Jody
As Max Bracken is armed with a single weapon/special piece of equipment, Sofja is given the chance to withdraw one weapon from the armory, as she is presently unarmed. Sofja is given her choice of up to two weapons. Of the four choices, she picks the Bow. Max Bracken may withdraw a single weapon from the armory if he forfeits his Dark Blade.

**Max Bracken** Is chosen to begin the battle via coin-toss.
Gustavo
*He walked in somewhat calm, it seems he refused to take another weapon, his skin had become rock solid and he had grown to be twice his original size, boney protrusions stuck out of his back as the dark blade shot out of his right arm, he didn't immediately attack tho, even when aggressive he still gives them the chance to run away, he only growled and showed Sofja a row of big white teeth.*
Frank
Sofja grins as Max attempts to provoke her. Bouncing lightly on her feet, she seemed incredibly light-footed, the arrowless bow in the clutch of her right hand. Seeing as Max would not make the first move, she opts to take the opportunity for herself, a swirling mass of red-and-blue magical energy coalescing in her left hand. Shards of ethereal mana scatter around her as she prepares an illusory spell, charging in the absence of Max's action.

With the spell prepared, she places her hand against the ground, its strange mana outflowing all throughout the arena around her. A five-meter radius illusory ability unfolds, as the false image of trees, bushes, and a forested environment manifests around her. *`The Stage, Set`* Is now active, encompassing both Max and Sofja herself, enshrouding them within an illusory domain.

Still at her safe distance, Sofja's grin grows.

*`"Good luck, big guy."`*

She flashes a subtle thumbs up, before placing her finger to the bowstring of the enchanted weapon she was granted. An ethereal mana-arrow forms in her fingertips, as she hurls the projectile directly toward Max.
Gustavo
*Since Sofja didn't take his kind offer to leave, IT fully took over and roared at her, it watched as she used something to turn the stage into some kind of forest, but it didn't seem to care much as it showed it's teeth to her and growled. It then swung the dark blade to try and block the projectile, if successful it'd immediately rush at Sofja and perform a vertical slash full force with the blade to try and slice her in half.*
Frank
As he cut the arrow in half, Sofja shrugs, still smiling. The bow in her right hand, she does not react as Max comes closer and closer; her eyes, however, are fixed strongly on his straightforward approach, awaiting for the most pivotal movement—

***SWING!***

—*`there!`*

As the blade comes up to attempt to cleave her form asunder, Sofja step-dashes, accelerating instantaneously to 20 km/h sideways to barely dodge the cleave. With her right hand still loosely gripping the form of the bow, she continues sideways, turning to face Max while backstepping, continuing in her momentum. Extending the left and middle finger of her left hand to form a simple seal, Sofja spends a charge of *`Shadow Fade`*, dissipating into crystals of ethereal, illusory energy — vanishing. She had disappeared in a fraction of a second, fading away into the illusory surroundings of the forest...

***`TAP, TAP, TAP...`***

Max can hear footsteps flanking him... To his right... Just out of distance... Now behind him?
Then, bursting forward from invisibility—Sofja, emerging from a flash of ethereal energy, wielding a dagger, dashing toward him to plunge it into his back if he did not turn in time.
Gustavo
*It didn't chase her as she sidestepped or as she was back stepping away from it, what did surprise it was when she disappeared in an instant, it didn't know humans could even do that, then again it's six IQ points higher than butter so it doesn't understand allot, it growled and looked around it's eye becoming bigger before shifting to an angry expression while gritting it's teeth. Then it heard the footsteps, all around it heard the footsteps, it confused it a great deal, but upon her bursting from her invisibility spikes shot out of it's head as it turned around and used the blade to block Sofja, it then went to grab her with it's left hand.*
Frank
The spikes pierce through Sofja's body, clean, each leaving a hole the exact size of the spike! The grab itself tears her neck apart, as she is, in a moment, destroyed—shattering into crystals—

*...Crystals?*

The "Sofja" That had attacked Max from behind was, in fact, *Not Sofja.* An **Illusion.** It breaks apart at the slightest touch, its form ephemeral, illusory, and not at all cogent, shattering into no more than crystals as it was assailed. **`RISING TENSION`** Increases by 1 stack.

Breaking from the effects of *`Shadow Fade`*, Sofja rematerializes — having never dashed in for a sudden attack at all, stood directly ahead of Max. Utilizing ***`Solo`*** Simultaneous as she begins remanifesting, she tail-ends one ability after another, accelerating to an incredible pace of almost 60km/h in a mere second, as her opponent remains in a moment of recovery from attempting to grab an illusory clone. Her strike would be incredibly shallow if it hit — inflicting no more than a light scratch or maybe a small laceration across Max's skin — as she intended to glide straight past him following the strike.

Were all her motions successful, she would end up about 3 meters away from and behind Max, having cut him across the lower-left torso, gliding straight past, and gaining an extra 2 stacks of **`RISING TENSION`**, totaling her at 3.
Gustavo
*It watched as the thing it thought was Sofja crumbled into crystals, it thought it had actually killed her but it was saddened by the fact it couldn't eat an arm or two, it was completely oblivious to Sofja appearing Infront of it, upon her striking it, it's eyes widened and spikes shot upwards out of it's head before slowly retracting, it stood there confused not only because the hit didn't even hurt but it was surprised she was actually alive, it then retracted its arm blade before rushing at her, putting it's hands together and raising them above his head before swiftly bringing them down full force in an attempt to crush her like a pancake.*
Frank
Sofja was quick, shifty, aware of her surroundings, and incredibly tricky. She hadn't stopped smiling since the battle begun, toting the enchanted bow around as though it were some sort of instrument, entirely unperturbed by what danger encompassed the looming figure that was Max. She twirled the dagger in her right hand, giving a slight bow to the audience as she completed her **`Solo`**, closing one eye in a wink as the other remained slightly open and fixed on her opponent. The short, fae-eared woman played the role of a silent entertainer in a duel that was the closest one could get to a battle-to-the-death without the actual "Death" Part.

*`"Heh."`*

As he was, he was far too predictable. Her opponent was straightforward, murderous, and with no intent to veil the intentions behind his attack. She, on the other hand, was twice as fleet-of-foot as the average person, and four times as crafty. She didn't need magic to dodge his attacks, for he was slower than her innately. She didn't need to put much preemptive thought into dodging, as her reactions alone were enough to see through his uncalculated actions.

***`SWING AND A MISS.`***
_ _

Sofja tucks to the side of her opponent, curving in closer to him as his blade swung clean past her. She did not fear a sudden follow-up, seeing as Max had put his hands together; if he were to take a swipe at her, it would be one thing far too telegraphed to take her by surprise. Testing fate, she slides straight past Max, almost point-blank with him, before swiftly dashing away from him, tucking into the illusory surroundings that was *`The Stage, Set.`* She would vanish into the foliage, scarce giving him a chance to pursue her.

***`PEW!`***

—A crystalline arrow fires from one of the illusory bushes, launching towards Max spontaneously from a random angle. It being made of an ethereal energy, and Sofja neither being familiar with a bow nor capable of maximizing the effects of the enchanted weapon's ability, would likely not pierce deep if it actually hit; instead likely only leaving a moderately-sized cut where it landed.

A crafty, dodgy, illusory, evasive warrior. She was almost Max's exact opposite, and perhaps a terrible match-up for him all-around. That was, unless he got a hold of her...
Gustavo
*It's movements were barely thought out and full of anger, it's hunger driving it damn near insane causing even more aggression, but it seems it started to get a grip on itself, it knew it couldn't win like this, but it didn't know what it could do.*

*It was in mid thought as the arrow it in the shoulder and snapped it out of it's docile state, it then started to roar, but it suddenly stopped, the protrusions on it's back began to twitch violently as it began to slowly back up, the dark blade shooting out of it's right arm as it growled and looked around, it wasn't running, it had learned from it's past mistakes fairly quickly, it's looking around, listening for an attack of any kind.*
Frank
The bushes, though illusory, shift. The bushes, though merely an image, twitch in the wind, rustling, each as though something moved within. Though they were not real, though they could not be touched, something real stirred within them; something tangible brushed against them. *`The Stage, Set`* Sparks to life — the forest around seethes with activity.

*`To the left.`*
*`From behind.`*
*`Ahead by three meters.`*
*`In the tree above.`*
*`In the bush below.`*

This stage was Sofja's own. It was her own domain within the arena: an illusory territory she controlled at her whims. Max was at an innate disadvantage just by standing within it, for it made tracking her movements a nightmare unto itself.

*`Just infront of him now.`*
*`Just behind him now.`*
*`To the left.`*
*`To the right.`*
_ _

The shifting images and movements within the bushes spiraled around Max as their epicenter. There were, trailing all around him, the sounds and sights of movements more than one individual, no matter how fast, could muster alone. It seemed as though there were three Sofjas dashing amidst the false foliage of *`The Stage, Set.`* She was raised the tension and heightened anticipation — seeking to draw unease, confusion, or perhaps anger from her opponent. She would elicit as much drama as she could from this battle, theatrics intrinsic to her existence.

*`To the left.`*
*`To the right.`*
*`Behind him, immediately.`*

No more did she dodge and hide amidst bushes, nor did she rely upon harassing him with ranged attacks. All at once, three images of Sofja burst from the illusory stage surrounding Max — one behind him, one to his left, and one to his right — each exactly synchronized in a single, identical motion. Daggers drawn, breaking forward from an illusion, each of the Sofjas dashed toward Max at their center. One, or perhaps none of them at all, were the true Sofja, and eroding the distinction between the two until there was no distinction at all was this entertainer's area of expertise. Yet all three approach max quickly, the bow hoisted over their shoulders, and the dagger wielded with both hands, bursting forward in a strong thrust toward their target simultaneously.

__*A one-in-three chance to guess which Sofja was the true Sofja and block her attack... Or were they all fakes?*__
Gustavo
*It watched and listened as the bushes moved along with listening to it's surroundings, it'd have to start attacking again eventually as it didn't know what would happen if it lost, it fights to kill and eat it's never fought anything like this before, this person speeding around the place, their constant grin that made the shadow angry with each look at it, it wanted to crush her with every ounce of strength it had, it's hate for her causing the spikes on it's back to twitch, spikes shot out of it's head from all over as it heard the footsteps to it's right, left and behind it.*

*With it's sword out and still facing the same direction, it allowed them to get close, it then moved it's right foot to where it was facing it's right, it then raised its right arm to it's left side and spun around to deliver a full force horizontal slash in an attempt to hit all of them.*
Frank
***CLASH!***
*`Fade.`*
***Swoosh!-***

Max's blade contacts with the dagger of the Sofja immediately to Max's left, as she scarcely manages to raise the weapon to block the tremendously-powerful oncoming attack. Her weak stance allowed much of the force to still transmit through the dagger and into both of her arms — one crossed behind another — flinging her backward violently; she had neither the weight nor the strength to resist her opponent with even the fortitude of an average person, who was fourfold stronger than a normal human could even get, himself. She slides backwards before losing her footing, tumbling into the foliage of *`The Stage, Set`* Within whose illusory surroundings disappeared. Max had landed a clean blow...

*...Right?*

His blade continued. It cut through the obvious illusion — the Sofja infront of him. And certainly, it should have passed straight through the third Sofja, yet one more who would be confirmed to be an illusion: the one to his right. 

**But it did not.**
_ _

She ducked beneath the blade and intentionally dodged, her movements now independent of the Sofja that Max had struck and the illusion that was now reduced to a fading image of ephemeral crystals. She swept inward, seeking to land a quick and clean blow with her dagger, which was, unbelievably, physical, and not an illusion.

And yet upon adjusting one's sights to confirm that the Sofja on the left was, in fact, not an illusion, one amidst the spectators would note that she was slowly rising from amidst the foliage, red-and-blue magical energy seething off of her form. With a limp wrist and a great, freshly-formed bruise across her forearm, it seemed she had suffered intense damage despite blocking — a fractured wrist and a major contusion within the arm. She was Sofja, true—

**—for both the Sofjas were physical and not illusions.**

__***`INCARNATION: DUPLICITY`***__

A red-and-blue *`SOUL.`* Two halves in perfect harmony. One nestled and manifest in the chest of the injured Sofja, and one nestled and manifest in the chest of the Sofja who now exploited Max's moment of recovery from his hefty swing, taking a quick and clean swipe toward his leg (she being only 4'11 having very little trouble targetting Max's lower body) with her dagger, before making a quick retreat attempt to step-dash away and out of his melee range, seeking to tuck back into the illusory forest beyond.

*`CURRENT STACKS OF RISING TENSION: 6`*
Gustavo
*It had hit her, finally it had hit the woman who was toying with it from the beginning of this match it's angry look turning into a sinister smile, but then the other Sofja had dodged it's swing, it didn't pay attention to her but then it came at him. But how I thought I had finally hit her, I thought I had finally gotten my revenge why is it still attacking, and with it's carelessness while being in thought it gave the other Sofja the chance to hit it in the leg with her dagger.*

*It roared in anger, it's fight seemingly nothing more than a show to her, it's blood boiled at this thought, it swung so many times and yet it had only hit her once, it's smile turned back into an angry expression but it's eyes flickered out, the blade retracted and it started to run at the injured Sofja still roaring in anger, it's so close to finally killing her, it needed the flesh, it's hunger grew and so did it's anger, but instead of it's usual slow and hard punches, it did a two much faster one's with it's left going first and then it's right going second, they were less powerful by a ton, but would still do damage if it hit.*
Frank
The Sofja that Max had left behind to pursue the injured Sofja twirls her dagger, the shoulder-slung bow markedly missing from her person. Contrariwise, the Sofja dashing through the illusory forest carried the thing precariously as she tucked between illusory-object-after-illusory-object, the appearance of *`The Stage, Set,`* Shimmering in her wake as she consciously shifted the appearance of her surroundings. 

As Max followed, branches descended and leaves swayed ahead of him, bushes always seemed to be between him and Sofja, and entire false trees seemed to sprout up from nothing as she led him round-and-round, in circles. This illusory realm was her domain, yet it did not travel on indefinitely; she was keeping him herded within its midst while also earnestly attempting to avoid a direct fight with him. There was, however, a slight issue: Max's top speed was somewhat higher than her own. She couldn't keep him on her tail forever.

***`Shimmer...`***

Her form turns ephemeral, as, emerging off her body, several illusions form — copy-images of herself — each branching off in different directions. At the moment of creation, Sofja herself was obfuscated by an illusory bush which she tucked into: Max was then left with three choices: to pursue one of three Sofjas, once more. One to the **Left,** One down the **Center,** And one to the **Right.**
Gustavo
*It's hunger was endless and driving it mad, it had tried to eat before hand but it didn't help, if it had gotten it's hands on Sofja she would've been a very light snack for it, it didn't come here for any kind of fight for fun, it saw this as life or death cause that's how it saw every fight, it thought if it lost it'd be done for, this person making it into some kind of show angered it.*

*It rushed at Sofja with it's hand's wide open and ready to catch her, it's anger kept it dead set on destroying her making her feel the pain of torn flesh and broken bones, it's roars warning Sofja of how close it was to her, but then she started to look weird to it, then she split up into multiple, it stopped in it's track's and watched as they all ran in different directions, it's eyes flickering back on, it's gritting teeth showing less and less, it had become tired, it fell to it's knees while catching it's breath and it left itself open, Sofja could shoot it with the bow, but if she tried to get close it'd get up and chase her, but it'd be much slower and easier to outmaneuver.*
Frank
. . .
A moment of silence.

The Incarnation, *`Duplicity`* — the double of Sofja that Max had left behind and who had struck him in the legs — did not rear its head for one reason or another. As Stan ceases its chase after the bow-wielding Sofja tearing through *`The Stage, Set,`* There is a long moment of quiet. There is no arrow that shoots from the illusory environment in his moment of tiredness, in its moment of pause. There is no further illusions sent after him in an attempt to deceive, past those already created (the tri-branching illusions of Sofja simply dissipating into the forest beyond his field-of-vision). 

It is uncertain why, but Sofja does not capitalize on this moment of weakness. If one were to wager on a strong guess, it would perhaps be due to the significant injury she had sustained even through her parry; though her opponent was perhaps not in possession of the presence-of-mind to truly take notice of it, her arms were quite badly damaged. The sheer force behind the attack twisted her wrist and bruised her arm... Perhaps she was not in the strongest of places to be shooting a bow, especially with what little proficiency she had using the weapon type.

There is then a moment of silence. One for both to rest and gain their breath, but no longer: Sofja was not giving up on this duel, and her *`Incarnation`* Was still in healthy condition. Something stirred within the silence; *`Duplicity`* Was repositioning, as was the true Sofja herself...
Gustavo
*Stan was tired, Stan was weakened, Stan was starting to shift, wait weren't there 8 spikes on his back now there's only 7? It seems that Sofja had finally gotten Stan to tire himself out. The way Stan shifts back to Max is much trickier then the other way around, for Stan to shift, his opponent, or his meal as he sees it has to get him tired to a point where he completely gives up and stops moving completely, Sofja had accomplished this with constant clones and tricks, tho if Stan had been able to eat something, or someone if I'm being honest, this moment of weakness wouldn't have happened.*

*Stan was beginning to shift back into Max, but he wouldn't be able to complete the change if Sofja went in for an attack, as he wouldn't be able to get up in time to dodge, his breathing was still heavy and his eyes were back to being white dots, his constant swinging and uncoordinated attacks had done him in and now he was basically a sitting duck, but if Sofja gave him the time, she'd be up against a whole new opponent.*
Frank
The silence passes beyond a single moment to two; it passes from seconds to minutes. One might imagine the sound of wind howling through the densely-forested illusory environment were it not illusory and all unreal to begin with, yet tension seemed still to rise exponentially in the absence of action. Sofja was plotting and her opponent was recovering as the duel takes a long dip in action with both its contestants shifting gears. *`The Stage, Set`* Goes wholly still, enveloping both Max and Sofja in thick forestry that hid both of them from one another.

But Sofja had moved. Max had not.

***`PSCHEW!`***
An arrow bursts from deep within the forest, the uninjured Sofja now wielding the enchanted bow.

Maybe it was a moment too soon to allow Stan to shift into Max. Maybe it was a moment too late to prevent the process. When Sofja finally emerged from the forest, two in number — both flanking Max from a long distance of over three meters on his left and three meters on his right — her attack would ride exactly upon the line of just too late and just too early for her opponent to swap states; minutes of inaccuracy were instead turned to seconds, and seconds to fractions. It was an infinitesimal difference decided by quarters of a second: had she unwittingly attacked Stan and prevented his reversion, or had her opponent succeeded in making a transformation that would turn the tides of the battle entirely?

***__Only her opponent knew.__***

Still, the arrow pierces through the forest true. Sofja's ***[`Moment of Opportunity`](< is now. Were this arrow to hit, it would hit a __**Critical blow**__, dealing nearly twice as much damage as it typically would — of course, the arrows did not do much damage in the first place, yet with this extra force backing it, it would almost surely stagger Max and inflict some moderate laceration injury.
Gustavo
*Stan's shift into Max was about through, most of the buffs Stan had were gone by now due to the change and he had also shrunken down to his original size along with there being only four spikes on his back, Max looked around confused as he didn't remember walking into a forest, last thing he remembers is walking down the street and then suddenly passing out, he breaks the spikes off his back and absorbs them before looking around in confusion as he didn't know where he was at first but he caught on to the fact that something wasn't right.*

*He looked around and just tried to listen for anything, then an arrow came out of nowhere and hit him in the shoulder it hurt a bit and caused him to take a few seconds to think about what had just hit him, he was still in a very confused state when both Sofjas emerged from the forest, he was still on one knee and trying to figure things out, if Max could figure out what he was doing he can change the tides of this battle.*
Frank
The arrow critically strikes its target and both deals extra damage and slightly staggers her opponent. Its impact is more akin to a real arrow than merely the shattering of a crystal against Max's durable skin, and thus would come with some moderate degree of extra due to *`A Moment of Opportunity.`* Additionally, her stacks of *`Rising Tension`* Increase by 2 due to the successful critical strike, bringing her to a total of 8. 

The show was getting more interesting. Her opponent was just gaining his bearings for the first time in the battle, yet she was more than halfway to the goal she desired out of this fight. A true, marvelous crescendo — a *`Finale`* To remember. Still, she had to keep raising the tension, raising the stakes, raising the interest... She was a performer as much as she was a combatant in this duel, and the former perhaps more than the latter.

This was her stage.
This was her show.
_ _

Both Sofjas now have wrapped cloth around their arms and wrist, leaving which one is the injured one impossible to detect at an immediate glance. One of the Sofjas, however, is wielding a bow, seeming to suggest that her arms are the healthier of the two — yet that assumption may have been predicted and feigned for ahead of time. It was tricky to outfox a trickster by trade. And speaking of tricks, her trademark illusions are now approaching Max.

Ethereal, hovering wicker-lanterns that fluoresced bright blue flames at their center manifested from a mere mirage to a potent illusory image, each surrounding and floating around Max at about a distance of two meters, eight in number and rotating all-around him. The Sofja wielding a bow and the Sofja wielding a dagger flank around and beyond these lanterns, hiding behind them and using the strength of their light to dazzle and evade Max's eyesight. 

***`PSCHEW!!`***
Another arrow bursts from beyond one of the wicker-basket lanterns, firing straight toward Max's already-wounded shoulder, as the second Sofja wielding a dagger uses ***`Solo,`*** Accelerating to an alarming speed toward Max from behind. She would seek to slash him across the back with the dagger, this time its impact being much more defined as she dedicated the whole of her body to the strike rather than simply passing him by. Upon a successful hit, it would likely create a superficial-though-painful wound across the entirety of his back.

A simultaneous attack. To respond to one would mean to lower his guard to the other. They used the lanterns to attempt to veil the very beginning of their attack, making it considerably harder to dodge. A double-threat.
Gustavo
*His eyes widened at the sight of both Sofja's as he was surprised she could clone herself, so this is the power a soul could give, Max could definitely learn something from this, though he didn't even know where he was still, he regained his thoughts as he needed to act accordingly to this situation less he get hurt, he had to figure out what to do and quickly.*

*He stood up and watched as the lanterns appeared out of nowhere and circled him with there incredibly bright fire, he had to cover his eyes for second due to how bright the flames were since he wasn't really used to looking at bright things from this close, his shirt had been torn off due to Stan's transformation so it would definitely be easier to absorb things, thankfully his black pants were still fully intact so he didn't have to worry about that.*

*Upon seeing the arrow the dark blade shot out as he immediately went to slash it, he then started to absorb the air around him since he had a plan in mind, but the lanterns kept him from seeing anything beyond them so he had to act incredibly quick if he wanted to evade attacks, but then he finally realized what was going on, he was in the tournament no wonder he was fighting this must be an arena, IT must've got out again that's why he didn't remember walking here, he reminded himself that he didn't have time to think but upon reminding himself the other Sofja came up and slashed him across the back causing his eyes to widen as he turned around and put the absorbed air into a powerful shout that'd knock her back if she got caught in it.*
Frank
***`CRITICAL`***
***`HIT`***

A ***[`Moment of Opportunity`](< arrives.
It was not the arrow that struck critically; Sofja was neither that lucky nor was it able to hit Max in the first place. But the dagger slashing across his back — the ***`Solo`*** One of the two had performed, indeed did. With twice the force of a typical one of Sofja's strikes, the dagger pierces harshly into Max's thick skin as though Sofja possessed truly supernatural strength, perfectly crossing against the weakest region of his back with already-potent force to begin with. 

The success of both **`Solo`** And the critical hit granted Sofja a 4 stacks of `Rising Tension,` bringing her to a whopping 12 stacks total. A wide grin appears on the woman's face, her ears perking as the full force of her blow imparts into Max's back. *`A little more,`* She thought. *`A little more, and—`*

—But then came the blast of air. Flinging the incredibly lightweight and light-footed fighter backward, the blast of air knocked Sofja stumbling beyond the wicker lanterns, each of them fading into nonexistence with the breaking of her focus. Her stumble breaks into a fall as, enshrouded in the illusory domain, she is knocked far from Max, leaving only the single Sofja that had shot the arrow ahead of him.
_ _

Yet as her opposite falls backward, the Sofja ahead of Max prepares to retreat. The subtle appearance of crystalline formations coalesce around her form as she briefly pauses, directly opposite Max as she stands entirely stationary. Following the brief appearance and subsequent disappearance of the arcane crystals all around her — the marked sign of an illusion at play — she began to step backward, retreating rapidly—

***`SOLO`***

*—It is not a real Sofja.*
Bursting forth from invisibility, the bow-wielding Sofja manifested mere centimeters away from Max and already in a full sprint, her dagger wielded as she volleyed her body toward him at alarming and nearly-unreactable speeds, utilizing **`Solo`** Immediately after the other Sofja had already expended the ability. Each instance of *`Duplicity`* Utilized cooldowns independently, allowing Sofja to prepare an immediate surprise-attack on Max combined with an illusion.

Sofja would swing yet another remarkably-powerful-yet-not-critical-blow directly for Max, hoping to take him entirely by surprise with her fake-out in retreating with an illusory image.
Gustavo
*Upon knocking her back he began to absorb the air again along with retracting his blade, he was planning on doing a weapon switch, using the blade and the spikes from his back as materials, he just needed a tad bit of time to make it, he thought of making a chain weapon with a blade at the end and thought it would be the best thing for the rest of this tournament.*

*He readied himself for another attack, his constant absorption of air would be used as bursts and cannons for easy knock back until his weapon was done, it would take long but he'd definitely need to try and atleast injure Sofja before his weapon was finished just not to badly, he then watched as the lanterns disappeared upon her getting hit with the air cannon and started to think of her ability as illusions in general meaning he had to stay cautious of making certain moves as to not make himself vulnerable, he could already tell she was much faster than he was, but by the looks of it she wasn't stronger.*

*He watched as Sofja retreated pretty quickly , but he didn't try to give chase, he only stood there with his usual blank expression, upon Sofja appearing so close to him he was definitely caught off guard so he didn't have enough time to let out a burst of air before getting hit, but upon her landing the hit Max would let out a burst of air to knock her back, he then immediately jumped into the air and stayed up there stationary with air jets.*
Frank
Sofja reels back as she is knocked away by the aircannons, somewhat expecting a similar counter-attack to the one her opposite had sustained earlier, yet still surprised by the nature of the attack itself. Max had not demonstrated any of the awareness or supernatural ability beyond sheer strength earlier as he was now, and it seemed that he was altogether much cooler-headed and more composed than he was at the battle. Something was... Changing. Or, something had changed. More specifically, her *Opponent,* Had changed.

*`"...Hehe..."`*

...She grins, slightly, having slid back quite a distance from the point-blank air-blast, but this time not having lost her balanced. She stared with a wry grin as her opponent hovered in the air, satisfied to have gotten away with the quick two-part attack... And having gotten away with yet another risky **`Solo.`** It having successfully hit has now brought her to a total of 14 stacks of *`Rising Tension.`* Her ***`Finale`*** Was close in its arrival. So close she could practically taste the tension in the air!

With a somewhat concerning fire in her eyes, Sofja also seems to have changed since the beginning of the battle, much like her opponent. She seemed much calmer and more composed when they started, having been incredibly aloof and somewhat cocky at their first meeting. But now, she was roused with a fire that burned hot, rumbling in her chest. A fire that rumbled so loud that one could practically hear her heart beating.

***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***

It was so close.

***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***

*The greatest part of a show!*
_ _

***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***

*The thing that makes it all count...*

***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***

***The __Finale!__***

***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***
***`THUMP THUMP.`***





Her **SOUL** Was bared, manifest for all to see! A fiery red and a tragic blue, spiralling one around another! Her illusions dance, full of life and wind and creatures and a symphony of sounds, cacophonous and as excited and as animated as she was in this moment! The world around her shimmers, the essence of the Spirit Realm crossing into the material world in lustrous and lively glow as her eyes themselves glitter alight!

The bow-wielding Sofja stares Max, and her form shimmers — she swapped positions immediately with her opposite, the one wielding the dagger. And yet as Max might think the one with the ranged threat had just disappeared—

***PSCHEW!***
***...PSCHEW! PSCHEW! PSCHEW! PSCHEW! PSCHEW! PSCHEW! PSCHEW!—***
***PSCHHHH—-***

**—The forest glitters with hundreds of small lights, individual arrows volleying in the dozens-and-dozens to the hundreds-and-hundreds with Max as their singular target!** A vast illusion unlike any other Sofja had displayed before now manifest before his eyes, dazzling him and challenging his perception of reality and unreality; a *Cloud* Of arrows was being hurled at him, with only two-to-three of them being true. It was a nigh-impossible attack to dodge, and one even harder to block, as Sofja stretched her illusory ability to its utmost limits in the face of ***Ignition.***
Gustavo
*He watched on as Sofja manifested her soul, his expression shifted from blank to surprised, he knew he might've been done for if he didn't think something quickly, he didn't wanna lose just as he was getting in but then as he saw all the arrows, he knew all of them couldn't be real it's impossible for someone even like Sofja to shoot that many all at once but it was just as hard to find out which one's were real, he started to try and quickly think of something but he was at a loss he couldn't think of anything to defend himself with or anyway to dodge, but then he stopped thinking so quickly.*

"I can't lose now, I've gone through to much pain, to much disaster to fall to something like this, I don't care how many time's you hit me, I don't care how many times you attack me, I'll keep getting up, because I promised my mother one thing!"

*He smiled as he looked on at the hundreds of arrows.*

"That if I got pushed down I'd keep getting back up, no matter what!"

*He slammed his fists together and allowed the arrows to come at him, he didn't care where the arrows hit him as he'd just try and get back up, his weapon had been finished but he didn't take it out,he didn't fly down or run away, he didn't even try to block, he only watched on as the arrows came at him.*
Frank
***SHHHHHHHHHH...***
—The sound of the crystalline illusions shattering, fading into nothingness as they collide harmlessly against Max's body in the dozens-and-dozens.

***....SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...***

—The sounds of hundreds more, pattering against his skin like raindrops—

***SHATTER!***

—And the sound of a true magical arrow amidst all of them, hammering harshly against his body.

***SHATTER! ***

Another

***SHATTER!***

And another
Leaving small bruises and light lacerations around where they collide, impacting Max around his gut.

The illusion of a horizon aglow with hundreds of starlike formations of light, each marking the position of an illusory bow firing illusory arrows that were both untrue and both served as visual chaff to disrupt his perception of the few true strikes that existed amidst them: a great façade; a show upon *`The Stage, Set.`*

*`"....Hehehe!"`*

...And the sound of the director of this great show, laughing, hidden behind the curtain of that stage, red-and-blue eyes burning bright with the light of a Spirit's flame, swirling amidst the chaos.
_ _

***`"That's right!"`***
***`"Tell me who you are! Show me!!"`***
__***`"We'll show them all!"`***__

***—TP!***

The mirage of arrows obfuscating Max's sight begins to settle, as illusions break and Max can now see clearly Sofja's form before him — the two of them, in fact. One knelt to the ground, and the other running right behind her, until she steps upon the former's back as she rises with explosive speed and force, springboarding her opposite high, high into the air above. High, high into the air, pirouetting through the sky as she was hurled and hurled by herself toward Max, all her speed and strength funneled into a single motion.

 ***`"𝕃𝔼𝕋'𝕊 𝔾𝕀𝕍𝔼 𝕋𝐇𝔼 𝕎𝕆𝐑𝕃𝔻 𝔸 𝔾𝕆𝕆𝔻 𝕊𝐇𝕆𝕎——!!!"`***

Her blade cleaves in, swirling with tremendous mana, her very heart, mind and ***SOUL*** Poured into it simultaneously, the swirling illusory essence of the entirety of *`The Stage, Set`* Shimmering, fading, and coalescing in an unbelievably-turbulent swirl around her dagger.

 __***`"𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐄——!!"`***__
***`STACKS OF RISING TENSION: 14 / 15.`***
***[`CRITICAL HIT.`](<

***That blade came cleaving toward Max as all illusions faded from sight. A straight strike for his heart. A straight and critical strike that held the strength of over thirty individual attacks from Sofja, all in one.*** To be hit by it would be a death sentence. Even *Blocking* It would be a tremendous challenge for someone like Max, the force in this strike eclipsing even Stan's output in a single strike by over fifty percent.
Gustavo
*He smiled and watched as the arrows shattered against his body, his arms spread wide open as the true arrows hit him, he hadn't felt like this in forever actually he had never felt like this before, he didn't care if this attack hurt him severely, he just needed to keep going like he always has, pushing himself even if he was at his limit, he had promised his mother that he would get up no matter what happened to him and he'd make sure he kept that promise to her.*

"I'm sorry but I can't lose here, because If I died here I'd be breaking a promise to someone I held closer to my heart more than anything, if I can do one thing as if it was her dying wish, I'll keep fighting till every part of my body has been erased!"

*He watched as Sofja used her clone to launch herself into the air, speeding towards him like a rocket, he could just as easily move out the way he had to ability to and it's not like she could change direction mid air but he didn't try and dodge, he opened his right hand beside him as a ISOH shaped weapon with a chain shot out of his palm, he then grabbed the weapon and had the chain wrap around his arm used it to try and put his arms in an X formation infront of his heart to try and block Sofja's attack, which would most likely still knock him back a good distance with injuries on his arms.*

"Maybe I wasn't strong enough back then to stand my ground, but I have the strength to do whatever I need to now, and if I wanna use it for anything, even if I go insane, I wanna use it to protect my friends!"
Frank
*C⸻**LANG!!!!***

Her dagger and all the tremendous force behind it impacts against the chains wrapped round his arm, a violent reverberation of steel-against-steel echoing with a scream that deafened the arena. 

***`CRACK`***

And behind that, Max's arms feel all the weight of the blow violently rippling throughout his arms, skin, flesh, sinew, and bone crackling as the force tore through his body.
It was lucky that he decided to use two arms to block, for the arm ravelled about with chains that Sofja had directly struck sounded off with a violent ***CRACK,*** Breaking — *Shattering,* Almost — both bones in his forearm directly adjacent to the site of impact, sharp pain twinging all throughout. Half of the force continued straight-on-through into his other arm, though the first having absorbed so much force worked to his advantage: it would crack lightly into the bone but not break it clean through, a moderate fracture forming within. 

The force was enough to send Max flying backward, despite the incredible weight difference between him and Sofja. He would be knocked through the sky, potentially breaking his flight, as he was left with a severely-wounded and almost completely-disabled right arm, and a left arm marked with a wide and painful bruise that made it moderately harder to move.

***Critical impact.***
_ _

*`A Moment of Opportunity.`* Sheer luck. A stroke of fate that blessed Sofja's show. ***`Finale`*** Did not just strike at over 90% of its full strength; its strength in fact was ***Doubled*** Over its maximum output. A wide and impressed grin marks Sofja's face as she freefalls back to the ground below, twirling, twirling. Twirling toward nothing but the marble floor of the Arena.

*`The Stage Set.`*
*`Duplicity.`*

For the cost of using ***`Finale,`*** Both techniques are forcefully ended. Sofja is acrobatic enough to land on two feet and roll across the ground as she touches-down, yet a sharp twinge of pain flares all throughout her arm as she briefly pressed her weight against it. Though as much more wounded as Max was, Sofja still had injuries as her own; her strike was likely not enough to immediately end the duel even after being blocked. 

But Sofja seemed to believe otherwise. Standing upright from her roll, the entertainer grants the audience a bow, the sound of the spectators cheering all-around in her hearing muffled, somewhat, by the shrill ping of her blade against Max's chains, her ears still ringing.

While Sofja was in an elated, celebratory mood, the battle had not ended. There was no more hiding, no more illusions; it would be raw combat from here-on-out, and that fact she had not realized yet.
Gustavo
*And so he was sent flying backwards and met the ground with a not so delightful landing, rolling across the ground and finally coming to a stop after a while his smile hadn't faded a bit, he got up and realized his right arm completely broken while his left was badly damaged, he then looked at Sofja his soft smile still on his face.*

"What did I tell you?" *His voice wasn't as loud as before, Sofja's last hit had done a number on him, but he lived up to his word's.* "No matter how many times you hit me, no matter how many times you attack me, I'll keep getting back up, my next move is probably gonna confuse you tho."

*He slowly goes to grab his right arm with his left hand and upon grabbing it he rips it and eats it along with the weapon, using it as a material to heal his other arm, he then patched the right side up so he wouldn't bleed to death, the blade and chain weapon now coming out of his left hands palm.*

"I need to win this I can't stop now or else I'd be breaking a promise, to break that promise would be worse then death to me, so I can't fall now."

*He started walking towards Sofja, he then started to use air jet's from his back to rocket towards her at high speeds, the blade tightly clutched in his hand as he went to stab her in the heart.*
Frank
Sofja's eyes stare, her expression made half of equal parts of horror, surprise, disbelief, and fear, the other half constituted of a blend of respect, awe, and excitement. Her faelike ears perked as her body shifted up and back into a combat-ready stance from her bow, her dagger twirling in her right hand before she gripped it tightly in a forwards-grip, red-and-blue irises locked tightly against Max as he continued to get up.

*`"Haha..."`*

Her laugh changed. It was neither wry nor cocky, but genuine in partial fear and astonishment. With her dagger wielded one-handedly, she took a step back as Max began to tear his own arm off his body, the crowd of the arena going deathly silent as they witnessed the spectacle before them — Sofja herself one with this silence as disbelief now overtook her expression. But that disbelief again returned to a wide smile, as she pointed her dagger strong and forward ahead of herself, seeing that Max had shown himself to be an individual of unbelievable resolve.

*`"All right, big guy..."`*
*`"Then, to the very satisfying end. Come on!"`*
_ _

No illusions. No doubles. No more of *`The Stage, Set.`* No more stacks of *`Rising Tension,`* No more invisibility. 
Just her. Her and her wounds and her dagger and her agility and her wit. She tracks Max as he continues faster-and-faster in approach, his tightly-clutched blade clear in her sharp eyesight, as all her body flares before suddenly bursting into an upward dodge, leaping up and over Max. *`Not as predictable as before!`* —she thought, grinning as Max sailed on by. *`But it's still not enough!`*

She twirled through the air, flipping backward as she surveyed the ground and, in a single action, withdrew the bow slung over her shoulder, nocking a magical arrow against its string. She sets her sights on Max before spinning into an upright landing, **Releasing the arrow and firing it directly at the back of his head** (if he had continued to travel past her).

 Her arm was injured, indeed, and it hurt greatly to put any strain on it whatsoever. But what would she be if she did not pour her all into this battle after what intense display of character Max had shown? She would be nothing but a coward.

And she did not intend to show the audience a mediocre show.
Gustavo
*He was actually having alot of fun in this fight, usually he'd have been dead set on getting out of it and just running like he usually does but something was different this time, his smile grew wider and his hand began to get hotter as he gripped the blade's handle tighter and tighter, he didn't know what he was feeling at this current moment, but he knew it felt amazing.*

*As Sofja leaped over him, Max shut off the air jet's on his back and didn't try to turn around instead he shot an air cannon out of where he had torn his arm off to blast himself to the left, he then stabbed the ground with his blade and used the momentum to spin around and land on his feet.*

"Y'know this is actually pretty fun, sorry for the arm thing though probably should've warned everyone to cover their eyes beforehand."

*He raised his hand to the sky as the chain attached to the blade shot out of his palm, the chain was about 5 meters in length and by the looks of it that was the full length of the chain, he started to move his hand up and down as he spun the chain and waited for Sofja to make her next move.*
Frank
Max's enjoyment of the fight was reciprocated. Sofja was as entertained as she planned to make others entertained *By* The fight; the spectacle was violent and gruesome, yet full of drama, resolve, character, and above all, resolution. The blood they spilled told its own story.

Sofja, seeing Max smile, widens her own grin, the arrow shattering against the marble floor due to Max suddenly shifting his momentum. As she landed on the ground, she was already drawing another arrow, her eyes flicking from wide-open to tightly-squinted as she took aim, before again baring themselves wide-open — red-and-blue and full of flame.

*`"Right now, all I'm feeling..."`*

...She took a deep breath.

The twinges of pain in her damaged armed disappeared. What subtle looks of horror, surprise, disbelief, or fear now all simultaneously vanished, and all that was left was her awe and excitement, and the unbroken focus she had attained in the moment of clarity following *`Ignition`*, the *`Finale`* And her opponent's gruesome display. All pain disappeared, and it felt like she was as weightless as a feather.

*`"...Is the pleasantness of this world."`*
_ _

She stood on even grounds with Max, her finger drawing back yet another magical arrow, maintaining teh full tension of the bowstring without so much as wincing due to her bruised arm and fractured wrist. The sound of the spectators watching, of the fights around her, of her own heart beating — all of it became a subtle blur that backset her and her opponent. This was what it felt like, huh?

*To be at the center of the world.*

***PSCHEW!***

—A magical arrow is released, immediately firing toward Max's central body.

***PSCHEW!***

—One more, waiting a slight moment incase he dodged, with full intent to track him.

***PSCHEW! PSCHEW!***

—Two more, almost instantaneous and back-to-back. She was getting better with the bow over the short course of the several that this battle had lasted. She would keep this distance and make Max be the one to approach her.
Gustavo
*His body felt hot because of all the quick movements he had done, hell he felt like he was burning from the inside but he didn't seem to mind it, the burning sensation all over his body, the sound of the chain weapon spinning through the air, his breathing getting slower and slower, he had never felt like this before and hopefully it wouldn't be the last time.*

*As Sofja aimed another arrow, Max pulled most of the chain back into his hand, now only being seven inches in length, he didn't dodge the arrow but instead he sliced it with the blade before jumping high into the air with a bit of help from air jets, he sliced the second arrow in two as he rocketed down towards Sofja.*

*He wasn't dodging any of the arrows only slicing and destroying them as he rocketed down towards Sofja and upon getting close to her he'd attempt to do to a full strength diagonal slice across her chest to try and end the fight.*
Frank
*Parry. Parry. Parry. Parry.*

Her opponent wasn't easy. Perhaps if her evolution were a little faster, perhaps if her intuition was a little better, perhaps if she was more skilled, her bowshots would have been less predictable and more lethal. But as it stood, even though her rate of growth was increasing exponentially over the course of this short battle — as infinitesimal as minutes are in the face of a lifetime — her attacks were just short of being able to connect.

Sofja prepares for impact, shifting her one hand upon the bow's string to grasp its silvered arch. 

*`These aren't just any weapons—`* She thought, glancing up at Max's rapidly approaching blade. She could see it coming, descending down on her with the force of a boulder.
*`They're mythical items from the Medeian Royal Armory.`*


*`They—`*

***`...Can take one more hit!`***

Both hands clutch behind the silver arch as she braces for impact, as she brings the orientation of the bow exactly perpendicular to Max's swing.

 ***CLANG!!***

—The impact again echoes throughout the arena, as Sofja blocks his attack as, for what only lasted a fraction of a second yet felt like an eternity, she stared directly up at him and he down at her. A grin marked her face as sparks flew, the bow holding up despite the incredible impact: a certain sign of its incredible craftsmanship as an enchanted weapon.

*But still*
 *The force*
 *Continues*
 *Flowing downward.*
_ _

Sofja's legs give in, yet she quickly swaps stances to give herself further support, impossibly doing so while being forced further to the ground. Her wrist contorts as the superhuman force compresses against her damaged bone, the sheer adrenaline-high she was on completely numbing her to the unbelievable pain she should have been feeling as the fracture deepened; still, she smiled. 

She does not let the downward force be the thing that fully overtakes her, but the backward force — after the brief moment of their clash, Sofja was sent skidding meters-upon-meters backward, her right arm recoiling limply backward off the arch of the bow while her left hand remained only weakly clutched against its form.

***Clatter.***

*`"...Heh..."`*
*`"Hahaha...!"`*

Sofja releases the bow, slowly withdrawing her dagger.

*`Just one more hit. I can take just one more. I know it.`*
*`Just one more exchange.`*

She twirled it weakly but deftly in her left hand, much of its strength sapped from the further damage done to both her arms — her right arm rendered completely useless due to her broken wrist, held limply at her side.

 ONE MORE HIT.`***__

***`I`***
***`will`*** 
__***`WIN!!`***__

From her recoiled position, Sofja now dashes forward. Her legs were still good, despite it all! She bursts forwards at a remarkable speed — so remarkable that it seemed hard to believe just how injured and utterly exhausted she was following her *`Finale`* — charging headfirst toward Max for one last exchange of blows. With a single hand, pouring all her force into another stab, she twists and twirls the dagger as she hurls a stab toward Max's chest, carrying all the momentum of her weak arm yet strong legs.
Gustavo
*As Sofja blocked the blow Max was surprised yet also amazed at the fact she was still standing, surviving his hits was definitely tough but he had already figured out Stan must've hit her as well before he gained his body back and it's nearly impossible to survive a full strength hit from him, so as he watched Sofja power through her own pain his smile grew wider someone who didn't run when they saw how strong he was nor try to trick him but instead fought him head on with a smile on their face, usually he only went all out in a fight due to anger but that wasn't the case this time, he didn't feel any hatred towards anyone, for the first time he didn't fight because of anger, he fought for his friends and his mother.*

"Come at me with everything you got!"

*He twisted his body to the right and raised the blade to the right side of his head, he wanted to give Sofja everything he had in this final hit as to show some kind of respect towards Sofja for surviving this long, he hadn't met an opponent that survived a full on punch from him till now so he would put everything he had into this last hit, he wanted to give Sofja a show to remember so upon her getting close enough he'd twist around preform another full force diagonal slash directed towards her dagger aiming to disarm her and send her to the ground.*
Jody
*`"...Hmm..."`*
—The Royal Physician stared partly concerned, partly curious, and partly intrigued by what transpired within the arena.
﻿
```
"'Tis a fight a bit more gruesome for thy tastes, isn't it?
"Both of 'm on their last limbs," the Royal Guard folded her arms. "Well, one more than the other, but th' point remains th' same."
```

*`"I worry mostly that they might end the battle with irreparable scars."`*
*`"His arm..."`*

The avian Medei's eyes honed.

```
"Injured 's-they-may-be, they still've got the strength t' pour their hearts int' it."
"'Til one'f -'m drops. Til one'f -'m wins."```

The antennae of the Royal Guard, too, hone.

```
 "That is," the towering, beetle-like Medei pointed, "The truest form of the Margo Aeternitatis."```
Frank
The battle meets its summit. This is a true *`Finale,`* And one that needs no spectacle other than the careful and lethal dance between the two participants on the plain marble stage of the arena. It needs no excessive flourish, no showy images, no strange magic, but only flesh and steel and character and blood: two participants, their **SOUL**S and weapons bared, and the fervent heat rousing both of them to march wholeheartedly toward *Victory.*

***`JUST ONE MORE——`***

Her resolve persisted as she continued closer to Max. Her resolve persisted as she tucked the dagger inward. Her resolve persisted as she saw Max counterattacking.

***`——I'LL WIN!`***

 __**𝑺 𝑯 𝑨 𝑻 𝑻 𝑬 𝑹!!**__

*`...?`*
*`...`*
*`...?`*
Jody
It all happened in a blur—
—but as the ringing of their ears from the impact of blades stop, they can hear the crowd cheering wildly.




*`"Let's see to your wounds."`*

Before Max could even confirm what had happened in their clash, he was already face-to-face with a remarkably-tall beetle-like Medei — the personal guard of the King himself — and a black-feathered avian Medei — the Royal Physician, and the one who had addressed him — channeling a healing spell. A potent regenerative mana fluxes throughout Max's body as the Physician stares deeply at the socket where his arm had been torn.

*`"The adrenaline in your body is already fading fast; you will begin to feel the full extent of your wounds. I've started by numbing your pain."`*

Behind the Physician, the Guard and the Custos Regni worked, the great coleopteran soldier scooping Sofja off the ground as she was carried away by the armored guards who attended the stage. The Physician was otherwise occupied healing Max's arm, so Sofja would be healed through other means.

*`"We'll continue by working on repairing that missing arm of yours,"`* He commented, now preparing a significantly more potent healing spell, escorting Max off-stage. *`"You'll need at least a fifteen-minute break before your next bout. I need time to work."`*
Frank
*`...?`*
*`...Huh?`*

Sofja's eyes opened, and she saw no dagger in her hand. She would raise one of her arms to look at her wounds, yet it seemed she had no control over either of them at all. Her dagger laid in pieces on the floor, shattered by the impact... And it seemed, too, her arms were shattered just the same.

*`"...Damn."`*

She muttered under her breath, her eyes opening weakly as she stared toward the night sky above. She reminisced on the moment — that fraction-of-a-second of an impact — and all the combat that preceded it, yet managing to find a smile on her face again.

With what last remnants of her strength, she weakly raised her broken right arm, giving a thumbs-up as she stared Max in the eyes one time before she was carried off-stage.

*`"...Heh."`*
Jody
***"...AND THE VICTOR OF THIS BOUT..."***
 __***"IS MAX BRACKEN!"***__