Noontide

The setting sun cast a fire into the ocean waters. Wind stirred by gently, too soft to disturb the beach's sands. The city on the waterfront, with it's vast skyscrapers and usually-crowded roads was quiet in today's dusk. The beach was barren.....except for one man.

Sparda stepped off of the concrete and onto the beach's sands, which molded around his footsteps. He walked closer to the centre of the long beach, and waited. The wind grew violent, suddenly, and cast his hair into his eyes. He brushed it aside. Today, his series of skirmishes with the powerful fighter named Jax would come to a close. Only one man would leave the ocean's side that day, and the half-demon intended it to be his opponent. With a sudden move, he swept back his long coat-which had been billowing around him due to the wind-and stood, waiting, but ready. He stretched his neck, which gave off at least three pops.

It was gonna be a long haul, tonight.

Sparda's face showed no emotion as he listened to Jax's words. Instead, he reached back and gripped his sword's hilt with his gloved hand. He drew the large sword quickly, and sliced it through the air in front of him once, before bringing it to rest pointing at Jax.

"Were it so easy", Sparda spoke. His weapon began to glow a deep purple, and wisps of smoke fell slowly from it. With a sudden motion, he swiped it horizontally in front of him, putting his weight into it. A wave of energy flew from the sword as he swiped, wide by seven feet. He followed the slash with a vertical one, which launched another wave, this one tall seven feet. Spinning, he unleashed a slash that went diagonally downwards, and the resulting wave of explosive energy was larger than the other two.

As the blasts zoomed towards Jax, they spat up dust in their wake, deforming the sand. Sparda rushed after them, his sword by his side, heading towards Jax, waiting for his opponent's next move....

He watched in fascination as Jax manipulated teh very beach itself to contort around his weapon. The two men drew closer, and Jax stabbed towards the half-demon. Sparda brought his sword up invertedly, putting his momentum into it. The two weapons collided, and with the impact a shockwave of air erupted. blowing the dust away from the two combatants. The sands ground away under them, making the two men sink into the beach.

Sparda pushed against Jax's blade to keep it from skewering him. He was locked in a contest, and was about to try to exit it when Jax's punch smashed into his jaw, knocking his head sideways and sending him head over heels to the ground.

About to fall, he stuck a hand out and flipped back up into the air. While in mid-flip, he extended a open palm towards Jax. His hair whipped around his eyes, but he still saw his target. Smoke generated around the limb and then discharged, three bursts of dark energy erupted towards Jax.

Sparda completed his flip, hit the sands upright, and skidded back a few feet, his sword ready for combat.

Sparda turned to face his charging foe as Jax burst up through the sand. Because of the distraction and the noise, he didn't detect the disks that Jax had hurled at him. The trio of projectiles sliced up through the sand, and Sparda began turning fast enough to see the first dig into his shoulder. A spray of blood shot out as the weapon passed through the surface of the flesh. Sparda grunted in pain.

The next came, and the demon wasn't quite fast enough to evade it, and so it cut across his chest, drawing a jagged red line over his body. Blood gushed from the wound. Soon enough, the third disk began approaching at the same speed as the others. Sparda had enough headway on this one to make a move.

He performed a backhanded slash with his sword, and it smashed into the sand disk, shattering it to individual grains in a spray of dust. With the immediate threat gone, he turned back around and faced Jax, holding his bleeding shoulder.

"Right now, it's just me and you.....but in a few minutes, it'll be just me!', he announced, before spinning and slicing into the air. Another wave of energy erupted out of his sword, heading towards Jax. He sliced again with a backhand, and a smaller, slower energy wave shot out, following behind the first.

Raising his empty hand, Sparda began to conjure up more dark energy. He waved his open palm into the air, towards his opponent. Above Jax, a half dozen explosive balls of energy materialized, and began falling quickly down towards him, with the energy blast coming in from the front. A means of distraction, for the true attack coming from above.

Death from above, indeed.

"Darn only 2 of them hit. Oh, well I'll have to try harder." Jax was ready to attack and was expecting Sparda to retaliate with a few energy waves. "This again? You really need some new tricks.” Jax motioned his feet and spun wrapping Daggertail around his arm and using his hands to pick up and harden the beach sand to create a sand blast that would smash through the energy waves.

This would leave Sparda to retaliate with a defensive maneuver and then Jax would finish him. That however was before Sparda materialized half a dozen energy balls above him. Now Jax was left with a choice, use the sand he was controlling and fling it at the energy waves, or try to make a sand shield that probably wouldn’t be able to take the damage. “Only 2 seconds to think…wait I got it.”

Jax went and used the sand to create a shield that would protect him somewhat. To keep him completely safe he summoned the Time Beast, The Dahaka. Using one hand to keep the shield over him he used his empty one and plunged it into the ground. A symbol of an hourglass appeared and The Dahaka rose from the sand. The beast rose right in front of the energy waves. The beast would die right after the waves hit it but at least Jax would be safe. The shield was strong enough to withstand the energy balls.

Anyway The Dahaka screamed as the Energy waves exploded against it causing it to turn into black sand. The energy balls rained on Jax. One after one the sand shield started to break apart. When the last ball came the shield had disintegrated and Jax was wide open. The ball hit and burned Jax’s right hand intensely causing him to scream in pain. It looked like charcoal and was now useless. It hurt too much for Jax to bend sand with it.

“Oww. I write with that hand Sparda. Now I’m going to kick your ass.” Jax stood up and charged towards Sparda yet again losing a bit of compassion for his old foe. Jax jumped up and spun while he picked up some sand and hardened it on both of his legs. “Time for some melee action.” Jax attacked with his right leg and followed up by spinning and attacking with his left leg.

Jax was a resourceful opponent, that much was certain. He used his abilities to block Sparda's attacks....the best he could, of course. With some satisfaction, Sparda stood idle while the last of his attack collided. However, soon enough his enraged enemy was rushing at him.

Bracing himself for defense, Sparda moved into a more defensive position. He moved fast enough that some of the the sands that he was standing on was blown back in a haze. His cloak billowed as he readied himself.

Jax launched a kick, which Sparda dodged with a crouching pivot. He positioned himself to his adversary's left, preparing to launch a bad blow to his neck.

"Gonna have to do better than-", he was almost done the sentence when the second kick smashed into the side of his face. It was powerful enough to send him flying sideways, spinning like a sideways top as he did so. He hit the sands, hard, spraying up the dust, and his sword was tossed from his hand. Laying on his back, he began to push himself up, and spat out a bit of blood.

"...that"

He pushed off the ground and flipped back up to his feet, picking up his sword in the process. He flipped the blade around, gripping it invertedly.

With as much speed as he could muster, he rushed Jax, and began to think of his next move. A bash to the side of Jax's head from his sword's hilt, followed up by a uppercut and then finished with a roundhouse sounded like the plan. He began swinging his fist up to the side of Jax's head, gripping the end of Force-Edge's handle.

Jax’s attack had connected and Sparda had gone flying. “I always do better than what I look like I’m doing because what I look like I’m doing I do better at.” Jax stopped rambling on and paid attention to his grounded opponent as he got up.

Sparda sprinted towards Jax with his sword in his hand ready to inflict some damage. “Really you need some new tricks. Charging is getting old Quick Attack is all the rage now.” Sparda was attempting to swing his fist at the side of Jax’s head but Jax was quick enough to dodge or better yet turn the attack against him.

With his left hand Jax knocked Sparda’s fist out of his direction and was going to headbutt Sparda’s chest. “I hope this really doesn’t mess up my hair.” Sparda was either going to take the attack and be dazed for a few seconds while Jax followed up or he’d dodge or block it somehow.

If it connected Jax would follow up with a few kicks towards Sparda’s chest. If it didn’t connect than Jax would be left vulnerable.

Jax had dodged Sparda's initial attack, rendering his entire combo useless. In retaliation, he had sent a headbutt towards the demon-hunter's chest. It connected, and Sparda felt the wind get knocked out of his chest. Falling backwards, his cloak billowed around him with a whoosh sound, and the dust beneath his heels were ground down and kicked out into dust. He was dazed, but luckily Jax's attack had backfired and created a unintentional evasive opening for Sparda. The kicks went just above his face, the wind from the wayward blows stinging the demon's eyes.

Thinking while he recovered in the short time span of what was probably less than a second, he thought of his best response.

Finally regaining his control, Sparda shot out his free hand-the limb a blur-in an attempt to grab the ankle of one of Jax's feet. If he did, he would slam his opponent into the ground. If he didn't, and Jax managed to counter....he'd have to make a defense.

The headbutt connected and Sparda became dazed. He didn't expect Sparda to fall backwards causing the incoming kicks to hit the wind aimlessly and cause the metal on his legs to clang. This 1 mistake would cost him. His foe grabbed his ankle on one of his kicks and slammed him into the ground right in front of him.

The speed at which Jax hit the ground made a zip noise, and he hit head first. The metal on his left leg had cracked from Sparda’s grip. Jax was growing agitated and his voice became fierce. “That really hurt. I’m going to kill you now. I hope you had fun.” Jax rose from the ground and you could see a dent on his forehead with sand pouring out of it.

He raised his hand to the sky and a pillar of sand rose from underneath him. He was high into the sky and looked down unto his opponent laughing. “Remember when we fought in and we destroyed almost half of it.” He raised both of his hands to the sky getting ready to finish his old foe. “Remember when you vowed it wouldn’t happen again.”

Jax maneuvered a chunk of sand under him so he’d levitate while he prepared for his attack. He moved a meters back form the pillar and motioned his hands toward it. “This time I’m going to turn this whole place into a desert.” He raised the pillar and made it come to him. He dispersed all the sand within so that it surrounded Jax.

He raised his arms above him and the sand followed forming a humongous ball of sand. The ball had to be at least 20 meters in length and 22 in width. “I really do hope this damages your body.” Jax pushed his arms in Sparda’s direction and the ball of sand raced towards his foe.

“Like whoosh there go 1000.”

Sparda pushed off the sand and flipped up back to his feet, satisfied that he had managed to both avoid Jax's attack and had hurt him as well. However, that satisfaction turned to dismay when he saw the humongous ball of condensed sand that was heading his way. Not good.

Instinctively, he raised both hands in retaliation. The wisps of smoke began to surround his arms again, gathering at the hands-suddenly, he let off a large beam of the dark energy, a wave of air blowing back into him as the projectile soared through the air. It flew towards the ball of sand, and smashed into it, breaking it in half-the lower half disintegrated and fell to the beach, spraying up clouds, deforming the sands.

The top half spun, flying wildly, and headed straight for Sparda. It smashed into him, it's part engulfing him and slamming him down. The force knocked him back, and he crashed to the sands, leaving a long trail that broke the smoothness of the hill. He began to push himself up, shaking his head to gather his concentration again, and he wiped a gloved hand through his hair.

Gritting his teeth, he aimed his free hand and fired off a continuous laser of energy, whipping it up so that it sliced through the air towards Jax. He didn't know if it connected-he was a little too far away, and the beam was in his field of vision-so he cut off the energy, and gathered it into a large orb. Suddenly, he slammed it down to where he thought his adversary was, the gathered energy ready to explode on contact.