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[IntSys]

Neon

Trinity's bold move caught Neon off guard, but she still had safety nets left, and it seemed that he had banked it all on the previous attack. Nevertheless, it would still be a test of her ability to move precisely. And so, to ensure that she'd get into the sweet spot between the three lasers, she used two warps consecutively, vanishing into the seams.

The previously charged cannon unleashed its payload onto one of Trinity's cannons successfully thanks to how they were focused on pinning Neon down, and as a result, he was only left with two cannons in the end. A magical number that would allow her to achieve dominance due to how the cannons were locked into place while firing.

She had three replicas now, and that was all that she needed to take care of the remaining two.


Speed Bonus: Short-Range Teleport - 1/5 Left

[Takosher]

Neon Aletheia vs. Trinity

Neon's shot blew apart the targeted cannon. The remaining fully functional cannon would likely be next. And the damaged cannon had only one shot left.

One shot left. He had to make it count. There was a reason that the cannons locked in place, it wasn't just a meaningless quirk. The output of the cannons was enormous, and keeping them from flying away on every shot required it's movement tools to be fired on full blast just to keep it still. This was an automatic function, but it could be turned off. Doing so would normally be entirely useless, but Trinity had an idea that required making use of it.

Whirling the damaged cannon around, Trinity fired it without stabilization. It launched towards Neon and her cannons at high speed, although after only a few moments it began to wobble uncontrollably. But that wouldn't be a problem. Using yet another Reset Trigger, Trinity canceled the blast and restarted its firing sequence, causing the cannon to screech in protest. But that didn't stop him, Trinity used several more times, rapidly overloading the cannon until it exploded in a massive blast of arcane power.

[IntSys]

Neon

Trinity continued to surprise Neon, truly putting all that he got against her. There was no way that she could snipe down that soon-to-explode chunk of arcane machinery in time, but there was still something she could do to slow down the menace. If Trinity could fling his cannons, so could she, and so she threw down one of her replicas, abandoning her control over it, and fled upwards. As the two cannons' mass were nearly identical, the collision was able to stop Trinity's rampant cannon from moving further by the transfer of momentum. Her discarded replica was obliterated in the explosion that followed shortly after, and ultimately she was forced to raise her own shield against it and have her remaining replicas retreat to her rear, though the distance she had managed to gain in the process was enough to lessen its power to the point where she could take it on and survive.

As the dusts settled, she charged up one of her remaining two cannons to fire at Trinity's final cannon, herself sweating from the tension.

[Takosher]

Neon Aletheia vs. Trinity

A successful distraction, and now an execution. Neon's earlier attack had scattered what were initially very clustered Refract Triggers all across the arena. While she was distracted by his cannon's suicide attack, he'd also placed down even more of them in an array around himself, pointed towards every rune he could spot. Now his final cannon hovered above him. He raised a Reflect Trigger to protect himself as it fired directly downwards, struck the array around him, and lanced out to trigger each and every one of the runes scattered across the arena. The result was for the entire arena to be filled with arcane energy flying every which way, the only safe place in the eye of the storm, where Trinity stood.

[IntSys]

Neon

A sea of arcane energy began to rise. A horrifying spectacle, one that was enough to stun most mech fighters just by witnessing it. But behind that glorious display was merely the result of a single shot being spread out, to cover the entire floor. And on top of that, a fair few of the blasts would've gone to hit the boundaries already, even though it'd be hard to tell from above.

She did tell him not to hold back, and the same should go for her as well. She had already tested her limits with her mech just then, with replicating Trinity's cannons, perhaps her toughest task yet. And now, it was time to test her own limits.

Conserving her shield, she focused it around her core, and dived head-first into the deluge, setting herself to gyrate to reduce the impact the blasts would have on her momentum. She did not count on the replicas making it through the layer of blasts, given how their surface area was much, much larger than that small core of hers. And so, she simply had the charged cannon finish its last mission, abandoning it on the spot. The blast should still have enough power to punch through the deluge, and it could perhaps occupy the final cannon for awhile.

Direct hits to pilots were known to be excruciatingly painful, often enough to knock pilots unconscious. For that reason, people designed their mechs so that by the point where they'd get hit directly, their mechs would be spent already, ending the fight. Neon, on the surface, seemed to be the same, and people logically assumed that she'd have a layer of shield sticking to her body like a layer of skin at all times. This little illusion of her having more armor than the numbers mechanics would give had been maintained fairly easily up to this point, given that she had only ever used it against Firepower builds' bullet curtains, where it'd be the most subtle. But, it looked like Trinity would be the first person to notice it after this stunt.

There was no such thing as a free lunch, after all. It was a price she was willing to pay. In the end, Trinity would see the blast that came from the replica crashing down towards his cannon first, and then, Neon, surrounded by trails of smoke, falling towards his position as well, though from a different angle.

[Takosher]

Neon Aletheia vs. Trinity

Neon was incorrect about her cannon managing to take out Trinity's, as the arcane blast engulfed it first, bringing a swift end to its usefulness. This didn't spare Neon's cannon, however, as the blast has already been fired and the pink glow of destruction continued to grow outward, striking down that as well.

When the dust finally cleared, Trinity's cannon was a battered hulk, only intact by a miracle, and the opposite of functional. He wouldn't be making any more attacks any time soon.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Celica

Once again, it took Celica a second to process what Astra said, this time thanks to the nickname he used. However, she quickly figured out thanks to the fact that there weren't many people he could refer to as 'not getting on well' when it came to her. Specifically, the Blink, the god that she had to go through to get to where she was.

"That's unfortunately true, though I'm sure she takes time to get used to people" Celica stated with a shrug, ignoring the fact that she knew exactly why Envy's god didn't like her. Because she was one of the few people who actually saw through her mask, yet couldn't publicly damn her, "I don't think bothering Winter would do anything more than annoy her further. I didn't intend to dehumanize her, as you said, but that's what happens from time to time. Giving her space is probably the best thing I can do for her, wouldn't want to bother her with something that's little more than a passing curiosity" she continued, bringing a hand to her chin as if she had realized something, "Although... Perhaps I should try and meet with the Hellfire Knight before the first rounds begin."

[IntSys]

Neon

Neon's descent turned out to be unopposed. At Trinity's current state, he only seemed to be able to move the cannon around. And that meant, it was time to put an end to the battle. Her drop accelerated, and finally, she got to the cannon. "Game." A touch, inverting all of Neon's remaining electricity and shredding the last bits of Trinity's mech into scrap bits. She bounced off the cannon and landed on the floor, maintaining a bit of grace with her final attack.

'...You got a lot hidden behind your usual performance, don't you?" Neon struggled a smile at Trinity. Her combat suit had been roughed up badly by the blasts, with the remaining pieces of fabric only sticking to her due to static electricity. She recalled her mech with a flick of her fingers, switching back into her usual outfit.

[Takosher]

Caradin

"There's a story Lucifer liked, a deep philosophical work about the nature of good and evil. It said a lot of things, but one quote was particularly famous: 'You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.'" Arcturus said, his voice slowly letting go of the edge that talking about Lucifer caused, "Thing is, I've been living a really long time. And guess what? Still a hero. Your path might be a bit more precarious than mine, but you seem plenty determined. Good and evil are not black and white, the world does not reward blind faith in the ideals of others. It doesn't matter how you fight, only what you fight for. Even if you must destroy to achieve your ends, look to ensure that such destruction is not your end goal. Find someone to protect, or something to build out of the ashes you leave behind."

Arcturus had no intention to discourage the boy, in fact he was actually pretty impressed. However, the Trial was more than just a test of skill. Caradin had immense potential, but to truly succeed would require him to find a firm understanding of where his path would take him. Revenge might have been his current goal, but he would need to look beyond it if he hoped to ever surpass his humanity.

Celica

Adam laughed at Celica's attempt to downplay Blink's distaste. "Nah, Mel actually takes to people real fast. If she didn't, she'd have even less friends than she does now, since most people outside of Envy hate her guts. If she doesn't like you, you must have given her a really bad impression." he told her, "There's no warming up, her mind won't change unless you figure out how to undo whatever you did to piss her off. Not that you should waste your time, Envy already likes you, and being on her good side will only hurt you outside of there."

Neon

Trinity scowled at Neon's smile, ignoring her comment about his combat style. "That was boring, you didn't even try." he said angrily. This would definitely take Neon aback, as even with as much as she knew about Trinity, this was something totally new. Never once in the arena had he ever been angry at a loss, always telling his opponents, organizers, and the press how much fun he had. His unwavering positivity was a big part of his popularity. The enraged person standing before Neon was almost like an entirely different person from the Trinity she knew.

[IntSys]

Neon

Neon's smile faded as quickly as it had come, but she managed her composure. She knew that no one outside had the right to be telling her if she actually tried - Trinity's tone almost felt like he had actually seen her in private, overseeing her training. That possibility would be extremely low, though. Her tone switched into one filled with curiosity in response to the insult, as she gave Trinity another look, her head tilting to the right. "Is, that, so? Go ahead and point out where I didn't try, then."

[Takosher]

Neon

"You barely used your mech at all." Trinity answered,  "All you did was copy me. The only time you damaged my mech at all was right at the very end, after I was completely incapacitated. And with how defensive your build is, it's not like I could damage you either. It was like you weren't even a part of the fight except to distract me. There was no interaction, just a bunch of shoddy copies."

If all he'd had to do was fight the cannons, Trinity was sure he could have fought forever. But with no way to harm their creator, such would be an endless nightmare. Neon's ability to replicate his cannons was impressive, but that was the only positive thing he could say about it. A power like that was the antithesis of fun, and using it with such a ridiculously defensive mech just drove that point home. For someone like Trinity whose entire goal was to enjoy their time in the arena, fighting the way Neon did was just about the most disgraceful thing imaginable.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Celica

"... I'll take your advice on that" Celica replied in a seemingly somber tone, as if unsure on if she would actually follow his advice. She already knew all this, or had a strong feeling about it, so Astra merely confirmed her initial thoughts. Shortly after she spoke, Celica's hand dropped as the girl sighed, leaning back into her chair, "Well, I think I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you for the talk, it was... Insightful" she said with a small bow, beginning to roll back and put her tray of rather untouched food away, taking her leave of the cafeteria in order to do some more productive tasks with her time.

[IntSys]

Neon

Trinity's response was both surprising and disappointing to Neon. The surprise came from just how serious he took what was supposed to be sparring, and the disappointment came from just how shallow his eyes really were. And above all else, he dared to talk as if everything she did was effortless on her part, even though he had managed to force her entire hand out in the end.

But, she knew well what her current position was. Sighing, she answered. "Everything I've done was only possible because I've been giving it my all. Dodging your deadly lasers while maintaining speed was something that relied heavily on my skill, and replicating your cannons and using them effectively was pushing the limits of my Spark to new heights. Dealing with your trump cards wasn't easy either. You're not seeing the effort I put in and just how much of a challenge your own techniques were, and that's a shame."

[Takosher]

Neon

Considering how much Neon knew of Trinity, she had to know that her response was absurd. Trinity had fought hundreds of opponents who could defend against his cannons. The skill to not be instantly destroyed by your opponent was a fundamental for even the most inexperienced of combatants. Nothing she'd done had been unusual, just about anyone with enough speed an armor could have pulled off everything she did. She had the audacity to tell him not to hold back, yet it was obvious to anyone with eyes that she had held back herself. If she were trying, he was convinced that the fight would never have gotten to the point it had. If she'd used her own power instead of leaving him to play with his own, she would have defeated him well before he had the chance to pull off any of the desperate attacks she had praised.

And if she refused to acknowledge how she had slighted him, then Trinity had nothing more to say. There was no point in telling someone what they already knew. Instead, Trinity stormed out of the arena, leaving Neon to her own thoughts on the matter.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Caridin
Caridin sat there in silence as he listened to the rest of the tale. And then for a few moments after it was over, lost in thought. Arcturus had... just pointed out something what no other person he encountered thus far ever had. Something Caridin himself had honestly not stopped to think of. Even Erikur had simply sent him off without pointing out the flaw in his end goals, or lack thereof, like this. Though, knowing his old mentor, chances were the Smiling Demon had fully intended Caridin to encounter this very question on his own, and find the answer to it on his own too.
    And it was... a damn good question, as he came to realize. He had feck all idea of what he intended to do after, in some hypothetical scenario, he succeeded in his nebulous goal of tearing down this cruel cycle of the strong exploiting the weak, man being a wolf to man. Of what he'd do if he did achieve godhood, achieve the power to complete his crusade and annihilate his enemies as his heart so yearned to. He could very well go out of his way to kill every villain who reared their ugly head, but... would any of that matter if the vacuum their deaths created would only serve as the perfect petri-dish for new, potentially worse villains to spawn and prosper from? A large part of him, the part which had birthed his spark for this very purpose in the first place, screamed that yes, it would matter in the end. That every scumbag consumed by his light was one less to breath cold misery and shit hot suffering into this world. That regardless how many he had to strike down, that he could keep going until the end of time, if that was what it took to purge their ilk from the planes of tempest.

In fact, it retorted, perhaps death was too kind a fate for th-

"Shut the feck up...fecking shut up!" He shouted internally, eyes burning bright gold as he forcibly silenced the rage churning within him. This... this was precisely what Arcturus had meant, wasn't it? This.... hatred that spurred him on towards endless destruction, that would see him simply tear down one cruel cycle to replace it with his own. He knew it was. And yet that same hatred, that same fury, had been the very things which pushed him this far to begin with. The very things that had convinced him to get back on his feet after every defeat, every set back, and push forward with renewed zeal and intensity. Just as his mysterious observer had taunted him, he was a blunt instrument by his very nature, and that was simultaneously his greatest asset and his greatest liability. The hatred made him stronger, but it also rendered him blind to what was not immediately in front of him.  That... that had been real the point of that message. Just as it was the point of what Arcturus was trying to tell him now. That he would reap what he sowed if he all he dedicated himself towards was destruction... if he allowed destruction to use him as a tool, instead of the other way around.
     "Find someone to protect..." he said, eyes slowly fading to their normal green, "or somethin' to build. I... don't even know where to begin, to tell the fecking truth. But... I see what yer trying to tell me all the same. Ye've given me something to think about that no one else ever has."