The Demon King's Contest 1: Finished!

[Chibi Kitsune Warrior]

Kyaro began vaulting himself at surprising speed across the arena. At first he simply circled his opponent, feinting attacks to try and elicit a response of some kind. When it became clear that she was not going to react, he launched himself forward and attempted to upper cut her.  

[Silas Parrish]

Cullingblade launched herself forward, easy zipping around the angry little fists of the Youkai. A flash of light emanated from her arm as one of her blades caught the light of the sun for the briefest of instants, and she slashed toward her victim's chest.  

[Chibi Kitsune Warrior]

Kyaro did not even see the attack coming. The cold bone slid easily through his chest and he cried out in pain. He tumbled to the ground, hissing as he went. As soon as he hit the ground, he launched himself once more, but this time, he was aiming a kick at her legs.  

[Silas Parrish]

Cullingblade gave a cruel laugh, reveling in the spray of the Youkai's blood. She effortlessly stepped over his next attack, relying on momentum to carry a bladed heel toward the Youkai, this time aiming for his soft belly.  

[Chibi Kitsune Warrior]

Kyaro grabbed the sole of Cullingblade's foot, successfully blocking the attack. He rolled out from under her weight, allowing her foot to slam down on the stone where he had been laying just before.
Kyaro pressed a hand to his chest and licked the blood from his fingertips. He blinked slowly, fear was starting to take its hold. He cautiously circled his opponent before clapping his hands together with an ape-like grunt. A large, black bolt of energy erupted from his finger tips.  

[Silas Parrish]

The Menos gave a hiss and growl as she felt rough, clawed hands against the skin of her foot. Though most of her body was covered with tough, bony plates, some areas were still soft and fleshy, as they had been in Cullingblade's human life.
"That...TICKLED!" she bellowed with rage as her bladed heel struck stone. The bolt of dark energy overtook her while she was distracted. She recovered quickly, her anger stoked even further. Cullingblade followed up with a spinning motion, aiming to slash anywhere on the Youkai's body with the blade at the end of her tail.  

[Chibi Kitsune Warrior]

Kyaro danced away from the attack, chittering as he did so. His own successful attack had boosted his spirits once again. The fear was beginning to die down. He ran at Cullingblade yet again and kicked at her abdomen with an energy charged foot.  

[Silas Parrish]

Cullingblade zipped backward again, both to dodge the enemy's attack and to distance herself from him physically. She growled again at him under her breath, crouching and resentfully covering her feet with her tail.
"Hmph!" Wanting to avoid being touched again, she charged and fired a sapphire-colored Cero in his direction from a distance.  

[Chibi Kitsune Warrior]

With a wave of his hand, Kyaro threw a bolt of dark energy at the incoming Cero. When the two attacks met, there was a small explosion as they canceled each other out.
Kyaro found himself growing weak from loss of blood. He recognized that if he wanted to win, this would be his last chance. Using his dark energy, he constructed a fairly large shuriken and sent it flying a Cullingblade. It hummed wickedly as it spun closer and closer.  

[Silas Parrish]

The Menos roared angrily as her attack was dispersed. Her speed was great, and her reflexes matched, but neither would do her any good if she could not see. As it happened, the smoke was too slow in clearing up, and a construct of the Youkai's energy came whizzing through the air at her. It struck her hard in the chest, cracking her bony armor and biting into the flesh of her chest and torso. She howled with pain as the energy subsided and faded away, leaving her bleeding.
Panting heavily, Cullingblade drew in her remaining spiritual power for one final assault against the Yokai. She mopped up a little blood with her hands, and clapped them together forcefully. A thunderous sound echoed for a few short moments and flecks of Hollow's blood sailed through the air to stain the white stone floors.
"Fine, then! This'll finish you for sure! It's called a Gran Rey Cero, and is something few Hollows can even perform. My own blood becomes my weapon!" With that, a violently violet burst of energy to dwarf her last attack filled the vision of every spectator.  

[Chibi Kitsune Warrior]

Kyaro's eyes widened in fear as the wave of energy drew closer. He turned his back to it, and curled into a ball, trying desperately to lessen the amount of damage he would receive. He screamed as the energy hit him full blast, ripping his flesh open. When the blast had dissipated, he was surprised to find that he was still standing. Barely.
He turned once more to face his opponent, blood running from his mouth and nostrils.
This would be it... The last blow.  

[Silas Parrish]

Cullingblade narrowed her eyes, surprised to see that the little Yokai had survived. He was tougher than she would ever admit aloud. She did not have the energy left to invoke a second Gran Rey Cero, so she settled for the normal flavor. Blue bolts of energy leaped from her fingers as a soft glow filled a single palm.
"This is the final blow... one of us will go down, and fast." As quickly as they could, imaged rushed into her mind. She could almost remember a life before the one she knew as a Hollow. She had always been too tough or too fast to be hurt... but this Yokai had managed to cause her pain for the first time in her life as a Hollow. More than that, he actually tickled her foot by accident as he brushed up against it. That sensation was one she felt sure she'd never experience as a Hollow, much less as a Menos. Something almost human welled up inside of her. Compassion, one might have called it. Against her every instinct, Cullingblade decided to spare this humble little Yokai if this attack could bring him down. Clawed toes gripped tightly at the ground as she braced herself for one last bid to win.
She unleashed the Cero, and felt the very last dregs of her strength leave her.  

[Chibi Kitsune Warrior]

Kyaro examined his opponent from across the arena. He blinked in his odd, slow way as he realized that he was attracted to the creature standing across the arena from him. Never before had he come across a female with such power and grace. Such power...
He knew this would be the final attack and though he would give it his best to win, he no longer wished to cause pain to this majestic being before him.
He put his hands together, focusing the last bit of his energy into a ball of energy; just enough to ensure his victory, if he could manage to hit. At last, he made his last attack.  

[Silas Parrish]

It was over as quickly as it had begun. Quicker than even Cullingblade could hope for. The smoke cleared, and there lay her opponent. He had put up quite a fight, and even still had not died in the wake of that last attack. Tired and broken, she dragged herself one step at a time over to the little Yokai, and picked his unconscious form up by the arm, taking care to distance him from her many naturally protruding blades. Amidst a gasp of shock from some audience members, and a marked jeering from others, she lay Kyaro over one of her shoulders, and carried him with her to the winners' box. With every step she wondered what the ground felt like against bare soles. With every adjustment to the Youkai's body to keep him from falling, she wondered what his skin and hair felt like against bare palms and fingertips. As she inhaled deeply in the slight breeze, she longed to feel the hot air on her bare face. She caught the gaze of the Shinigami as she sat down. Was he judging her? She did not care. Cullingblade set her still-living burden down beside her chair, and sank gratefully into its rough leather cushion.