Scene #2666: Holding Back

Owner	Pose
Takashi Agera	In a warehouse on the docks of Tokyo Bay, in what is an otherwise nondescript part of town, something strange is going on. Riventon is overseeing a group of various low-tier youma. Kindabads, Sunackies, and similar move around, picking up crates and carrying them to and fro. The humans who hsould be working at this warehouse, and indeed on the boat that these crates came off of, are all piled into a room at the side, unconscious, drained and snoozing uncomfortably. From the outside, it's very hard to sense anything is wrong; Dark Energy doesn't leak out of this place like it normally would when Obsidian is up to something. Instead what may have actually picked up Chrono's attention is the lack of energy, the lack of Tokyo's usual magical background noise in the area. The culprits are various metal stele, black iron that have been placed inside of the warehouse to prevent the usual 'calling all mahou' response to Dark Energy. And inside, clearly, a magical ritual of some format is being set up, intricately. There are little foremen youma explaining to other youma where various strange objects are to be placed. Riventon is overseeing the overseers; rather literally, as he floats about a floor up above the movement below. "No, no, you're holding it sideways..."
Chrono Harlaown	Chrono Harlaown quietly slipped in from the outside, his staff held to his chest. Honestly? Normally he'd have called for backup in a situation like this... instead, he'd sent out a time-delayed alert to Rashmi's device. He didn't want anyone rushing in, buuut... just in case. But something was definitely up, and he had to investigate it. And when he found the source, the weird metal that was blocking the magical energy radiating from within? That was alarming... But most alarming of all, was the strange ritual going on. And the fact that RIVENTON was monitoring it. He did his best to keep his presence hidden, as he moved around crates, recording what information he could and trying to get close enough he could get a better view of what that strange ritual... was... ... Whatever it was, if it had Riventon trying so hard to hide it from being sensed... then it boaded poorly for everyone. Possibly even Riventon.
Takashi Agera	Riventon had built these little metal steles from a special, rare metal - to suppress magic energy so that maybe he could get something done without being interrupted. But there was not much to be done for the law of coincidence and sheer mahou luck - except to have secondary backup plans. With the magical signals distorted and disrupted, Chrono's presence didn't alert Riventon's device either, but he'd still planned around that. Which is why in a quiet room, a particularly rotund Sunacky was half-watching a series of cameras - taking the place of the area's now unconscious security guard. But by sheer unluck (for Chrono, this time) one of them caught a glimpse of him through a mundane surveliance system. A muffled, impossible-to-understand shout erupted before it patted itself down for a walkie talkie, and frantically mumbled something into it that sounded like a grizzly bear had been roaring through a cardboard tube with a mouth full of marbles. But somehow, Riventon got the message. And he acted swiftly. Thrusting his hand out and firing a blast of ink-like Dark Energy at the crate Chrono had just scooted away from - no spell to control it, which meant it was a little more haphazard but perhaps also more dangerous, without Midchildan Magic's 'less than lethal' attached to it. "I swear if those shoulder spikes are who I think it is I'm going to feed you to my cat. After I get a cat. Another cat."
Chrono Harlaown	And ahhhh, there was it. Explosion. Chrono shielding his face from the debris, before taking a step back and giving a somewhat cocky smirk to Riventon. "Ah, Riventon-san. You don't get a cat, a cat gets you. Even I know that," he said. Unfortunately, they were in a warehouse, with a lot of minions, and Riventon. Not good odds, all things considered... Buuuuut... <<Stinger Ray!>> A lot of things to shoot and send scattering! With a rapid blast of magical pellets, he knocked over a stack of crates, sending them toppling down at Riventon... And while that would likely only hold him for a second, it was enough time for Chrono to break out through one of the nearby windows. Yes, because going through a window, why not? Most importantly, it was enough time for him to send out the alert to a few select individuals in his repetour... Rashmi, of course. At the docks, so likely the mermaid, probably a few others. It'd probably be a while before anyone got here, though. And in the meantime... A few binds were set in the path he'd taken out here... <<Stinger Blade!>> With a pair of stinger blades ready to be launched when Riventon, inevitably, came out from somewhere else, because Riventon was the kind of person who Refused to take the easy way out.
Takashi Agera	Riventon grumbled very loudly at the voice that was so familiar. "You know, you really should stay out of things that shouldn't concern you, because you're out of your league, Sir-Spikes-A-Lot." Riventon said, his Device handling the stack of crates by creating a Ward behind him - the crates and all pushed him forward but hardly distracted him. "You know what, I've let you hang around and harass me long enough as it is. It's been so long you've gotten a growth spurt, by gods." he says, looking him over. "Call for help all you want, in fact I'm glad you sent out for it. Someone's gonna need to carry what's left of you back to a hospital. Or a tomb. But they're not going to get here in time." A Belkan ward erupts underneath him, and Axion and its weilder call the spell together. <GEFANGIS DER DUNKLEN MAGIE.> But then a second line follows the usual 'prison of dark magic' that serves as Riventon's Barrier. The triangular Belkan runes distort and turn circular, changing to Midchildan mid-spell. <ISOLATION MODE.> calls the device, and when the Dark-Magic reinforced barrier sweeps over the landscape, instead of creating the usual barrier-world version of the real world, and keeping magic things within it - instead Chrono finds himself on a flat, barren landscape, like the world had been scoured clean. It's bleak and grey and even the sun seems to only cast shadows. But equally important from a tactical standpoint; there's not a lot to go on, just flat terrain. Even the youma seem to have not come forward. It's the sort of thing someone who's confident in their ability to win a duel might set up or create. "Big mistake getting noticed here, where I can tap into the work we're doing to change up my powers." Riventon says, wagging a finger at Chrono. "Today was the day you were ALMOST smart enough to get in and get out without some information. Probably would have worked on anybody else. But you had the stupid idea of getting in MY way. And I plan ahead AND think on my feet. So now you've got nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. And by the time your friends drill through the shell of this Barrier Plane that I have created today, I'll already be gone with your device."
Chrono Harlaown	"If I stayed out of things that didn't concern me, how would we have these little chats? I'd hate for you to get lonely," Chrono Harlaown said cheekily. "And you're hardly the first to threaten to bury me. Come on, Riventon, I expect better from you. Murder is the easy answer, you can be more creative than that," he said in a slightly mocking tone, before glancing up at the barrier being formed. A belkan barrier, huh. Well, that was... concerning. And were anyone else being confined to one... he'd be incredibly concerned. But he just had to hold off Riventon long enough for help to arrive. What was more concerning was the fact it had altered the landscape so severely. A blank, empty area. Not as much open terrain... Hm. A Nanoha would be great about now. Still... His gaze focused on Riventon once more. "True, you are a difficult person to hide and run from, Riventon. But I've been told I'm quite good at playing the mouse when I'm forced to. I must say, those little magic blockers of yours were quite impressive, though. I almost didn't notice them at first. Did you come up with them on your own, or was it someone else in your company?" Chrono asked, not making the first move. After all, he just needed to defend, for now. Help was on the way... the longer he could stall, the better his chances of survival became...
Takashi Agera	"While you've been growing your stature I've been growing my repitoire of abilities." Riventon explains, simply. "The magic blockers are an outgrowth of someone else's project. Needed me to see the potential in it." Riventon notes. "But you didn't just happen upon my workspace randomly, did you? What, specifically, are you snooping around about, Enforcer?" he asks, looking him over. "Honestly, I would have thought you'd gone home by now. Were you banished?" He asks, thinking about Hinoiri. "Because you're another offworlder, right? From the same place that the advanced magitech that produces these Device parts originates?" he continues. "And don't worry, I probably won't kill you unless your barrier jacket is incredibly weak. But I am glad that you got to have that dance with your girl, on the Moon. In case you end up being unable to do so again for a long period of time." And it seemed like Riventon was happy to make the first move. The Midchildan circle opens up underneath him fast, growing to full size quickly as he thrusts his arm out, the energy already collected in it, sphere turning into a rushing torrent of Dark Energy blasting outwards as Riventon and the Device share the callout again. <SCHATTENSCHLAG.>
Chrono Harlaown	"Ahhh, have you now? That's good. Developing a wide array of capabilities will serve one well," Chrono said. "However, one should never neglect to continue to develop their talents in new ways. Many varied applications of familiar skills open up entirely new pathways to victory." "Indeed, I was," Chrono said, his tone just a hint playful. "Alas, you see. They told me it was my home, or my shoulder spikes. I still believe I made the right choice. But don't worry, I find this world, and its moon, to be quite fun and have no qualms with sticking around for a long, long time. I have so many fun and interesting people to match wits with. Such as yourself," Chrono said. And there it was. The first blast and-- HOLY-- Chrono's left arm came up and formed a shield and he had leaped at the same time. The barrier he made managed to hold up only for about a half second, just enough for him to get in position so it wasn't a full blow, but even so the attack launched him and... He was stronger. A LOT stronger. Chrono flew back through the air, spinning, panting, but managed to level out after a few moments before narrowing his eyes. Okay. That... He's gotten faster. Hits harder. Interesting. <<Stinger Snipe!>> Two stinger orbs appeared, veering and flying through the air, at regular speed before... <<Stinger Blade!>> Three swords appeared overhead before flying overhead and then spun, spinning and launching straight at Riventon, spinning once before launching at him from three different directions like little blue lightning bolts.
Takashi Agera	Riventon scoffed. There was so much to scoff at, so it was hard to figure exactly which of the things Chrono had said elicited the response in question. Chrono takes the hit... pretty well, all things considered, and for once Riventon is playing for serious. Which means not letting his ego get the best of him. But that's impossible so the secondary objective is to minimize that. Riventon kept his eyes on the stinger Orbs, before they came in to impact agaionst an upraised shield. Riventon's expression is one of curiosity, though, not superiority - for just a moment before the secondary attack, the follow up, comes down from above. <PROTECTION.> calls Axion as the swords come in, one being blocked by each of Riventon's warded hands and the third being handled by the Device itself. <Did you believe this was a one-on-one?> Riventon's device asked in Midchildan, the black gem glowing with the words. "Mmmm, I've decided this world isn't as great as it could be. That's what I'm doing here. Changing the world. But not how Obsidian does it. Something smarter, better. Good for everyone. Even annoying offworlder would-be investigators who really should stay out of my way." <<ICH FREUE MICH DARAUF, DIE TEILE IHRES GERATS ZU INTEGRIERE.>> (I look forward to integrating the components of your device.) Axion added. <<ZERBRECHEN ALPTRAUM>> call the device-and-mage duo, Riventon bring his hands forward like a child might create a monster-head shadow-puppet - only an actual shadowy maw of sharp teeth forms from liquid Dark Energy nearby Chrono and tries to clamp down on him, chomping in tune with Riventon's hands.
Chrono Harlaown	Chrono Harlaown blinked a few times and then sighed. "Oh, Riventon... you know. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard that particular line. 'I and I alone can make this world what it could be. It is not living up to its potential. If only, wait, no, everything is going out of control, ahhhh!' I believe it is mad scientist 101 at this point," he said, flat and unamused. "The world is not for one person to shape. And even if by some catastrophe you did manage to defeat me, there would still be others to stand in your way." "... And I have not actually worked with belkans in years, and I knew just barely enough to maybe order a meal there. So... I have no idea what it just said, but I do feel offended and a little angry, so I am going to say... no." As the maw thing came at him, he dashed back and away, darting to try and put some distance between him and the snapping, gnashing teeth of the dark energy maw. Finally, as it comes closer, he whips around, instead dashing towards Riventon and... <<Blaze Cannon!>> Unleashing a swirling vortex of flame AT the maw AND Riventon! Trying to blast BOTH of them!
Takashi Agera	"I can translate." Riventon replies. "It said it was looking forward to integrating the components of your device." He says with a slowly spreading grin. The Blaze Cannon serves as an effective reply on its own, the surge of flame cutting through Riventon's shadow-construct attack and also forcing him to divert attention from it, a round barrier coming out of Riventon's hand as the shadows fade out. Riventon digs his heels in even as the attack pushes him back, but he stays upright and starts to collect energy in his other hand, the one with the crystals in the knuckles. It flows like water between his fingers as it grows. <DROWNING NIGHT> calls his device at the same time as he does, and he pushes his hand forward, streams of inky black liquid flowing around the shield to press back the rest of Chrono's attack and then stream towards him - the liquid nature of the attack aiming to stream around any of Chrono's barriers the same way it did around his own. "The difference is, this is my world, not yours. All of your previous experiences don't mean a damn thing here. I know magic operates fundamentally differently here. And the outcome of my efforts will be fundamentally different to any lesser attempts by the petty criminals you chased around."
Chrono Harlaown	Chrono Harlaown rolled his eyes. "Ah. Then allow me to rephrase. 'Hell no'," Chrono added. As his blast was blocked, Chrono couldn't help but note how well Riventon was just... blocking the strike. He'd gotten faster, his device had too. 'Drowning night', huh? He holds up his right hand, forming a barrier and-- His eyes go wide as the attack starts to rise up, flowing over the barrier, flowing over it like water. In a tenth of a second, Chrono had to move... Chrono's shield dropped as Chrono spun back around. If he had an intelligent device, he might not have had enough processing power to do what needed to be done, then. As he already had a plan and the calculations were already being processed. The spell registered, locked in. And then... <<Subzero Burst!>> As the inky blackness came within centimeters of touching him, ice materialized out from him, spreading out from him, enveloping the darkness, before erupting, sending him and scattering it as well, giving him the darkness. Giving him just that extra bit of breathing room he needed. Decisions made between heartbeats enacted within the spaces between instants. It was only years of experience with his device that enabled him to do that, and even then... He'd come dreadfully close to getting caught by that attack. "You've picked up a few new tricks, Riventon. I won't deny, you never fail to impress. I'd be lying if I said you weren't a cut above most of those criminals I've pursued across other worlds," Chrono said. Before giving a sad, almost disappointed sigh. "Which makes the fact you make so many of their same speeches and mistakes all the more sad. You really could do so much more..." he said. <<Subzero Snipe!>> Five small, blue balls this time... but this time? They didn't pierce... They'd explode, coating in ice and cold whatever they touched, attempting to restrict and bind.
Takashi Agera	"You would refer to it as a trick, because you're not thinking clearly. But it's an expansion of power." Riventon notes. "That feeling you refer to as 'being impressed' that you have is just how your brain is translating the mix of awe and fear that being in my presence naturally evokes. You're just recontextualizing it to make yourself feel better." And Riventon says all of that egotistical word salad without even the slightest hint that he's not being one thousand percent serious. "You're right about one thing, though. I could do so much more. I realized that recently. I've been selling myself short. So very short. But don't worry, that will come to an end very soon." Riventon produced another shield like before, but this time as Chrono's orbs came in and smacked against the shield, they cast their thick coating of ice along the shield - and magically following the conduit back to Riventon himself, encasing his arms and legs and part of his barrier jacket in frozen, restrictive ice. "Tch. Neat 'trick'." He says, echoing Chrono's language back at him. "But you can't keep this up forever. You're not on my level." Riventon says. "And I learned how to deal with your attempts to bind me years ago." <BUSTERKLOAK> Axion calls in response, waves of dispelling Dark Energy erupting out from Riventon, cutting into the ice and leaving it weak enough for him to shatter it with his next movement. And at the same time, several spheres of inky liquid Dark Energy erupted into existence around Riventon <DAMMERUNGSFEUER - GEZEITENMODUS> (Dusk Barrage - Tidal Mode) the device warned. "Now, to put you down. Dusk Barrage... ENGAGE!" Riventon yells, the ice breaking as he does so, and all of the liquid spheres of Dark Energy rush towards Chrono from multiple directions, like living ink that attempts to grasp at him over the tops of the shield or reaching up from the ground where the shots might land.
Chrono Harlaown	Chrono Harlaown cocked an eye. "Oh, truly. Awe and fear. I really would have struggled to contextualize those emotions on my own, thank you for the lesson, sensei," Chrono said, his voice and face absolutely dry as he hovered there, his left hand behind himself, right hand still holding his rod as her looked at his foe. Yeah. Riventon was as egotistical as ever. Not even a little surprised. "Good to know you've got a sense of your own self worth, really reaching for the moon, I take it?" At least as Riventon talked, it meant there was more time for his allies to arrive. More time for backup to come. More time to run out the clock. That was all he needed to do, after all. And then... Busterkloak. Okay, that was new. Breaking the ice. Fair. A barrage of dark energy. His eyes narrowed as the barrage seemed to come from all sides. He jumped back and around, trying to move back as he formed shields with both hands! Only for more and over of it to wash over and erupt and-- When the attack ended, Chrono was dropping from the air, his uniform scorched, his device cracked, and his annoyance... peaked... See, this wasn't his planet... He knew this wasn't his planet. Since coming to this planet, he'd realized that it wasn't his place to interfere. Worse, he knew that interfering could only make things worse. It would have been easy, at times, to just step in, use his experience and expertise to just destroy some of the challenges that threatened them. He had a lot more power and knowledge than many of the sparkles. Could have prevented a lot of hurt... But the people here had more potential. He'd seen them rise beyond what he could ever do, many, many times. In dire moments, perform feats he could never imagine. Things that he never thought possible. So he had limited himself, again and again. Served as a director. Aided, supported. Only offered guidance. In battle, he only offered enough aid to try and stop them from getting too hurt, not to carry them. It was his job to be a helping hand. NOT to fight these battles for them. Because no matter how much stronger he was when he got here... They rose so, so much higher than he could ever dream. But now? They weren't here. There was nobody here for him to protect, nobody for him to guide. Nobody here for him to teach. Worse, Riventon... wasn't an enemy he could truly hold back against anymore, was he? Frustrating as it was. He didn't WANT to kill him... but... he couldn't let himself get killed, or let his device get taken either, could he. As more of those orbs came at him, he sighed... <<Stinger Snipe!>> <<Stinger Snipe!>> <<Stinger Snipe!>> <<Stinger Snipe!>> The spells came out in such a rapid flurry they almost blended in together as nearly twenty small, blue orbs materialized around him, before rushing out in a flurry and tearing through the surrounding area, then redirectin their path, converging on Riventon. Meanwhile, Chrono righted himself, panting lightly, the edges of his suit charred and pieces of it burned away, the ends of his hair burned. No... Perhaps it was the edges of arrogance to think he could keep playing this game with Riventon, after all this time. <<Stinger Blade!>> Five swords would appear over Riventon in a ring, spinning before releasing down, attempting to pierce him from above.
Takashi Agera	Riventon was talking up a storm, but the reason behind that was twofold. Firstly, because it was him and he was always sure of himself, but partly because as the Dark Energy rose within him, it was best to keep the more self-destructive negative thoughts at bay, and self-assurance was a great way to do that. So in truth, the more loudmouthed he was, the more self-assured, the more Dark Energy he could handle without negative consequences; at least, in his own mind. The Enforcer had given him a scare, once, when he was relatively new to fighting, when he was still figuring out his powers fully, when he was still making plans for the future. It had been a long time ago, but Riventon had never forgiven him for that. Even the theft of the Scroll of Ka hadn't stopped him from thinking about it from time to time. And now, far more powerful than he'd been before, he wanted to prove it - to make the point to Chrono that he'd never be able to beat Riventon on his own again. And perhaps even more importantly, to prove that point to himself. The combination of desire for victory and a mind full of egotism kept him pushing forward, kept those orbs flying into the air and assaulting Chrono. But perhaps that over-indulgence in egotism is why Riventon expected the Dusk Barrage to heavily degrade Chrono's performance if not take him out. And now Chrono was striking back, some of the mask was off, and the Stinger Snipes rained down one after another. Riventon had never taken Chrono's advice to focus on only one of the two major schools of magic and it showed clearly as Riventon parried a blast with a round Michildan shield, then another with a triangular Belkan shield, occasionally being secured from another hit by one of the shields generated by Axion. Chrono's serious barrage was withering, though, and what started off as Riventon pushing forward towards him through the blasts ended up with Riventon losing ground, taking backsteps and each shot coming precariously closer to getting through before a barrier went up. And then the coup de grace came in - that ring of swords, coming in before Riventon and Axion had a chance to put up a more wide angle barrier; Three of them were blocked, one was just barely dodged, and one cut a long line of crackling energy through Riventon's labcoat, causing him to grip the side in pain once the barrers were no longer needed to avoid further assaults. The Obsidian Scientist and Vice-Director looked at the mark, then turned to fix his green eyes on Chrono's face. There was pain, but also, clear anger. "What the hell was that?" Riventon snarled. "Throwing everything you've got at me like that, going all out like you never have before? Desperation?" He asked. But Chrono didn't seem tired. His facial expressions and body language didn't seem to indicate he'd pushed himself beyond his limits. Axion didn't register dramatic drops in his energy like Riventon would expect from a last stand assault. "What kinda crap are you pulling here? Illusions? Did you fool my device? Won't stick for long..."
Chrono Harlaown	Chrono Harlaown ran towards Riventon, as the orbs of magic continued to swirl around Riventon, piercing and racing and trying to assault him. The worst thing about them wasn't the damage, though the damage they could do was pretty nasty. It was that they weren't dissipating. That was him in a nutshell, though. It wasn't his strength, in and of itself. It was just how efficient he was, how he could push his spells to the limit. So when he didn't hold back, when he went in, at full power, he could get so much more oomph out of his limited power than he really should be capable of. Only someone like Rashmi truly knew just how dangerous he truly could be. And now, well... <<Stinger Ray!>> Streaks of blue blasts erupted from the end of his staff, piercing barriers as they unleashed on Riventon, only making the situation likely worse and likely opening up more ways for the orbs to break through. As Chrono kept advancing, racing towards him. "I'm an Enforcer, Riventon," Chrono said, his face a mask, a new mask. A calm mask. He wasn't smiling, though. He wasn't making that calm, gentle, 'everything will be okay' smile he always made. This was new. He looked serious. As if he saw Riventon. As if he saw Riventon for the first time. As if he only saw Riventon, now... "This is my job, my duty. I have been doing this for years. While I'll admit, I've seen more action on this world than I have seen in the rest of my life... it doesn't mean I haven't been preparing," Chrono said. "And you've always been one to rise above, haven't you? Congratulations. You're finally at the level I don't believe I should hold back against any more. At least, if I want to survive." <<Blaze Burster!>> He released little red pellets... That then erupted all around Riventon... moments before all of the blue orbs seemed to converge on him in a single, climatic, explosive CRASH.
Takashi Agera	It was honestly a credit to Riventon's actual efforts in mastering both systems of magic through his mess of a device that Chrono hadn't pressured him either to retreat or surrender, both Belkan and Midchildan wards coming up and in such ways that if you were really paying attention you could see he was picking between the two intelligently; faster Belkan wards when time was ciritcal and larger Midchildan wards when it was more about securing wider angles against Chrono's unrelenting attacks. And yet still, Chrono's assault continued, and Riventon had to think quickly, sometimes flooding his barriers with Dark Energy to brace them, and sometimes creating claws of Dark Energy on the flyu to try to bat away or dissapate the attacks. Occasionally, one of Chrono's Stinger Rays would push through, putting burn marks and scars across Riventon's barrier labcoat. "You're not this strong, Chrono!" Riventon said despite all clear evidence to the contrary. "You can't keep this up. This level of output is beyond you!" Riventon said, as much trying to convince himself as anything. "You're burning yourself at both end-" he began before being cut off by another energy slam. Dust kicked up as more hits found their way home, with the battlefield starting to grow obscured from both visual and magical detection due to the sheer amount of energy and chaos in the air. And all of this with Riventon only being on the defensive. The gleaming red pellets floated around Riventon, visible near his figure in the obscured battlefield before unleashing all of their energy. Silence fell for a long time while the battlefield remained obscured. But as the smoke, dust, and slight magical sparkles cleared... there was Riventon. Standing. Marks, cuts, scars all over his lab coat, frayed at the ends, one of the sleeves completely gone. Bruises starting to form on his body, cuts where the attacks had bypassed the protection of the Barrier Jacket, Riventon's breathing was a testament to the nonlethal-by-default nature of Midchildan magic... but to remain standing... that was a testament to Riventon's refusal to back down. Instead, Riventon started to... laugh. At first a snicker, then for a moment a full on almost mad laugh. "So this is what an Enforcer is capable of, when he takes the gloves off." Riventon says, slowly taking the cracked glasses off his face. "Tell me... was it enough?" Riventon asked before taking an unsteady step towards Chrono to look at him without even the lenses of his glasses between the two. "For the criminals you fought. For the ones you say you've heard it all before from. Was this kind of assualt enough?" Riventon takes another unsteady step, visibly shaken and injured, before looking down at his glasses. Dark energy comes like snakelike tendrils from his upper body, down the exposed arm, to the glasses, where it seems to coat them before they dissolve. "You've been holding back. This entire time, you've been capable of this? Or perhaps you've trained since you first tried to kill me?" Riventon asks the Enforcer. "I'm impressed. And quite offended, too, that you've held back this kind of ability for so long. Even when it was to protect the Scroll of Kha, you didn't unleash this kind of capability in fighting me. Not since that first fight have you taken me seriously, eh?" Riventon says, looking at Chrono anew, eyes aflare with fury, rather literally glowing green. "That's why you felt so confident coming here alone and not getting help when you saw me, because you had actually had so much more capability than you had shown?" Riventon continues. "You know... until today I would have said I believed that I could handle any other mahou shoujo one-on-one. But now, with this?" Riventon pauses, looks down, and shakes his head. And when he raises it again to stare down Chrono, the grin on his face is almost a slasher-smile. "Today... BOTH of us... we'll KNOW I can."
Takashi Agera	Riventon's smile continues to remain as the Dark Energy creates a new undamaged set of glasses in his fingers even as he moves to put them on his face. Steadily the inky tendrils move across the damaged parts of his Barrier Jacket, reconstructing it and repairing the damage. "You're a soldier, a fighter, a trained warrior, an officer. Your command of your energy is incredible, as is your reaction time, especially now that I have your undivided attention. But you're not fighting another mage. You're not dueling another fighter. I built my device from what was originally merely scrap and reverse engineering, I've mastered two different disciplines of your world's magic and melded them together, without so much as a guiding hand, much less a mentor." Riventon continues as the damage - at least to the outfit - is repaired. "And my Device has grown and improved and been rebuilt to harness levels of power that you and all of your little friends had to put everything together to just barely scrape through to the other side." "I'm not a Mage, or a Knight. Your world's magic is a stepping stone at best. You learned magic - I create it. You studied your magic - I have created entirely an new ''form'' of magic. The forms of magic you learned were created by someone else, someone long removed from you. Because of that... you have never, ever faced anyone like me. And since you have stopped holding back..." <VI SKA OCKSA.> Riventon's device finishes, speaking in both of it's usual voices at once, in a language that is clearly neither Midchildan nor Belkan. <PROTOTYPE DRIVE. AKTIVIEREN. FRAMTIDA-KARNA.> The shockwave of energy that erupts from Riventon is the sort of thing that clears a great deal of space, Dark Energy radiating outwards in both corruptive and violent fashion, ripping a crater in the floor of the Barrier world with Riventon floating over the middle of it. Small starlike crystals of Dark Energy periodically form in the air between where Chrono is pushed back to and where Riventon floats, creating seemingly at random from the aura in the air before shattering moments after, creating a sort of purple-blue-black twinkle in the air here or there. It's not merely the power of it all though, it's also the form of it, the resonance and the wavelength, the way the magic seems to dance and coalesce around Riventon now. "You might want to call for backup - oh right, you can't." The magic circle that opens up underneath Riventon's floating body is neither Belkan nor Midchildan.
Chrono Harlaown	It was a credit to Riventon's sheer power that he was able to wield both styles to such levels. Perhaps if he had focused on one, he would have been able to bring out a level of efficiency to put all of his boasting, power and confidence to shame... ... But even so, his base capabilities really did show just how incredibly capable he was. Fear the man who did the same punch 10,000 times was a saying for a reason, but to spread his capabilities so wide, yet get so much out of them just showed how incredibly capable he was as a mage. A shame he used his capabilities to steal. And as Riventon objected to the idea that Chrono could possibly be like this, that he could be THIS strong, this tough, this powerful, wellllll... Chrono kept going. Just showing how wrong he was. Unfortunately... Riventon remained standing. Oh, he hated that. No, Riventon couldn't make anything easy, could he? "For some of them? Yes. For others? No. It depended on the Lost Logia," Chrono said. "Admittedly, I usually had a full team behind me as well," Chrono said. "Or backup. Enforcers can operate alone, but we try not to. That would be reckless. Admittedly, there has been an acclimation period on this planet... but I have been holding back on this planet. It's not my place, generally, to fight full tilt. And a lot of these warriors have far more potential than I. Better to nurture that, than snuff it out. But oh, you misunderstand, Riventon..." "I've never taken you anything less than seriously," Chrono said. He still wasn't smiling. Mastered? No... Riventon was... not a master. He was self trained. If Riventon was a master, then Chrono would have been put through the ground by now. Chrono would hesitate to call himself a master. He was probably the closest this world HAD to a master and even THEN he was only a master of the lowest level, in an INCREDIBLY narrow field. Riventon... Riventon was a prodigy. An incredibly talented, gifted prodigy. High off his own supply. And now he was no longer holding back. Of course. He sighed. And no. He was definitely not going to mention that he already called for backup. Because, well. When your enemy made a mistake, DON'T correct him. Ever. Though he could FEEL the energy rolling off Riventon and he lowered his device slightly... ... He was going to have to focus everythin he had on defense. On surviving this. On holding out. He could almost see the timer in the corner of his vision. Just like the training he put all of the others through. 'Survive long enough for help to arrive'. Except he didn't know how long until it would arrive. ... But he knew it would. He had faith.
Takashi Agera	"You took me ''seriously''?" Riventon spat the words out. He could feel the Dark Energy flowing through him, the external powers and magic of the unleashed artifacts with his gauntlet mixing with his own, creating a sort of enhanced feedback loop. Unfortunantly, it had the effect of also increasing Dark Energy's effects on him, and he could feel it, the anger, the rage, the annoyance, all of those negative traits. "No, you don't have any idea who you're standing in front of. I held back too, but it wasn't out of some desire to train pet projects. It was out of kindness. It was out of not wanting to squish confused bugs with a shoe when they just needed to be set outside. But you... you don't get to do that to me. You don't have the right. You don't have the strength. You're the bug to me. Not the other way around. Annoying, like a... spikey-shouldered mosquito. And I should have swat you long ago." Riventon's magic circle grew brighter purple blue as a tremendous surge of of Dark Energy collected in his hand, quickly turning spherical, for just a moment, looking like a black sun. With his other hand he collected a different sort of visual form of Dark Energy, liquid and flowing in contrast to the burning fire of the first. "Perhaps if you surrender quickly I'll leave you a paltry amount of magic so the Veil doesn't take your memory before the Fade does." <YOUR DEVICE SUITS YOU. A WORTHLESS UNINTELLIGENT DEVICE FOR A WORTHLESS UNINTELLIGENT BOY.> Axion states, sharing in Riventon's energy and therefore all of the Darkness swirling through it. And the firey sun of energy in Riventon's right hand grows, at the same time as he flicks forward the tendrils of water, which coil and course through the air. <WARLDSYRMDEN OINSKRANKT NOLL.> (Deep Space's Absolute Zero) Call the Mage and Device together as the winding torrents of Dark Energy water coil and splash towards him, much like Chrono's previous attack, seeking to coat anything they touch in black ice - though this ice is so very cold that it not only seeks to bind but injure or worse through the sheer chill of it all. And through all of this the attack in his other hand is still gathering power, that black sun of ernergy flaring outwards and waiting, likely a followup just waiting for an opening created by the other attack.
Chrono Harlaown	Chrono Harlaown couldn't help but cock an eye as Riventon's device proved that, once again... Riventon truly was impressive. He managed to create a device just as big a dick and with as big an ego as him. And oh, he did love the way that Riventon could just... eat the clock. It lowered his threat rating a bit. As long as Riventon could keep talking, the more likely it was that help could arrive. Funny. Ever since they'd met, all Riventon had wanted was to beat him down and take him and his device. And yet, he was still standing, as was his device. Perhaps if he'd spent more time trying to end things, than talking, maybe he'd have succeeded? ... Then again, if he had done that, perhaps Chrono would have tried to end him, more than once. "And yet, after... how long has it been now? Two years? You still haven't managed to actually take my device or my magic, Riventon," Chrono said. "Though, you have gotten stronger, that I won't deny. Perhaps I'm more of a cockroach, very hard to keep down," Chrono offered, with just a hint of snark. And then the attack. ... Ah. A void tentacle. Of ice. He always knew this day would come. <<Blaze Cannon!>> He unleashed a powerful point blank blast at it, as it came at him, causing steam to fill the air and-- And it likely wasn't enough. But he didn't expect it to be. He expected to deflect it just enough, as he pushed himself further away, launching himself away with the momentum from the blast, putting more distance between him and his opposition, to give more wiggle room. Riventon was stronger, he knew that. But he just had to buy time. He didn't have to win. He just had to make him burn energy. Make him overcommit. Make him exert himself... Make him overdo it... just until help arrived. This was the kind of thing he had trained for. He was behind enemy lines. But help was on the way...
Takashi Agera	Riventon, though, can feel it, the Dark Energy, coiling around his mind and his spirit, urging him forward, urging him to stop holding back, to wipe Chrono out. That voice in the back of his head demanding destruction, yelling about how Chrono mustn't dare to stand against him - it isn't a little voice, at all. And with that mixed with the artifacts he'd woven into his gauntlets - Riventon had a lot more energy to burn, and a lot more desire to do the burning. He was psotiviely flooded with energy and malice, and Chrono's words didn't help. "Soon your Device will be in my possession - just like the Scroll of Ka." Riventon noted, snarling in barely controlled anger as he reminded Chrono that he ahd already snatched something magic from him. Then when Chrono had to stop the one attack, Riventon and Axion were ready - following up and following Chrono's magical signature in the fog, the other hand thrust forward with the roiling magma of the inky angry sun in his hand. <STRAHL DER SCHWARZEN SONNE> began Axion, and Riventon followed up with his trigger word. "ENGAGE!" he yelled as the blast of Dark Fire energy, powered through the gem that once belonged to Beryl, ripped outwards from his hand at such force that it pushed Riventon back as the heat wafting off it burned away the smoke and steam and replaced it with a heat haze - the same attack that had once tried to send Equivalence through a bus was even stronger now and going for Chrono.