the beautiful forest lie a small clearing, opened up by stone tiles covering the dirt. A shallow river ran through the clearing, parting the opening as if a snake was running through it. A red, wooden bridge united both halves, a women in a white and red dress kneeling on it, a green gem suspended over her chest from her necklace. Her long, black hair was tied back into a massive ponytail, an inverted naginata fastened to her back. Be hind her was a small shrine, before her was torii that preceeded a beaten earth bath into the forest, and all around her were the sounds of the wind and water. A sudden break in the wind dropped her smiling countenace into a neutral expression, a brown-haired woman in red kneeling on the ground just before the bridge. The maiden called out to the stranger, "Hello. What brings you to my shrine?"
The woman rose, revealing her lower face covered by a demonic face mask, parting as if it were her own lips as she answered, "I'm looking for the shrine that holds the Eye of the Dragon. Is this where it belongs?"
Momiji's interest and suspicion were equally piqued, looking over her shoulder as she continued, "It is. Why do you ask?"
"I've been tasked with retrieving it. Many who wish to use its power to cause the world great harm are coming for it. I'm taking it so that it and the world can be safe."
Momiji rose to her own feet, turning to face the kunoichi as she reassured, "The Dragon Shrine Maidens have guarded the Eye for generations. Never has it fallen into hands that could accomplish this. I'm sorry if your journey was long and difficult, but the Eye must stay here."
Taki tilted her chin down towards her chest slightly, glaring up at Momiji as she asserted, "I was not asking your permission. For the safety of countless lives, the Eye is coming with me. Whether you hand it over to me or I take it," Taki paused, reaching over her shoulder to grab the handle of her sword, concluding, "by force."
Momiji grasped at her weapon's shaft as well, challenging, "If you insist, then come and take it."
FIGHT!
A sudden flash of purple emitted from where Taki stood and she vanished from sight, furrowing Momiji's brow and making her gasp in surprise. Just as suddenly as she had vanished, she reappeared behind Momiji, sword held in an inverted grip. She struck Momiji in the back with an upward slice, sending her stumpling forward. Regaining her balance, Momiji dropped to a knee and spun around, unleashing a backhanded slice. Taki lunged over the attack and struck Momiji in the chest with a thrust of both of her palms, sending the shrine maiden sprawling onto her back. Momiji rolled over her shoulders and landed back on her feet, only to be me with a side kick to the chest that burst into a pule of red energy on impact. Momiji crashed onto the back of her head, folding over onto her stomach as Taki's hand glowed red. Clenching her fist, she slammed it into the ground, causing a blast of the same energy to erupt from beneath Momiji, rocketing her into the air. Taki once appeared above her, charging the energy around her fist before hooking Momiji in the stomach, wrapping her around her fist before the flurry of her punch shot her back into the bridge.
Taki teleported onto the bridge, surprised to find Momiji rising to her feet with the aid of her naginata. "Impressive. Let's finish this." Taki said, vanishing yet again.
"I intend to." Momiji muttered readying her naginata before herself.
Taki appeared behind Momiji once more, her attempted ambush abruptly thwarted as her slice was intercepted by a parry of Momiji, the maiden suddenly facing her. Taki's eye's shot open wide in shock, thining, What?! How? I didn't even see her turn around.
She had little time to overcome her shock, Momiji retaliating with an upward slice that sent Taki stumblig back. A duo of upward strikes connected thereafter, stumpling Taki back further, before concluding with another spinning backhanded slash at her legs. Taki was swept off her feet and left hovering in mid-air before Momiji launched her into the air with yet another upward slice. Just as Taki hit the apex of her ascent, Momiji met her with a somersault before driving the pommel of her polearm into the back of Taki's skull, shooting them botht woards the ground. Taki's was driven face-first through the wood of the bridge, lying prone as Momiji stood above her. "Do you wish to surrender now? I don't want to hurt you."
Incensed, Taki pressed her hands to the bridged and forced her head free, scowling at the maiden as she spat, "I will never give up. The Eye is coming with me, shrine maiden," and sprung up at Momiji with another slash.
"So be it!" Momiji relented, blocking the blow with the shaft of her naginata.
The two were locked in a test of strength, gritting their teeth and doing their damnedest to push the other back on their heels. Taki broke the stalemate by drawing her other blade in an instant, jamming the blade into Momiji's side. The shrine maiden threw her head back in pain, allowing Taki an opening to cross her cheek with an elbow before jamming the same elbow up under her chin. As Momiji faltered to the side, Taki followed up with a slash at her throat. Momiji swatted the blow aside with a swipe of her naginata, responding with a jab of the hilt into Taki's stomach. On the defensive, Taki was forced to knock a pair of horizontal slashes aside and bend over under the blade as Momiji extended her arm out like a bolt of lightning to impale her. Taki gained some breathing room as she shot another side kick into Momiji's stomach, making her lose a few steps. The huntress lept at her with a downward slash catching the maiden across the chest and making her lose more ground.
Taki launched herself at Momiji like an arrow, blade aimed ahead of her and the other bracing the pommel. Momiji responded by skewering the ground with her naginata, taking the shaft in one hand and rearing back, bending it like a doorstop. She released the shaft and let it catapult ahead, thwacking Taki over the crown of her skull. Her attack foiled, Taki crashed onto her stomach, holding her head. Momiji brought her blade up once more and hacked down onto the huntress. The huntress threw her shoulders back and narrowly avoided being bifurcated, thrusting up at Momiji in the same motion. The maiden braced her forearm before her, the flat of the sword harmlessly gliding along her flesh. Momiji pirouetted around the stab and elbowed Taki in the back of the head, knocking her forward before complete another revolution and unleashing a decapitating swing on the next
Taki arched herself backwards, the blade grazing the tip of her nose. She shot back upright with a wicked uppercut, catching Momiji under the chin. As Momiji rocked back, Taki lept up and came down a slice of the sword straight into Momiji's face, bending her over at the waste. Before she could launch another attack, Taki's combination was interrupted as Momiji spun around from the force of the blow, pinning the huntress' face between her knees as she landed on her shoulders. She flung herself backwards and sent Taki flipping onto her back. No sooner had she hit the ground than was she impaled through her stomach into the ground, pinning her. She had no time to free the blade, as she looked up to see a flaming fist slam down into her cheek and engulf her in a fiery blaze.
Momiji landed on the other side of the bridge after the blow, waiting for the smoke to dissipate. Her patience was met with a small dart that hit her in the shoulder. As soon as she had extracted it, she was suddenly brought to her knee, unable to even have the energy to stand. "Now I'll show you how it's done!" Taki roared.
Momiji was sent spiraling around with a reverse roundhouse, only being stopped by roundhouse to the cheek as she turnedd around into it. Taki turned her back into Momiji's chest and stabbed back under her armpit, making the shrine maiden fall over her shoulder. The huntress threw the back of her into Momiji's face before grabbing her by the back of her head, hurling her onto the ground before her. She rose her foot up high and stomped down on her with all her might, only for her foot to harmlessly pass through Momiji and her image to dissipate. "What the..."
Taki's confusion was interrupted as a flaming leaf slammed into her back, exploding on impact. Hurrying ahead to keep her balance, Taki stopped herself and found Momiji's palm inches from her face, another flaming leaf blast blowing her into the air. As Taki rose into the air, Momiji began to take potshots at her foe with her bow, sinking arrows into both of her shoulders, her left thigh, and right elbow. Momiji pulled her bow back but held the shot, fire billowing from the arrowhead onto the bow itself before consuming her as well. Taki righting herself in the air and once more drawing her second blade, crying out, "I'm through playing games!"
Taki became a vortex of blue and red energy, dashing at the immolated Momiji as if she were a tornado. Momiji released her shot and the arrow and vortex collided in a large detonation, engulfing the clearing in smoke. A figure flew up from the smoke with a trail, another following up after it. Taki was near uncoscious, her face mask missing as cut on her cheek spilled blood down to her chin. Momiji's head rose up behind her shoulder and her blade ruptured through her chest, finally waking the dazed huntress, her eyes wild and fearful. Momiji reared back and sent them both careening to the earth, Taki propped before her. Before long, they were both spinning towards the ground like a top, becoming a blur of black, white, red, and brown, before slamming down into the shrine and blowing it out as if a bomb had been dropped.
A silhouette grew larger as it approached the edge of the smoke, revealing itself to be Momiji as she left her foe behind. The shifting of rubble gave her pause, turning back just as a fireball blew apart on her face, revealing that it was following with the fist of an enraged Taki, following through with her haymaker that sent Momiji flying over the bridge. The maiden slammed back-first into the torii, snapping it but slowing her flight as she crashed down onto her stomach at the entrance to the forest. Taki had loosed the final arrow from her body and drew her other sword once more, growling, "This is the end for you."
Momiji was plucked off the ground by her hair and sent pinwheeling on one foot by a cross across the cheek. A black portal suddenly opened behind her and held her in a crucifix position, Taki slashing the helpless maiden across her body with two diagonal slashes and one horizontal, leaving behind blew lines where she had swung in the air before Momiji. Spinning around as she did so, she drove both bladed into where all lines intersected, propeling Momiji into the woods and knocking over several trees in her wake. Taki sheathed her swords and bowed in the direction her foe had been flung, admitting, "You were worthy, shrine maiden, but the fate of the world is greater than yours. I'm sorry."
As the words left her mouth, the singing of metal hit the air as more trees began to fall on their way back towards Taki, the stunned huntress only able to brace her blades before herself as Momiji spun into her with like a lawnmower blade, driving an unmoving Taki back to the base of the bridge with her feet leaving gouges in the tiled earth as they went along. Finally, the speed of the blows broke her guard, catching Taki up in the tornado of slices from all directions. The attacking force tilted upward and carried Taki up high into the sky, ceasing only to reveal Momiji had clasped Taki in a bearhug around her midsection and arms. As they teetered back down to earth head-first, Momiji once more initiated her spin, leaves of flame blotting out their essence as they did. The flaming, spiraling duo slammed into the bridge, finally obliterating it in a fiery mushroom cloud.
Momiji dragged herself back onto the shore and out of the river, observing that the forest around the stony quadrant was engulfed in a wildfire. "This isn't how it was supposed to be." Momiji lamented.
"I agree." Taki concured, plopping onto Momiji's back and burying her blade into her shoulder, blood now coursing from the corner of her mouth and both nostrils..
Momiji let out a scream, Taki taking her by the hair and ramming her other blade through her stomach. Momiji went limp over Taki's shoulder, retracting her blades before shoving the maiden down. She menaced over her fallen foe, her anger turning to marvel as she witness her wounds glow and shut themselves. Taki looked on as the maiden rose up to her feet, still holding her abdoment where the wound was, slightly bent over. The two stared each other down as the fire raged around them, Taki commending, "You're pretty good."
"Thanks. You're impressive as well." Momiji returned, straightening herself out.
"I want you to know how sorry I am that it came to this. But I cannot waste anymore time fighting you, the world is at stake. And I cannot afford to let you stand in the way of our safety any longer."
"We'll see about that!" Momiji cried out, swiping out at Taki's neck.
She only managed to behead an afterimage that faded from existence thereafter, putting Momiji's head on a swivel. A trio of Taki clones formed a triangle around Momiji, the maiden unable to hold back as she uttered, "Incredible."
Momiji jabbed at the one before her with a stab, the clone back-hand springing out of harm's way. Leaving herself open, Momiji was slashed across her lower back by one clone and cross kicked in the back of the head. Dancing forward, she composed herself and arched backwards, swinging her blade around as she did so. The clones both juked back from harm's way, the other clone rushing in and taking Momiji's face in her hand. The maiden was driven by the back of her skull into the stone, forcing her to shake her head of the cobwebs. As soon as she opened her eyes, she found all of the clones with the blade's emitting a red haze raised overhead in both hands, plunging them down into her chest in the same spot. A massive column of energy burst into the sky, vaporizing all clouds and extinguishing all the surrounding fires.
Momiji's body lie in the epicenter of a charred patch of earth, nothing remaining of the man-made clear, save for the river. A fist-sized hole was carved through her chest, staining the surrounding white fabric of her dress a ever-growing crimson. Her head lolled to the side, mouth wide and eyes fixated on the sky. The three clones stood at her feet, merging once more into one as she sheathed her cursed sword, raising her fist before her face, index and middle finger extended beside one another and she bowed, "My mission is at an end. It's a shame it also ended yours."
Taki reached down and grasped the Eye necklace, greeted by her act with Momiji's supposedly lifeless hand grasping her wrist. Too shocked to react properly, Taki tried to wrench herself free of Momiji, only to regain her senses after she was looking directly into Momiji's flaming palm. Another blast sent her sprawling on her back, groaning as she pushed herself back up. She found Momiji already risen, her wound gone but the bloodstains remained, her face expressionless. Taki roared in fury as she once more split into three clones, rushing recklessly at Momiji. The shrine maiden knelt down and placed her palm to the earth, letting loose another autumn blast that parted the ways of the clones and shrouded them in smoke.
One began to lash out randomly at the smoke, a black figure blurring by and singaling a long, drawn out scream from the clone. Her thigh and knee slowly slid from one other, cleanly bisected. She fell onto her stump and once more shrieked as her raw flesh slammed onto the ground, her cries silenced by another flash of gray, Momiji kneeling beside her, her naginata held out before her as if she had followed through on a swing with a bat. The horrified expression on the clone did not change, even after the head slowly slid from the neck, making the clone vanish.
The next clone came lunging through the smoke, attempting to behead Momiji. Her efforts were met with a slash that gouged her open from hip to opposing shoulder. Immediately, a flurry of stabs began to puncture all over the clone's body. Soon, her left arm popped off, then her right leg, then the other leg, and other arm. Finally, one well-aimed thrust went right through the clones neck and, with a twist, popped her head off. Unsatisfied, Momiji impaled the limbless torso, ripping her blade to the side and cutting it in two horizontally, caking herself in her foe's blood.
Taki collapsed to her knee and one hand, clutching her chest as her breath labored. A faint orange glow engulfed Taki and gained her attention, turning to see Momiji behind her, gesturing in a crossing manner as numerous blazing leaves gathered around her. "This is where it shall end. Art of the Crimson Lotus!"
With that, the fiery torrent ushered out and consumed a screaming Taki in its inferno. Momiji turned and observed the destruction, mourning as a tear ran down her cheek, "Please forgive me."
"You are forgiven." Taki called out, shock radiating over Momiji's face.
A blade ripped through Momiji's chest, the maiden dropping to her knees to reveal her foe approaching her, glowing pink glyphs showing all over her body. Blood spilled down Momiji's chin, staring in horror at the blade radiating from her body. Taki grasped Momiji by her hair and turned her to face her, her glowing blade to her throat, "Any last words, shrine maiden?"
Momiji struggled through the the gagging from blood filling her lungs, managing to muster, "Autumn leaf."
With this, a burning leaf gently landed across Taki's eyes, causing her to release her blade and the maiden as she clutched her face. Momiji sprung up at Taki and caugt her in an embrace, impaling her as well through the stomach. Her screams were silenced, replaced with gasps for air, and, in the blink of an eye, Momiji appeared above and away from Taki, mid-backflip. Taki's eyelids were charred black and shut, her mouth a wide-open circle, and her body frozen. Slowly, from the top of her head down to her abdomen, the two halves of her body peeled apart, revealing her transverse anatomy of her skull, chest cavity, and stomach. The corpse collapsed to its front, spilling gore across scorched earth just as Momiji landed on her feet. Momiji, struggling at first, managed to extract the blade from her back with a sucking of wind, dropping it with a rattle of metal and few drops of blood, holding her chest as she healed herself. Attempting to catch her breath, she uttered, "The Eye stays with the shrine maidens. You should have listened to my warning."
K.O.!
DAM: Ah, dammit, another perfectly good chest we have to lay to rest.
Zivon: Why me? Anyway, this was close battle of two skilled ninjas. While both were very skilled as demon hunters, the one thing that becomes obvious is that Taki is far more suited for fighting demons than skilled humans. Her armor, her clothing, her weapons, and her magic were geared towards combatting them extremely effectively. Momiji can handle both. Atop that, Momiji regularly fights fiends and other beings on-par and even surpasing the likes of that which Taki has faced. Yes, Nightmare could obliterate a castle but Obaba was the size of one a skyscraper when she and Ryu defeated her. While Momiji's Crimson Lotus attack would have no lethal effect on her, neither would the reach of her bow or naginata be a factor as Taki can teleport over short distances ands can keep up with those who can dodge and block bullets. And, while Taki can make clones of herself, Momiji's attacks are more than fast and wide reaching enough to either hit them or keep them at bay. So now, we get down into the trenches of. First, magical capability.
DAM: And, while it seems totally in Taki's court for blowing up the top of that building, allow me to burst your bubble: All those joules are equivalent to 1.3 kilograms of TNT. You heard me, about 3 pounds of TNT. What do you expect, they were made of wood and paper? Certainly impressive and nothing to write off, but Momiji's magic was capable of resisting a building-sized Obaba attempting to crush her. Based on scale of each, let's call it a draw. Not only that, but both of their offensive magic isn't really going to hurt either, that's why Taki isn't just obliterating everyone or Momiji doesn't just vaporize her foes. Sure, both can pack a punch, but neither's magic has really seriously been a threat to non-evil entities, so that's also a wash.
Hazzamo: Next, durability. Here, Momiji takes it as her Spiritual Regeneration can heal even fatal wounds. While the kaveat to this is that it is finite, her magic abilities are boosted by the Eye of the Dragon. Sure, Taki has a shard of Soul Edge, but that pales in comparison to the full might of Soul Edge, and even moreso to this jewel. Which, as it bares repeating, contains the dozen souls of dragons who can defeat evil gods. So her running out is extremely unlikely, especially seeing how she merged it with her soul. On top of this, she's taken hits from a building-sized monster and only was knocked out. Taki just doesn't have any comparable durability feats, nor can she heal herself.
Zivon: On to speed, which was key. Some have argued that Taki outpaced the explosion she caused. The issue is that we never see her actually do this, she casts a spell, several seconds pass showing the symbols and the reaction of her combatant, boom, and then she appears outside. The best we have to scale her to is Mitsurugi, who can dodge and block gunfire. What's important is that the tanegashima we mentioned earlier is a one-shot matchlock musket. Even if we high-ball the muzzle velocity to be 500 meters per second as per measurements from a 2019 study, that is around 1,230 miles an hour, or 1.6 times the speed of sound. Momiji is considered to be hypersonic but, we want to pull from an easy example, consider that she keeps up easily with Ryu, who can dodge automatic fire and missiles. So, with that, if we assume just she's a baseline of 5 times the speed of sound, that's still over 3 times faster than Taki.
DAM: Lastly, while endurance easily goes Taki's way, thanks to her swords that literally put her on the magical equivalent of meth, we need to look at what they're fighting. Taki is in the 16th century, timing musketfire, and fighting mostly one-on-one with other people. Momiji, on the other hands, is regularly fighting outnumbered, surrounded, and from different directions and distances simultaneously. Certainly, Taki has fought numerous foes at once several times and can even go toe-to-toe with Nightmare or those possessed by Soul Edge, but she can't compare to Momiji doing it with regularity.
Hazzamo: While some might say she defeated Cervantes when possessed by Soul Edge, what needs to be pointed out was she defeated him after Sophitia drastically weakened him. While there are certainly some we could scale to, it's hard to pinpoint their exact strength, plus it was a nonfactor with magic and speed involved.
Zivon: Taki was just outmatched by Momiji's speed, magic, and durability.
DAM: Looks like Momiji was finally the ninja guidin' Taki to the grave, dead or alive.
Zivon: Ugh, the winner is Momiji.
Next Time on Death Battle:
Punishment...
"They murdered my family. They thought they murdered me. My actions are not vengeance. No, not vengeance. Punishment."
The Punisher
versus...
Elimination...
"You can't stop crime! That's what you never understood! I'm CONTROLLING it!"
The Red Hood
Hey guys, DAM here. I have to ask: what is with the Japanese and their obsession with gnosticism/manichaeism? Well, it's been a while hasn't it? So, let's cut to the chase, where have I been? Where are the updates? Simply put, I'm working. I have a career now and it's awesome. I'm also married and kids will be coming up before I know it. I know, right? Who thought the guy who started off writing some of the objectively worst L4D fan fiction around and had a bunch of cringe phases would trick a gal into being his bride. I'm also planning on having a family, devoting more of my life to the Church, and going back to school at some point. I'm dead serious, I haven't touched a video game in about a year, I'm just busy and got goals I'm chasing and closing out distractions where I can. Life has just been crazy busy these past few years so I couldn't update like I used to. And it's only going to get busier. Which leads us to the what my future status is with FanFiction. I've been here since I was 14/15 years old, which is an insane amount of my life. Literally half of it up to this point. I started off with weekly updates of Deadliest Warrior fights for years. Yes, I am ignoring my L4D days, those are dead to me. Then I got to branch out into Death Battle, then some ideas that just fell through but I got the chance to experiment on here and see what I was good at. Whether it was misses like The Abyss and all the cancelled story ideas or the hits, like John Wick, I'm grateful you all have been on this crazy ride with me and actually enjoyed what I produce. The skills and tools this site have given me are invaluable and I am forever grateful for the praise and, especially, the criticism. But, most of all, I love the reviews or emails that completely bust my balls and people just rant about how wrong I am. I find those absolutely hilarious and they're my favorite kind of correspondence with you guys. But, unfortunately, this cannot go on forever. Don't worry, I'm not going to up and leave so much unfinished. I want to be able to finish up so you guys can have some satisfying conclusions to stories, not have to wait around forever, and then I can go my own way once they're finished. So, here's the run down:
GTA: Vale is going to be completed. A sequel I had planned, GTA: VIneyard (yes, clever, but I've been planning this for years before the game actually got announced) is canceled.
Vale between Worlds is pending deletion. It just hasn't sparked me like it used to. I don't feel as excited about it as what I'm currently doing. Unless I can think of how to wrap it up in a quick but satisfying way. Otherwise, just not good and not the direction I want to go.
The Last Stand is pending deletion. I just have more that I want to do with it that I just won't have the time for, including a sequel. I will continue to use the polearm polevault attack a lot though, get used to it.
John Wick: Arkham Asylum will be completed. As many of you may have guessed and be wondering, will there be a sequel? Indeed. John Wick: Arkham City will probably end up being my final story.
Kawaiivengers is on the fence. Again, I don't want stories that will just be distractions. I might leave it to a poll, honestly. In any event, it's not going to have a sequel, nor was it planned to.
And, last but not least, Death Battle. Wow, man, what gives? Three years of not touching the story that made you an incredibly small figure on an incredibly niche website? What happens from here? Those viewers with an astute eye may recognize this fight is not Doomguy vs. Terminator, what gives? So, the reason is two-fold. One, this is a much better, more even matchup. Seriously, Doomguy can defeat his own Gnostic Creator, what'd you expect? Second, Death Battle has gotten so damn time-consuming in the research portion. Yes, I know, woe is me that I have to do a little research! But I try to make sure the outcomes are accurate and the fights themselves are not only entertaining but are in-character for the combatants. The process of completing one chapter on average is about 6-8 hours of work between researching and writing. Whereas, with any other story, an update can take 2-3 hours of collective work, depending on length alone. And, to be real, I don't want to write another 64 fights, a bunch of which I don't see a lot of value in. So, I went through the rest of Season 4, 5, and 6, and picked my match-ups I think would be the best to write. So, while this season will have 25 fights total, and it will be the last. The upcoming fights, in order, are:
Punisher vs. Red Hood
Riddick vs. Sam Fisher
Goliath vs. The Creeper (Jeepers Creepers)
Jill Valentine vs. Lara Croft
Gordon Freeman vs. Isaac Clarke
XJ-9 vs. Robot Boy
Brad Wong vs. Bo' Rai Cho
Trevor Philips vs. Not Important
James Heller vs. Albert Wesker
Eren Yeager vs. Nosferatu Zodd
Black Cat vs. Catwoman
Marcus Fenix vs. Chris Redfield
Bell Cranel vs. Kirito
Finale: TBD...
I give no timeframes nor any guarantees of how long this will take. I'll try to update more frequently when I can, especially before I fully settle down to a family in the next few years. That will definitely make this quite slow to update. Let's just take it one step at a time and enjoy it while it lasts. Until then, thanks for everything, everyone. Don't forget to leave a little love here, on my other stuff, and with my friends. And don't forget to cite your DAM sources.