Castle Crasher (Closed)

[Miyamoto Kenji]

"Well, this fight is going wonderfully..." mused Kenji in his subconscious, rolling over to see the advancing Rider. In the face of exceptionally possible death, he refused to waver or flinch, for he had a family to return to, people to protect. This skeletal bastard wasn't about to stop him from finishing this dungeon alive just because it was either the better fighter, or had gotten lucky.

Howling a war cry, Kenji shoved himself forcefully to his feet, Yawarakai-Te in hand, and made to bat aside the Rider's sword, punching him in the face if successful, and further backing off to consume an onigiri.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

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[Uesugi Kenshin]

Wow! Kenji's war cry must've granted him luck! Not only did he swat aside the Rider's weapon, but he knocked it entirely out of his hand, sending it sliding along the floor! Additionally, his punch would knock the Rider back onto the floor! As the Rider climbed back up to his feet in a daze, Kenji had time to consume his onigiri and heal his injuries! The Rider was currently left open!

[Miyamoto Kenji]

(( Note: Constitution total is now 35 for the next five posts, including this one. Dat glorious fortitude. ))

Kenji had the upper hand, and he was not about to lose it doing something risky. His opponent was dazed, unarmed, and not as zealous as before. Instead of opting for anything fancy, he merely stepped in and threw a hard straight fist for the Rider's face. If successful, he advanced and threw a series of punches into the Rider's form, punishing him as hard and fast as he could whilst he still bore the advantage.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

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[Uesugi Kenshin]

Kenji should probably have been thankful for that extra endurance his onigiri gave him, for the Rider would counter his blow, punching Kenji repeatedly himself! He'd receive several punches to the face and gut! Ouch!

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Not his best luck, but then again, his luck seemed to fluctuate throughout this dungeon trek so far. Kenji took his blows well, shifting to the defense against the hostile Rider and looking for an opening through which he could snap kick his enemy in the jaw, and if successful, follow through by shoulder tackling him into the wall or to the floor.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

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[Uesugi Kenshin]

Kenji would successfully kick the Rider's jaw, leaving him open to the shoulder tackle that followed! The Rider was slammed up against the wall, but wasn't yet out of commission! He kicked Kenji away from him, attempting to advance on him and grab him by the throat!

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Not content with the idea of being throttled, Kenji made to duck around the Rider's grabbing arm while keeping a hand near his throat to protect it. If he failed to avoid the grab, his hand would be in the way and taken instead, Kenji intending to then drag the Rider into a rib punch. If successful, on the other hand, he'd make it to his enemy's flank and ram his knee into its ribs before throwing another fist at its head.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

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[Uesugi Kenshin]

Kenji's punch-knee combo to the ribs would strike the Rider without fail before he punched the Rider in the face, sending him sprawling back onto the ground! He wasn't moving at all, and it looked as though Kenji were victorious...

But after a few moments, the sound of rattling bones could be heard, and darkness would envelop the Rider's body, bringing him back to his feet. He cackled at Kenji's efforts, but he wouldn't advance upon the man this turn.

[Miyamoto Kenji]

It seemed as if the dark powers at work within these damned halls would not let their Rider be beaten in a battle of battering fists. Thus, Kenji determined that the next best choice was to rearm himself. Either of the weapons in his sash would be of use, but he opted to go for those two items on the ground: his nodachi, and the Rider's whip-sword. Specifically, he ran to his nodachi and scooped it up, then stepped over and kicked the whip-sword further away from both combatants, then took his weapon in two hands and settled into an offensive stance, intending to assail the Rider with his all-cutting sword.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

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[Uesugi Kenshin]

The Rider laughed, producing a second Whip Sword that he had concealed by his backside. In sword form, he blocked each and every one of Kenji's attacks before kicking him away again. Once more, he advanced upon Kenji, thrusting that blade forward in an attempt to impale the man.

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Clever, hiding his secondary weapon like that. Kenji would commend the Rider for this tactic if he were free to do so. He instead attempted to parry his enemy's weapon and move in for the offense, keeping in mind that if the enemy attempted to ensnare his nodachi again, he would not drop it this time, but instead slash to sever the whip.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

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[Uesugi Kenshin]

The Rider would out-parry Kenji, turning his offensive back on him. In the middle of their tussle, his whip sword would come out and stab Kenji in his right shoulder, pushing him back until he was up against a wall. The Rider would cackle once more, placing his hand on the merc's throat and starting to squeeze the life from him!

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Not good, and at this close of an engagement, Kenji's nodachi would have exceptionally limited use... Or at least, the blade would. With one hand, he grasped the Rider's wrist and attempted to pull, and with the other, he turned his nodachi around and proceeded to smash the pommel at his adversary's skull until he released.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

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[Uesugi Kenshin]

Kenji would be able to pull the Rider close, the strike against his skull seemed to be mighty effective, as the Rider roared in pain and a crack became visible on his skull. In his anger, he would pull Kenji close and clothesline him, knocking the merc to the ground. He then proceeded to stomp on his stomach while he was downed.

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Kenji found himself gasping for oxygen as he was stomped on. However, he realized this position was also to his advantage, and having seen the visible crack on the Rider's skull, he might very well be able to finish the match. As the Rider's foot came up off of his stomach, or if it was still atop it, Kenji grabbed it with both hands and attempted to throw the skeletal cavalier off with great force, intending to flip it with the throw onto its skull.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

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[Uesugi Kenshin]

Kenji would manage to trip the Rider up, slamming him down on his skull. Another crack would appear, and the Rider would howl, but it wasn't enough to bring him down yet. He used his whip sword and swung it at Kenji, wrapping it around his neck and starting to choke him!

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Despite how he was now being choked out by a whip, Kenji felt strangely confident about winning this fight. He just had to avoid passing out. Reaching up with both hands to grip the whip, he yanked back as hard as he could, intending to pull the Rider down atop him. If successful, he'd scoot and let the Rider's head hit the floor next to his own head. If he did not bring it off of its feet, he'd settle for dragging him in and kicking his knees in the wrong way, hoping to force him to fall and let go of the whip.