Ultrasmash Taiga 6

There are people who come to see wars. Some starry eyed children who look at battles between Magi from afar and see something beautiful. The dancing lights of fire reflecting in a thousand budding crystals was probably a much less potent image without the risk of them piercing your throat though. As Taiga races by, performing hairpin turns to evade Aaliyah's attacks-

Even he can't help but feel that he's witnessing something at least a little majestic.

As much as battle was his drug, his adrenaline, it had long since been a fascination of his that surpassed simple excitement. To realize how close he was coming to defeat. The sudden flip that seemed to switch in his head and movements - playing far more defensively. Every nerve in his body suddenly felt acutely attuned to his opponents.

The Beast inside of him fought. Told him to rush in again. To tear her apart.

But it was in this battle that he realized the dangers of giving in to that hunger. Burned, time and time again for his aggressiveness. There was no way that Taiga could win this fight if he let himself slip entirely. Control. Excellence. He wasn't just better than them.

He could be the best they had ever seen.

In a sudden moment of blinding clarity, Taiga finds his opening. Alliyah has a javelin of crystal ready in her hand. Taiga will die if it pierces him. He understands this - and his fear is understood as well. But he burns it. He swallows it and all the hesitation it has to bring with it for the sake of victory. His mind does not think of the fear, it only things of the magic that will win him this fight.

Time is bent. Bound to his blade. An invocation linking it.

"Ikken Hissatsu…"

The flow of time stopped. His blade sheathed. The moment it bottoms out, the click of his pommel against the hilt is the instant time would freeze for the pair. The javelin is inches from piercing his heart. In this moment - in this frame of his life - Taiga found peace. The thousand of reflections of his focused, bloodied face against Aaliyah's crystals. A potential ending for his entire life shown to him in the very weapon that aimed to end it. And he stared it down.

And cut it apart.

Time would resume. His blade unsheathed. To all observers, it was as if Aaliyah was consumed by a hundred or more strikes in that fraction of a second. The shattering of her crystal resulting in lacerations suddenly covering her body as flying shards of rock pierced her skin. An explosion of blood and pain would leave her on the ground.

Taiga? His blade is sheathed for the last time as he marches back to report. On shaking, limping legs.

What a fight.
(Taiga Voss)