Madness In peace

It was a beautiful night, a party of elegance, a party of primeval treasure's, food, and wine. All of Gilgamesh's great knight's were gathered at his throne and the great King of Heroes honored them all with his praise and admiration. Among 12 of his honourable knight's stood his strongest, most trusted knight, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Tall and Erect - The man stood at a height that was not very imposing yet, showed off his great stature. His frame was like that of a mighty deer. His body in it's self, was a masterpiece painted by his parent's and mastered through extensive year's of training. Not a single useless muscle was found on his body and he was a handsome, no, beautiful knight who knew no equal among the army of The King of Heroes. This night was supposed to be something beautiful, something pristine, it was to be a commemoration of the marriage that would follow the later day between his king, Gilgamesh, and his queen, Aries. Surely, no one could've surmised a better night to throw a celebration then this one. Yet, just when everything was coming into fruition, it fell apart like a wonderful ornamental vase, the pieces shattered, never to be fixed again. There was nothing to lament, there was nothing to regret, for some time, that famous knight knew such an end would befall him. His cursed love spot, could not possibly prevent a wonderful dame from falling in love with him.

Thus, at the climax, is where everything began to depress, such was the downfall of the handsome knight. "Diarmuid - I love you...Please...leave with me, away from this kingdom, my body, my heart, my life, everything belong's to you." Appealing to him in tears, the eyes of the maiden were flaring with earnest love. He remembered the drenched face of the woman that should've belonged to Gilgamesh and Gilgamesh alone. He remembered what he told her on that day, the loyalty he swore to his king was something the man held close to his heart, Even being faced with such a wonderful majestic woman could not abate his loyalty. "Aries as much as your offer may tempt me, my loyalty and my life belong's to my king, Gilgamesh. You belong to him, in body and soul, Surely―" Before he could finish his resolute declaration of brotherhood, she roughly held him within her arm's. "annul this abominable marriage. Please take me away......to the ends of the earth!" Her word's became stronger, her countenance becoming ever more depressing. He sighed, looking back on what he would leave behind the moment he sought to attain happiness with this woman. Would anybody really expect Diarmuid, the famous knight of the King of Heroes, to commit a treason this low? That was something which would turn into the purgatory flames which would burn him to ashes......During that time, the hero was able to understand.

Yet against all belief, he accepted her love.

The powerful Lancer made his decision and accepted her advances. Yet, at the last moment he realized his fatal mistake. Aries had no intention of letting her man refuse, and without hesitation laid a Geis upon him. Her life would belong to him, and his life would belong to her. However, little did she know, Diarmuid was not affected by this high level of ancient sugiura magic. He went along of his own accord and went down the path of a traitor. Enraged upon finding his wife and his knight missing, the mad king sent all of his finest knight's out to subdue Diarmuid and Aries. His love for Aries, was so strong back then that he would've given her anything she wanted. So, how could she betray him like this!; Why did his knight go off with his woman!? His rage was so great that even the mighty Alexander frowned at the betrayal. Not even he could foresee his pupil betraying a man he looked upon as his older brother, in a manner such as this one. He, along with the knight's travelled far and wide. Imposing the geis of betrayal on him, the perpetrator who caused him to fall from the position of a glorious hero to that of a refugee. However, Diarmuid never resented her. No, he did nothing but admire her effort's. Her willingness to throw away the love of a king and part of her own piece of land as the queen, was adamant, even at the cost of her life, she wanted to love this man graciously and loyally. Without any other reason, even if it were a passion which was solely due to captivation from the Mystic Face of the hero, her choice of running away from the seat of Gilgamesh's banquet for this sake was a decision that, as far as the lady is concerned, was at the risk of her life. The ties with her relatives, the pride of the princess, and also the promised glory of the future......Turning her back to everything, Aries chose the pathway of love with Diarmuid. If that beginning was because of the mystical force of his charm, the day when she would doubt her love would probably come. Nevertheless, without any fear towards such a future, Aries continued her way of life with love.

Diarmuid was dragged into this disaster; this is the view of others. Still, the person himself, Diarmuid, did not have such perception. Above his own suffering, he was the man who constantly felt more heartache at that of his partner. At the weight of the geis which tested his pride, he did not even yield to it. There was reluctance. There were struggles as well. That was why he felt distressed at his perversion towards the ruler, Gilgamesh. In the end, he grew attached to the courage of Aries, this woman, who believed in her feelings until the end; and loved her to the end. Naturally, their pathway of love was full of hardships. Diarmuid resolved not to cross weapons with the knights under Gilgamesh, with whom he was friends. However, towards the foreign pursuers who were assembled because of Gilgamesh's pact with them, he did nothing but bare his fangs.
Loyalty? Love? Whilst cutting up the enemies with both his lances, his heart was torn apart again. Though being tormented by the dilemma of his contradicting loyalty and geis, his refined, twin lances pierced through the previous enemies, meaninglessly bringing about deaths. A lady and two men- Because of merely the sentiments and obstinacy, much blood was spilled. The consequence was, Diarmuid's getting stuck at using his valor which surpassed the previous achievements established in the knight troupe, again and again; to formulate the flight with Queen Aries. As for him who was known by others as the most noble subject, that was too ironic an epic. At the end of the day, the one who was heartbroken after the futility of this sacrifice, was still Gilgamesh. The great king recognized to Diarmuid and Aries marriage, bestowed a proper title and territory, and welcomed him as a subject again. This was a wish that Diarmuid at this point, had hitherto thought to be impossible, a distant dream that would never be realized.

The reconciliation Diarmuid wanted unceasingly. Yet, that ending was just the harbinger of the conclusive catastrophe. One Day, Alexander, Gilgamesh, Diarmuid, and a group of their most strongest knight's went an amazing hunt. One mortifying day, Diarmuid who was hunting together with a group of his soldier's, received a fatal wound from a wild guardian beast's horn's. That was a mortal wound, but since Gilgamesh was beside him, he was not afraid. That's because, with the records of countless miracles as a hero attached to him, Gilgamesh could transform spring water scooped within his chalice into a miracle drug. Yet, in front of a subject on the verge of death, the thing which went to and fro in the King's mind, was the bitter jealousy of the dispute for one woman. The lake from which spring water flowed out, was only nine steps away from the collapsed Diarmuid. In order for Gilgamesh to cure the knight's wound, he only had to walk nine steps and bring back the water. That alone would suffice. Nevertheless, in spite of such a short distance, water spilled from his ethereal chalice twice. Upon the third time, The King of Heroes was too late, the hero's breathing had stopped, his lifeline had supposedly left this world.

※※※※※

After the downfall, came another rise, in the form of a woman with which Diarmuid swore his loyalty too, Misaiko Sugiura, the queen of the Sugiura kingdom. Standing upon a tall building, standing amidst Zefonses's mild destruction, Diarmuid stared upon the city which, as of 400 years, had lost his luster. Diarmuid was never a man who traveled to earth on a daily basis. Yet, he remembered that Saporro was a wonderful place. It was a vibrant area, home to the miso ramen that his highness treated him too during a small trip. This was in no way or shape of form a surprise, this was the result of war. Endless causalities where people where brought in and killed meaninglessly was something that the handsome knight was accustomed too. In order to bring about peace, sacrifice, even if it were minimalistic had to occur. If this land did not exemplify that, then Diarmuid could not possibly come up with another location that did. However, this city still retained some life, it wasn't as it was before but it still retained something beautiful, even if everything was ornamented with technology. None of which, Diarmuid would ever understand. The only thing's he knew about was a cellphone and computer's in this world. Anything else was a hazy mystery to the battle-hardened warrior.

He noticed the building's as they fell one by one, and also noticed the mighty reaitsu that permeated from a distance, that even Diarmuid could feel. He was not at all fearful, not one bit. He had faced many a domineering warrior's in the past. He went off to find the source of spiritual energy, leaping from the slightly recent building built within this town, Diarmuid's speed was almost unperceivable. To an onlooker, it would only seem as though they were seeing a flashing image of a man, before he disappeared once again. This speed was not only scary because of the distance's being closed, but because this was god-given speed that Diarmuid acquired through intense training and a blue collar will to never give up. He reached higher altitudes as he leaped from building's of many different sizes until he landed in the park, ironically landing right in front of the man who caused the commotion. he questioningly glanced at the man, his look wasn't as frightening, as Diarmuid once predicted. In fact, it was much like that of the human, excluding the bone fragment's that adorned his facial feature's. By Deducing his appearance in his mind, he concluded that this man was an arrancar. Furthermore, his reaitsu felt like that of an espada. He had to proceed with caution. One false move could spell death, yet without any hesitation Diarmuid spoke to him in a gentle and respectful manner.

"Any reason for the destruction?" he asked with a small grin, as he kept his arm's crossed, staring at the man from a distance of about 10 meter's. A distance that could clearly be closed in a split-second. Diarmuid was never a man to instantly draw his weapon, especially when the man's appearance didn't seem to exhibit any killing intent. He was a man who still retained great manner's and honor, even during battle. Even if battle commenced he would readily materialize his mighty twin lance's. He stood calmly within his own spot, and only looked at the man with a kind, somewhat, cocky smile. It wasn't mean to anger him or even cause him to fight him. This smile only went to show Diarmuid's awe, at the warrior. It had been such a long time, that he rarely experienced large-scale battle's anymore. Maybe tonight, would be such a night for him to revel in that great adrenaline of battle, a clash of differing skill's and technique's pitted against each other. He would honor this man with a battle, that he would not soon forget if he so wished to duel with the knight. So now, the only thing that kept them from doing this, were a few simple word's and a few simple action's. How would Zefonse exactly react to meeting this man? Would he feel threatened? No one could say for sure. If a man or woman stared on from a distance, even they would feel the aura of a impending battle that was soon to come.

Judging from the respect and tranquility within Zefonse's voice, Diarmuid could definitely tell that he was no mad warrior looking to cause unnecessary destruction. There were many warrior's laid out through this entire world. Mad warriors.,Calm warriors, Weak warriors, all with many different goals and many long path's to lead them to greatness or shame. Diarmuid had experienced such warrior's in the past, and from the many mad men that he faced in mortal combat, none of the killing aura that he found on them, were found on this man. His tone returned the same respect and gentle tone that Diarmuid spoke with not long ago. Diarmuid had to admit, this was very unexpected, even by his standards. It may have been his own impression, but weren't Arrancar known for being dangerous and unfriendly opponent's? No one could blame him for his assumption, the man never had much confrontation with them, until recent year's. He knew of Shinigami, He knew of hollow, but the information on Arrancar was extremely blurred. Diarmuid simply returned the man's kindness with his own. He was enjoying the man's company so far, it didn't seem like a bad idea to talk with him like this. One could say Diarmuid felt a sense of peace and bittersweet nostalgia. There was a time where he had experienced the company of honorable and peaceful opponent's who fought for heroism and valiance. Their vanity had always filled the man's heart with a sense of passion, a sense of completion. The path of a knight, was a path that, by Diarmuid's eye's, had not been a path that was forced upon him, but one he came to love from childhood to his adulthood. What a surprise, was Diarmuid really experiencing the wonderful pleasure's of the past from a simple greeting?

"I Apologize, Sir Kaizme. My intention wasn't to write you off as a mindless warrior. No...the more you talk to me now, the more that my impression of you is better...it is very rare to find men who speak with such grace and tranquility. " Diarmuid smiled as he spoke leisurely, his gaze became much more friendlier as the two men continued on with their introduction's. In such a desolate environment, these men were able to speak with only word's of praise, devoid of any malice. The heroic knight took a deep breath, as he inhaled the cold air, and exhaled it all within a infinitesimal moment. "...Ah My name?" Diarmuid chuckled softly, slightly embarrassed at his manner's. He could not recall one time he had stated his name so far, when he landed in front of this man. Had it been anyone else, they would've felt as though he were putting them on the chopping block, or the hot seat. "My name is Diarmuid Ua Duibhne" His tone was calm, composed, and not a single ounce of hostility could be found from his word's. There was never hostility within this man's heart, there would be killing intent, but in those rare time's, he would only feel such intent against anyone who dare raise their sword against his queen. If any such man or woman were foolish enough to do that, they would undoubtedly feel the cold, unforgiving wrath, of this knight, a knight who was always resolute within the codes he followed. For this man, who was given a path to start anew, he had to cherish and honor the blessing's laid out before him. A wonderful queen, a beautiful knight, brothers in arms, such were the blessing's bestowed upon by the divine pendulum of fate. The memories created with them, would always be treasured within his heart. No one could ever take these wonderful, heartwarming, moment's away from him.

"Ha...I Suppose..there is nothing to do in this downtrodden city....Sapporo was once a beautiful city, there use to be so many light's filling out each of the building's...now it only seem's like such thing's were illusion's..." Diarmuid's eye's gander at the city of Sapporo. This city was never known for it's beauty, instead, one could admire it simply for what it possessed. Amid the follies that one called war, Sapporo did not once possess that beauty Diarmuid came to love 400 years ago. This city simply lost it's luster, all goods things came to an end, endings were never inevitable. They could be prolonged, in hopes of savoring something one held dear, but as that one saying went, "all things must come to an end". For one ending, means another beginning. This was the cycle of life, the evolution of which even Diarmuid was no stranger too. It was the same with children and animals, and even the ethereal races that came into being many years ago. From Shinigami, came Sugiura. From Hollow, came Arrancar. Predecessor's and successor's. Even Diarmuid would become apart of this cycle. He would eventually settle down with a wife of his choosing, a beautiful woman of a mature age. From thereon, he would make love with that woman and she would conceive his child. He would probably, as his father did when he was young, pass down Gae Buidhe and Gae Dearg. Diarmuid welcomed that part of the cycle, but a dream like that seemed so distant right now. He does not believe he will be achieving it anytime soon. Especially with how hectic life can become.

"...In any event, i don't think we'd be able to get far just by speaking. And there's nothing of significant value that need's to be viewed within this city...at least not upon this night." Diarmuid's tone became a bit more serious, this tone did not denote hatred, but the excitement for battle. As the moon shined brightly over the dead town, Light's of two different color's started to materialize within the hand's of the dashing knight. There was no doubt about these light's, Red and Gold, there appearance could not be mistaken for anything else. They were wonderful spear's of differing sizes. The weapon's with which Diarmuid always brought to battle. He had now armed himself with his favored lances, as their tips shined beautifully. Their differing skin felt magical, yet one could clearly tell from a glance or even during battle, that these spear's weren't simply for show. The red spear, Gae Dearg possessed a daunting ability, one of which robbed the defenses and offenses of spiritually infused abilities and armor. Even barrier's and enchantment's were useless within the face of this mighty lance. It's size was about 2.4 meter's long. It's range was something to be admired, and one could favor this spear in battle even without it's special ability. So, what did the ability of the golden spear possess? This golden spear was far shorter then Gae Dearg, a size of 1.4 meters is what made this lance seem less frightening. it certainly wasn't a very favorable weapon during battle, due to size differences. Yet, fools who simply wrote it off as useless lance would just as easily be felled by the weapon if they weren't knowledgeable about it's deadly power.

Gae Buidhe, was the name of the golden spear. It's special ability was far more dangerous and fatal then that of Gae Dearg. For when it struck it's opponent, their wound's would never be able to heal naturally, and even using reaitsu seemed to become useless no matter how hard they tried. For opponent's who reveled in makeshift healing during battle, this was their weakness in many regard's. Even an arrancar's regeneration didn't seem to boast much in reply to Gae Buidhe's mighty ability. The most daunting factor was not the spear's themselves, no, in any other warrior's hand's these didn't seem to pose much of a threat. But within the hand's of a man who had accumulated much god-given talent over the year's, they were like a walking over a tight rope of death, meaning that a wrong move and lapse in the defense's meant taking a fatal blow. If death didn't directly assail them, with time, they would suffer death from the effect's of Gae Buidhe. Diarmuid's stance changed from one of leisure, to one that declared battle. "I...Challenge you to a fight, do you yield or do you accept?" Diarmuid had to fight this man. It was a rare night to find an opponent of which he could bring out his decisive and unique techniques against. For some time he had always aimed to find an opponent with whom he felt most satisfied with? Would Zefonse be such a man?

Diarmuid's stance was like that of a bird opening it's elegant wing's. In his left hand, Gae Dearg trembled with anticipation at it's master's yearning for battle. In his right hand, Gae Buidhe shivered with excitement at the taste of impending battle. From this stance, Diarmuid could easily close the distance. Or as a usual opponent would, take a powerful charge or leap towards the opponent. Since Zefonse had yet to announce his answer. Diarmuid could not do much of anything, and simply bides his time for an answer. If he declines, there's no definite loss. The man would simply respect his wish and DE-materialize the twin lances. If he accepted, then they could do battle. One did not need to say what Diarmuid wished for. His eye's were clearly set on having a well fought spar with this man. Judging from his reaitsu, he didn't seem to be all that imposing, but something inside of Diarmuid told him that this man was a truly powerful opponent.

"...!?" Caution - Diarmuid instantly sensed that his attack to the Cero espada's shoulder missed its mark by a hair's breadth. He has no way of redirecting the trajectory of his lance. The reason for this is that when one swings a lance, the rule is to usually swing with speed and power. By using the physical strength and might of the arms one can end a battle by crushing the opponents skull - Depending on the type of lance, spear, or halberd, one chooses to wield. This is the beauty and the weakness of weapons of this kind. Even if Diarmuid could bring the spear back up in time, it will not have enough force behind it to do much damage. Luckily, with this man who possesses the mind of eye ability and a split-second set of stratagems in his bag, he merely has to come up with a proper way of evading the opponents attack. Everything else will follow suit. Zefonse moved to the left side, moving both his weapon away and his body from what most would consider a fatal or critical attack. But that wasn't the knight's intention. Far from it - Rather, as they continue to battle, he now feels a sense of new found elation. You see, there exists great sportsmanship in battle with opponents who go by the code of honor and valiance. One may say that the victory of battle is the true treasure of war, but it means nothing to warriors like Diarmuid, who fights merely for the sake of competing in a contest of skill and technique. Victory is merely coincidental for a warrior of his standing. As long as he is able to fight opponents such as this man, even a loss would seem like a victory in within of it's self. While the battle has already got off to a wonderful and bedazzling start, Diarmuid must concentrate or he'll lose this battle quicker then expected.

Zefonse seemingly dropped his blade, in order to perform a powerful yet non-fatal palm thrust. Since this was a battle of wits, what this man performed just now was one well planned attack. While these types of warriors are very rare, a man or woman who can perform sword techniques in conjunction with hand to hand techniques, are considered to be very dangerous in close combat. In fact, they can be said to be in a class all of their own compared to others. Because when the physical might of a sword swing or swing of any other weapon is taken out of the weapon it's self and added onto the arms or legs they become exceedingly dangerous then before. For example, imagine a swordsman who can perform techniques with the sword meant to cleave the opponent in two, they would instantly be considered a master of only the sword arts would they not? Once someone can assume something like that, this is where the deceit comes into play. Because there are warriors who can switch from sword combat and right into hand to hand combat, and there are also masters who are known for switching a weapon within their right or left hand with minimal ease. The task of defeating them at close range becomes even more arduous - especially if they are ambidextrous. By combining the art of close combat weapons and the body it's self, one can reach supremacy among even the greatest of warriors.

Diarmuid easily caught the palm thrust streaking towards him within the side of his peripheral vision however, and by an act of divine intervention evaded the palm thrust, luckily losing no balance from dodging. Balance is crucial in any form of combat. If one loses balance in even the most crucial of moments, they might as well say goodbye to the living world. Then again, keeping balance requires a few steps. Dexterity, Agility, and precision, all of these words are things to consider when balance comes into play. Firstly, for those who are masters of dexterity, they will rarely ever miss a beat or lose balance during battle. This is because they were either born with god-given talent or like Diarmuid - Trained their body up to a master's level. However, that palm thrust was not the end of the repertoire
that this powerful Espada possessed. Hand to hand techniques and techniques with the blade, what a wonderful display of quick thinking and reaction time on his part.

His prediction was correct, because just when the mans palm thrust missed the mark, he grabbed his sword once again and charged directly towards him without breaking a sweat. In the next instant, he experienced yet another set of attacks from this man. The first was a thrusting attack - No, that was merely a trick, because the moment Diarmuid prepared to block or evade this attack, Zefonse changed the trajectory of the blade in order to throw off his perception in this battle. Diarmuid unfortunately fell for this technique, and felt the painful sensation of steel grazing his shoulder. "Gnnhn!" He bit his lips slightly in order to stave off the pain. It wasn't fatal nor was it critical, but it had hit as the man had intended. While he has fallen for the first trick, he won't be so foolish as to fall for the next one. He used one eye to catch the blade aiming towards his head, and then - Just when Zefonse decided to fake him out once again, by using the experience from his first attack, Diarmuid brought Gae Buidhe forward with resounding speed blocking the second attack to his left elbow joint before it could properly begin.

After this confrontation, Zefonse jumped fifteen meters away from Diarmuid in order to gain proper ground and space. Neither warrior has broken a sweat, but it is clear, from a glance, that they have both drawn blood from each other. Still, neither of their cuts were fatal and the opportunities to kill one another, were nonexistent here. This was a battle of honor after all. Diarmuid's gaze didn't falter and he kept his eyes placed on the mighty warrior as he began to consider battle tactics. That posture, that stance, that seems very familiar. Ah - Diarmuid finally comes up with the conclusion as to what it is. Laido, a Japanese art of the sword possessed by his queen, Misaiko. However - his style was quite unusual, instead of using one sword as was the law, he was using two swords. It was certainly unconventional, but Diarmuid did not sign it off as a simple style. Without losing the beat, Diarmuid broke into another charge, this time using flash step to catch Zefonse off guard. By adding Diarmuid's natural speed with his use of flash step and physical might, from an onlooker's point of view, Diarmuid just phased out of the picture, as though he had disappeared completely.

With a battle roar that reverberated throughout the night sky, Diarmuid arrived right in front of Zefonse, closing what others would consider to be a impossible distance for normal warriors. But these men are fighters of god-like skill, normal should not apply to them. Before his feet had even landed, Diarmuid broke out into a flurry of 60 spear thrusts. This is the terrifying speed of his skill with the lance. Wait - why was there only one lance in his hand?; the answer to that, would probably be that Gae Buidhe was a few feet away from where Diarmuid and Zefonse were. Diarmuid was using Gae Dearg to execute every single thrust, each with more strength and power then the last. Since it has a longer reach in close range combat, it is great for a situation like this. During the barrage of thrusts, Diarmuid began to swing and wave the weapon around, so that, even if he missed the thrusts he would be hit by the shaft of the weapon. Hit or miss - After the completion of the technique brought out by Diarmuid, he would quickly leap backwards to about ten paces. He kept Gae Buidhe away from himself, as if to tell Zefonse that the weapon was useless, and that the one in his hand right now was the better of the two. Yet, should he fall for such a trick, he would easily find himself falling into the trap of the handsome knight.

Who would've surmised that the battle between two men, who fought with such high codes of honor, would carve the current area into a battlefield? Both men were pitting powerful technique after powerful technique against one another. When one began their charge, the other defended against it using quick thinking and strategic knowledge. So far, for Diarmuid, fighting this man was like a match made in heaven. Neither one of these stalwart soldiers staggered before the other; neither of them had the intention of giving victory to one another without a fight. This is the true beauty of battle. It is wholly unlike war, where you see your comrades cut, shot, and maimed in front of you. The battle, is where two men, two women, or even animals can face each other and fight until their heart is content. Zefonse was such an amazing opponent in the eyes of the beautiful knight. His techniques were unusual, but, it was precisely because of that, that Diarmuid's heart was filled with such jubilation. He didn't miss a beat with a single technique and the way this man had effortlessly defended against 60 thrusts of Gae Dearg, such efforts had to be admired, to be honored. The area had not yet looked as though it had been torn through by chaos, but the ground before them looked as though giants had come and gone, clearly showing a few craters on it's surface. Even though this battle felt climatic, this was but only the beginning. The knight felt as though he could go on for hours fighting this man; that was how exultant he felt at fighting such a talented opponent .

"...." Since his first technique with the longer spear failed, he simply moved his left foot forward while his right foot stood completely still. "...Hm..." Judging from the analysis in Diarmuid's mind so far, this man exhibited traits of a swordsman and a hand to hand combatant. It was hard to designate where his mastery lied in either art, but he knew that the man was definitely a level beyond experts in both fields. Not many men would've been able to block his thrusts with such flawless precision. Before Diarmuid could properly assess the natural abilities of his opponent, Zefonse seemingly wasted no time in initiating his attack. With such jarring speed, Diarmuid could barely read the range of his attack, but still, thanks to the mind of eye ability he possessed, The handsome knight was definitely able to discern that the man was attacking from above. With a confident grin creasing his lips he performed a backwards leap landing only 20 paces away from the range of Zefonse's kick.

His strength was absolutely inhuman! Diarmuid quickly caught the glimpse of a freshly made crater before turning his attention to yet another one of the man's attacks. This wasn't a kick however, but a consecutive series of punches - 16 in total. "Keh...Ku...Gah!" With instantaneous reaction time, Diarmuid quickly though barely used the shaft of Gae Dearg to block off each and every one of his fist strikes. Even then, he clearly felt the strength emitted from each and every one of those full force blows. If this spear had been of mortal creation, Diarmuid had no doubt in his mind that it would've broke under duress from such power and ferocity. This, however, was not the end. Diarmuid instinctively knew that. Fortunately, thanks to Zefonse's attacks his attention is probably not directed towards where Gae buidhe, the short yellow spear, is currently at. Since he discarded the weapon in lieu of using attacks to catch his opponent at a longer range, his intention was to keep Zefonse engrossed within the current battle, and away from Gae Buidhe until the time was right. Diarmuid is a master of the spear, so it goes without saying that this man should be able to bring about victory with a precise set of stratagems. The same probably went for his opponent as well.

His next attacks were even more daunting then the last. The first was once again yet another kick from the upwards angle, this time however, Zefonse's body was positioned differently then before. While he had been able to brave the storm with the attacks beforehand, the unpredictability and speed of the strike caught him off guard, thereby allowing this attack to land cleanly on it's intended target. With intense force, Diarmuid felt his body fly back slightly, but didn't lose his balance, as he knew the man was coming in to execute another technique. This was a multiple spin kick maneuver performed with the lower body while the upper body was simply used to keep it's self in a steady position. "Keh --- Gyahhhh!!!! " With the full weight of his muscles put behind his arms, he kept a firm stance on the ground and parried each and every kick before taking another leap at the range of 30 paces this time.



Just, how much, how much skill was needed to reach such a level? Even though he parried those attacks, he still felt the energy that rebounded from the foot into the spear, and then into the body of the handsome knight. Such strength and consecutive striking would be impossible for most warriors, but that man performed each and every technique with flawless and fluid precision. To think such a warrior of this magnitude could exist, it was almost unfathomable in a way. Still, Diarmuid considered himself to be lucky, lucky to face such a honorable yet powerful combatant. He could feel his body and every endorphin within being pumped full of adrenaline. It was a contest of technique, when one attacked the other defended, only to counter with a impeccable strike or consecutive attack of their own. Since Zefonse came at him with such enthusiasm, Diarmuid felt it be only fair to return that same fervor. With his mind of eye, he began to assess the situation and come up with a proper plan of countering these attacks with much more ease in the future.

He appears to use a unusual double Iai that consists of two swords, a long Nodachi and a Wakizashi. Without Diarmuid's second spear, if he makes a misstep, the man can easily come in and end the duel using either the longer sword or the short sword. He also has to consider how fast the man was just now, performing those attacks in little more then a few seconds. Secondly, he also seems to be well versed in hand to hand combat due to the mixture of hand to hand techniques and sword techniques cultivated into one formidable style. And then there's also the strength to worry about, along with his speed. It's a rarity to find an opponent who is well built physically, and even more difficult to find one who can attack with monstrous strength and nimble speed. There is also the added advantage of that Iai that we referred to earlier. Iai has an added advantage of not only concealing your weapon, but also makes it highly difficult to judge the effective range from where an opponent can attack. This is further compounded by the unusual style that Zefonse seems to attack with as well, Diarmuid has not met many swordsmen who can perform Iai with two swords, let alone a Nodachi which as a law - should normally be wielded with two hands - nor a Wakizashi which is normally used as a training weapon or a weapon to finish off an enemy during war. Nevertheless, he was far from deterred. All he could do from this point is act with much more speed then before, attack with much more strength and ferocity, and fight until his heart was content, hoping that the same would go for his spar partner for this night.

With sharp eyes, Diarmuid began to analyze his opponent's stance, an upwards stance built for a counter defense against his next strike. It is likely that he is prepared for the next attack, but Diarmuid does not intend to execute a predictable attack. With his two feet slid apart from each other, and his knees bent slightly, he begins to swing Gae Dearg within his right hand, as he simultaneously begins from a straight out charge towards the warrior. From a spectators point of view, Diarmuid's attack is as predictable as the night moon. As the distance began to close from 20 meters to 2, in a sudden flash, before Diarmuid reached the man he used the most amazing acrobatic skill that human beings could never achieve. With one leg stretched out before him, he dug his foot within the grovel only to thrust it upwards, kicking out the spear that had been discarded earlier, Gae Budihe. As he took flight with the other leg he performed a mid air flip that allowed the yellow spear to be grasped within his free left hand, while the leap allowed him to continue to fly through the air, until he was above Zefonse, and with the longer spear in his right arm - Gae Dearg, he swung the weapon towards his shoulder while he used Gae Buidhe to shield any thrust that the man might perform from a high vantage position, after accomplishing this product of divine ingenuity, he landed on the ground with only a few meters away from them. Should his first attack fail, he would then once again charge in hopes of catching him at a disadvantage since it appears that he seems to be using the Nodachi for now.

With his arms raised high within the air, Diarmuid bent his right knee, as he swung Gae Dearg in a sweeping motion before the man's legs, while Gae Buidhe is thrust towards his shoulders in order to catch him within a deadlock. However, this was only the beginning - should those hit or miss, he would then begin a series of spear thrusts with his full power behind them. This time, instead of 60 performed with Gae Buidhe, he performed a high speed series of 300 strikes combined with both the yellow and red spears. First he attacks horizontally, and then vertically, only to break into another array of thrusts and swings from above and below, in order to seal off any possible movement that was allowed when he was using only one spear. His blood was boiling with passion, and his eyes were filled with happiness, perhaps at how much he was blessed to fight with an opponent who could push him this far. For some reason, he knew the man would come up with a counterattack in the back of his mind, he was an absolutely perfect and honorable opponent, that should they never cross paths again, that both this man and his abilities would leave a large imprint on the warrior known as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.