The 9th World Champion Tournament

"[Blitz Driver!]"

Shirou heard her coming and leaped to another branch, dodging the powerful dropkick that smashed through the treelines, destroying several treetops in the process.

"[Leo's Paw]!"

Landing, she used a skill, causing the flames coating her arms to enlarge, forming large flaming paws. She swung them, grabbed a hold of the destroyed branches and wood, and threw them at the magus.

He dodged out of the way of the first throw, hopping from branch to branch. The second throw he intercepted with [Trace Bullet].

Volcánica burst out of the great cloud of smoke, running right towards him with a fist cocked and ready.

The two swung in unison, but as Baukya closed in, her punch curved downward, impacting the branch beneath them instead as his swing flew over her head and missed.

The entire branch rattled, catching him off guard and making him lose his footing and balance.

'She was aiming for the ground from the beginning!' He realized.

Volcánica swung her lower body around, a burst of flames increasing its speed as she attacked with a swift kick.

The heel kick made contact with Shirou's temple, knocking him back and off the branch.

He fell, hitting a lower branch, bounced, and fell again.

Landing on another, he rolled and managed to stop himself from going over the edge.

He recovered quickly as the sounds of her yells closed in and grew louder. He dodged out of the way as the Granat crashed down from above.

The magus jumped back to gain some distance, but Volcánica wasn't going to let him go that easily.

A blast of flames propelled her, closing the distance with a flying knee strike.

Shirou brought both arms up, crossing them to guard against her knee strike.

The force and speed behind her attack faltered him, his body stumbling backward to put any amount of distance between them.

"[Whiplash]!"

She swung her right arm, a whip of fire extending forth and wrapping around Shirou's forearm, catching him while he was still off-balance. Her muscles tensed, and with a mighty tug, she pulled him off his feet and towards her.

"C'mon! I know you can do better than that!"

She twisted her whole body, channeling all her weight and force into her right arm as she threw a powerful straight punch as the Player Killer got within range.

However, even off his feet and on the perceived back foot, Shirou would show his tenacity and seized the opportunity to his advantage by bringing his sword to bear for a counterattack.

'A cross-counter!' Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Volcánica raised her other arm in time as Kanshou stabbed through her forearm, the blade's tip piercing into her shoulder.

At the same time, her [Burning Knuckle] struck Shirou's face, and a heavy and meaty thud echoed across the forest.

The two Players traded attacks, but it was far from equal.

Shirou flew backward, smashing through several more branches before being stopped by one of the thicker branches. His body slumped against the branch, half-embedded inside it, with his head tilted back.

The lioness blasted towards her downed prey.

Shirou's head instantly snapped forward, matching her gaze. Brilliant periwinkle eyes clashed against determined steelish silver and autumn gold.

He snapped his fingers.

In her excitement and haste, she had forgotten all about Kanshou, which was still lodged in her arm.

It detonated, engulfing her in a small explosion and knocking her off course.

Landing and recovering, she ignored the bloody and wounded limb and quickly turned around to resume her chase. Only to find the magus coming in fast. He used the branch as a springboard to launch himself forward.

Volcánica threw a punch, putting it in Shirou's path. But to her surprise, her fist connected with nothing but empty air. The magus performed a last-second maneuver, twirling and sailing over her arm like a spinning bullet.

Shirou swung, the other half of the married blade leaving a deep slash wound across her neck as he slipped right by her. A fountain of blood burst forth. A reflexive, sharp, strangled gasp escaped her lips. Her hand instinctively fell to her neck, clutching the bleeding wound.

The two locked eyes: Shirou from his position on a lower branch, looking up, and Volcánica from above, peering down. Patches of burn marks marred the left side of the magus's face from where she struck, but he remained undaunted. Meanwhile, her hand grew bloody and wet, stemming the flow of blood from her neck. The damage was reflected in their HP bar, with Shirou in the lower green and Volcánica in the high yellow.

Shirou could see it as clear as day. The initial jolt of surprise and alarm settled, and relief and understanding filtered through before being overtaken by a whole new emotion: elation.

Volcánica's lips trembled, stretching, as her fanged tooth bit into her lower lip, drawing a trickle of blood.

"That's more like it." Volcánica chuckled, making a throaty sound that resembled the purr of a lioness.

Despite the new implementations, YGGDRASIL still remained a game, a false reality. They were never in any real danger, and while many of the fighters had their own moments and freakouts, some took it in equal stride. Volcánica belonged to the latter.

But in that singular moment, she felt it…

Her hand rested against her chest, over her heart. The thumping of her heart calmed, yet her body still remembered the fleeting sensation that dominated her core — how her heart skipped a beat.

A feeling she'd never once experienced in either the mundanity of the physical world or in the extravagance of the digital world. Until now.

…The rush and exhilaration of death!

"Show me more!"

Warm healing flames concentrated over the wounds, patching up the damage as her HP returned to full health. Her grin widened, and her eyes danced with excitement.

"[Killer Instinct], [Flare Up], [Double Team], [Fiery Dance], [Kick Jet]!"

The flames coating her body shimmered and brightened, concentrating around her arms and legs. Her posture lowered, and she crouched down on all fours. Her stance resembled that of a feline predator, her body poised to pounce upon her morsel.

Shirou was internally confused, but cautious.

She pounced. But instead of pouncing at him, she sailed right over Shirou, onto a branch on the other side. She jumped again, but this time to the side. The next, below, and the one after that, across. His head swerved back and forth and around, tracking her erratic movement.

The sound of rustling leaves, swinging branches, and the whipping of the wind surrounded him. She was a bouncing blur, moving so rapidly thanks to her skills that afterimages followed her, forming a dome around the magus and cutting off any escape route. There was no course or pattern in her movement, only randomness, which made it difficult for him to gauge her intentions.

His instincts blared, and he reacted, pivoting on his heel and swinging Bakuya as Volcánica came in from behind.

Shirou anticipated an attack, only for her to surprise him completely with what she did next. A burst of flames from her feet allowed her to somersault over his swing mid-air, evading it.

They locked eyes once again, their faces separated by a breath. Shirou's face bore a contemplative frown. Meanwhile, Volcánica's face was adorned with a mischievous smirk, as she flipped over Shirou, looking down at him with a playful glint in her eyes.

He swung around, hoping to catch her as she landed, but she proved to be as nimble as a cat as she jumped away, continuing her previous bouncing around.

She pounced at him again, coming in diagonally from the side.

Shirou swung around to meet her, his attack whiffing thanks to her dodging at the last possible second with a similar maneuver as before. Like a bouncing ball, she moved from one branch to another, appearing from different angles - from the sides to above, before lunging at him from below.

He thought he caught her this time, but her agileness allowed her to dodge yet another slash. As Volcánica slipped past him, a searing pain spread across his back.

The Humanoid Player staggered, a hiss of steam emanating from his backside.

"Gotch'ya." she teased, her tail wagging mischievously. The flames coating her arms took the form of paws with sharp claws.

This continued for a little bit as she continued launching herself at him, coming in from all directions - from below, the sides, above, behind, and so forth. This made it difficult for the projection user to discern which were feints and which were genuine attacks. It was almost like a game of chicken, with Volcánica bouncing around the edge before coming at him, baiting him into reacting before she reacted herself.

This unconventional approach allowed her to attack from his blind spots at the last possible second, ensuring little to no time for him to defend or react.

However, it wouldn't continue.

Shirou managed to block a swipe from Volcánica following her dodge, wising up to her unorthodox attack pattern.

Despite it, it didn't seem to bother the Demi-Human Player, if the persistent grin on her face was any indication.

It only served to reinforce the theory that he held about his opponent based on what he'd seen throughout her previous matches.

'In that case…'

Shirou relaxed his stance, much to the confusion of everyone watching.

Kanshou and Bakuya's forms gave way to a burst of prana, condensing around his arms. In their place were a pair of sleek but sharp ivory-black gauntlets with veins of purple light flowing across their surface.

'Those are…!' The tanned-skinned Granat recognized the new weapon. They belonged to one of Shirou's previous opponents.

What came as a surprise wasn't the fact that he was capable of replicating them, but rather his showing of it.

Throughout the tournament, the virtual magus revealed much of his deadly arsenal and skills. However, the one thing that remained consistent with them was that they were all weapons to be wielded: swords, bows and arrows, lances, spears, maces, daggers, and many others. This was the first time that he showed any hint of his hand-to-hand combat expertise.

He raised his hands, taking a basic guard stance while keeping his gaze fixed solely ahead. He seemed unfazed by his opponent's bouncing around, leaving himself wide open to any attack she might launch.

But instead of taking advantage of the opening offered to her, Volcánica landed in front of him on the branch on all four, exactly as he knew she would.

"You could've told me you knew how to dance." She quipped, cracking her knuckles. "C'mon then, let's tango!"

With a stomp, she rushed forward, closing the distance in an instant.

She threw a fast but predictable punch, which Shirou countered with a speedy jab.

The air popped as the two attacks made contact, with the fighter-mage's fist reeling and her fingers tingling from the counter.

[Behemoth Breaker], that was the name of the gauntlets he wielded. They were a Divine class weapon, with the weapon's unique effect being [Recoil]. They functioned similarly to Yamaiko's own gauntlet and their ability of [Knockback], albeit on a lesser scale. Each punch was launched as if fired from a gun, accompanied by a jettison of force that produced a miniaturized shockwave with every hit. This burst of speed added to the weapon's striking power, allowing the user to stagger their opponent and consecutively chain punches one after the other.

Volcánica's fingers tightened, her fists clenched, and her grin stretched.

"[Burning Knuckle: Barrage]!"

[—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—]

'Now, why'd you go and do that?' Warrior Takemikazuchi thought, watching the new development.

Warrior Takemikazuchi knew from personal experience that the virtual magus wasn't the type to bang his head against a wall in an attempt to power through an obstacle in front of him. That was more his forte.

If a method doesn't work out, then he'll try a new one, and another if need be, and another, until he finds one that works.

Back when Volcánica was bouncing all around him, the samurai was curious to see why he didn't bother escaping. He could think of several options available that his guildmate could've used, such as firing his projections in a widespread direction to destroy the branches, jumping off the branch and forcing her to give chase, or tracing another Noble Phantasm that would've given him an edge. Instead, Shirou was seemingly indulging her at her own game.

By the magus's own admission, his hand-to-hand combat skill was abysmal - relatively speaking - when compared to anything else. And yet, he was willing to challenge her in a confrontation in which she held the clear advantage.

The armored Heteromorph was no stranger to his friend's spontaneous tactics, but this one was by far the most curious.

In the end, all he could do was watch and see how it all came together.

'What'd you have planned to turn this around, eh, Emiya-san?'

[—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—]

A flurry of punches flew from both sides, the air rippling and popping as if a gun were being fired continuously.

Volcánica's arms were a blur, a fiery blur that made it seem as if she had multiple arms swinging and punching all at once.

Despite an impressive display from both Players, it was clear who the better striker was between them, yet Shirou kept up with her.

"Isn't this fun?!" Volcánica laughed throughout their rush.

Amid the heated clash, she spotted an opening in her opponent's guard and immediately seized the opportunity to launch a left straight.

Only for her attack to be read and parried by Shirou swiftly twisting his body and using his shoulder to deflect her attack. Simultaneously, he countered with a punch to her face. He left an opening on purpose to bait her, and she took it without any hesitation.

Her head reeled, her body stumbling back a step from the speedy jab.

Shirou's other arm shot forward. She threw out another punch to counter him, but his target caught her completely by surprise.

Volcánica's mind blanked out for the briefest of moments as she felt his hand grab her, more specifically, clutching her chest.

"H-hey!" An uncharacteristic squeak left her lips.

Rather than copping a feel, the magus's intended target was her chest wrapped, and with a pull, her body jerked forward.

He swung his head forward, nailing her in the face with an unexpected headbutt that further disoriented her.

Not wasting a moment, Shirou seized the opportunity and swung with a right straight, his fist slamming into her unprotected face with all his strength.

The impact of his punch sent her skidding backward, her body colliding with the trunk of the tree with a heavy thud. Her legs wobbled and bowed as her back slid down against the tree and slumped there.

For a split second, it looked as if she was down for the count.

"Who knew that the Player Killer was quite the naughty little boy~?"

Steadily, she stood back up, using only her legs to push herself up. Blood dripped down her lower face and neck from her bloody nose.

"Then again…"

Her tongue peeked out, running across her upper lip and tasting the gushing blood.

"I don't mind a bit of dirty roughhousing." She flashed him a flirty and approving grin.

"C'mon! Let's have some real fun!"

Her flames danced, flaring with intensity to match the lioness's mood.

In the face of her burning eagerness, Shirou remained stoic and, without any hesitation, turned around and ran away.

"Eh?"

Her grin dropped.

She stood there for a solid second before shaking away her stupor and giving chase.

"It was cute the first time around, but now it's just repetitive." She groused, calling out to him. "Don't you know it's rude to tease a girl and then leave her hanging?!"

Shirou ignored her, which only served to further annoy her.

Up ahead, Shirou performed a sharp and immediate left turn, rounding the corner. His form disappeared completely from view, thanks to the gigantic tree.

Volcánica caught up immediately, her legs pivoting the moment she landed on the branch. She turned, finding only a green sea of leaves and a grid of brown branches ahead of her.

"Where'd he go?!'

She then heard it — a faint sound — the clinking of metal. And it was coming from behind her.

She turned around just in time as an obsidian fist filled her vision.

The moment he made the turn, one of his gauntlets dispersed into a stream of prana as the magus recycled it to trace a new projection. Weaving around his arm like snakes was a chain of steel with a spiked dagger at the end. The nail shot out, impaling the massive trunk of the tree and helping to anchor him as he swung around from out of his opponent's periphery.

He swung in with a punch, catching her by surprise.

A heavy clang reverberated as Volcánica flew back, her back smashing through several branches before dropping.

She landed, tucking and rolling back to her feet.

Her cat ears perked, catching a sharp whoosh that cut through the air, flying right toward her.

Volcánica's head snapped in its direction, catching only a red blur as her hand shot out to grab it.

With remarkable reflexes, she caught it without so much as flinching.

Had she been even a second late, the spear would've pierced through right between her eyes. Instead, the crimson tip rested a fraction away from her skin.

"Close, but no cigar." She said coolly, her fingers twirling the spear with a prideful smirk.

Shirou offered only a neutral but unimpressed look. He then snapped his finger.

Quicker on the uptake this time around, she threw the spear away, the projection exploding away from her.

"Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; you ain't gonna fool me again!" She shouted.

From the cloud of smoke, a piece of Gáe Dearg flew out, the spear's blade catching her in the shoulder.

She staggered back but recovered her step. She turned to counterattack, only for her flames to flicker and vanish suddenly, catching her completely off guard. She tried calling upon them, but to no avail.

Shirou swooped down much like a bird of prey, with Kanshou and Bakuya gleaming with deadly intent. The tanned-skinned fighter raised her arms to defend, her vambraces taking the brunt of his slashes but still managing to wound her.

He pressed the advantage, and for the first time in the match, Volcánica was forced onto the defensive. However, that didn't mean she was going to cede the offensive entirely. Magic or not, she would not be cowed so easily.

"Come on! Is that the best you've got?!" She yelled, defending against one of his swings while throwing out a left hook that the magus parried easily.

[—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—]

'Ah, I see now.' Touch Me recognized, watching as the fight progressed from a melee to a chase.

Like with Warrior Takemikazuchi, he was initially curious to see why the Humanoid Player would risk a frontal confrontation despite her previous showings. However, the tricks Shirou employed gave an inkling of his true tactic.

Volcánica was undoubtedly strong, having made it this far in the World Champion Tournament, and her battle instinct was top-notch. However, it served to highlight something about her - that she was an amateur when it came to combat.

There was no form or discipline to her attacks; it was nothing but wild instinct. Her skill comes from her free-flow style, which made her unpredictable when fighting, and combined with her fighter-mage build, she was a force to be reckoned with. But that was all.

She attacked to land as many hits as she could to deal as much damage as she could. While that describes the basic principle of PvP combat, the difference lies in the intent versus the outcome.

Rather than fighting strictly to win, she was fighting for the thrill and fun of it, as seen throughout her matches from her constantly taunting and egging on her opponents and meeting them head-on every single time.

For the more veteran and eagle-eyed Players, all of her matches, including the one with Shirou, followed a similar pattern. She would engage the opponent in a direct approach — the fun option, so to speak. There were times in her matches when openings or alternatives were available to her, only for her to ignore them entirely in favor of continuing her method.

In a certain sense, her disposition was admirable. Where many were trying their best and stressing over winning, she was having fun and enjoying every moment of it.

'She and Takemikazuchi-san would probably get along very well.' Touch Me chuckled to himself at the mental imagery.

However, there was such a thing as having too much fun…

And for someone like Shirou, that was an advantage he could exploit.

This was why the paladin considered her an amateur. She fought well and with vigor, but sloppily, as if she were still learning the ropes of PvP.

'It's almost as if she'd only just started playing…' The Heteromorphic World Champion idly mused.

It reminded him very much of his own beginning, back when he was learning before developing his style of fighting.

However, that brought up an interesting conundrum: just where and how exactly did she get scouted to earn a place in a tournament as prestigious as the World Champion Tournament?

A question for another time as Touch Me tuned back in as the fight reached an unexpected development.