| Terra Branford VS Sayaka Miki | |
|---|---|
| |
| Season | 3 |
| Overall Episode | 36 |
| Season Episode | 10 |
| Air date | August 14th, 2019 |
| Written by | Shadow7615 |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Ultimecia vs. Homura Akemi |
Next Gintoki Sakata vs. Segata Sanshiro |
| “ | Final Fantasy VS Puella Magi Madoka Magica! These girls command both the sword and magic, their journeys guided by emotion, will victory come by power or humanity? | „ |
Terra Branford vs. Sayaka Miki is the 36th episode of DEATH BATTLE! by Shadow7615, featuring Terra Branford from the Final Fantasy series and Sayaka Miki from the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series in a battle between teenage sword-wielding magical girls.
Interlude[]
Wiz: A combatant can come prepared with many kinds of equipment, they can also use their experiences to prevail in battle.
Boomstick: And these two have experienced their fair share, and they use both swords and magic!
Wiz: Terra Branford, the Human-Esper hybrid.
Boomstick: And Sayaka Miki, the Cutlass Guardian Magical Girl, He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick!
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
Terra[]
Wiz: Long ago during the War of the Magi, the gods transformed humans and animals into creatures called espers, giving them magical powers, the gods then petrified themselves, with their last wishes being that the power of espers would never be abused.
Boomstick: And they managed to get their own dimension to live away from humans. But one day a woman named Madeline found her way to the Esper World, where she met an esper named Maduin, and they got hitched and had a daughter named Terra.
Wiz: Terra was seen as a symbol of Humans and Espers living together in harmony, but just two years later, Terra's mother was murdered and she was abducted by the Gestahlian Empire and was raised to be a living weapon.
Boomstick: That's pretty messed up... and so Terra spent the next sixteen years being the Empire's weapon, but she eventually managed to get the hell out of there, and then had to deal with amnesia. But she was already well on the road to a full recovery.
Wiz: After travelling with a group of rebels who swore to end the Empire's tyranny, Terra soon started breaking down the barriers on her amnesia, and her past, and discovered she was capable of devastating magic. Being a wielder of both esper powers and magic, Terra has no shortage of this at her disposal.
Boomstick: Having such strong genes is the reason for her insane power, with her being able to use basically any spell you can think of. Firaga, Teleport, Gragiva, Meltdown, Cura. And the most powerful magic of them all, Ultima. With such a magic skillset, Terra will definitely have some magic she can fall back on.
Wiz: She also has telekinesis at her disposal. But she doesn't solely use magic in combat, she also wields the Enhancer sword. This blade enhances the magical power of the person who wields it, giving Terra an additional boost. With it being her weapon of choice throughout several conflicts.
Boomstick: She can also wield her exclusive sword, Apocalypse. Which adds to her attack, strength, magic, and evasion. But she'd be pretty unprepared for this if she just took a sword into combat.
Wiz: Which is why Terra can use Relics, various kinds of equipment that provide bonuses to the bearer, since everyone is limited to two Relics, we will be giving Terra her two most reliable Relics.
Boomstick: First she gets a ribbon, which makes her immune to all status effects like burns and stuns, which this time makes sense given a chick accessory is on a chick!
Wiz: And for the final slot she is getting Celestriad, a relic that reduces the cost for all magical commands, but also makes it easier for her to access her strongest form.
Boomstick: Thanks to her dad being an Esper, she too can transform into an Esper! Man, I wish my dad left behind some secret power for me... Would've been freaking awesome.
Wiz: By embracing her ability of Trance, Terra can transform into an Esper, unlocking her latent magical potential and increasing her power drastically.
Boomstick: Heh, Trance form, Transform, I like that one. Her Esper transformation doubles the damages she deals, and also halves any magic damage she takes, making her tougher and stronger, but like all super forms, it has a limit.
Wiz: Indeed, Esper-Terra can only sustain her form for a given time, and she will eventually revert to her human form, but she can still use her other magic. It might be more of a psychological limit Terra hasn't overcome.
Boomstick: I mean can you blame the girl? She spends sixteen years being the Empire's bitch, used as a weapon of destruction, and basically deprived of her ability to even be human unless commanded. She's had it a bit too hard...
Wiz: And that is one of Terra's flaws, she has been manipulated and influenced by beings for so long that she questioned, and doubted her humanity because of the devastating power she possesses, not to mention being made the pawn of individuals like Kefka Palazzo and Chaos, the God of Discord.
Boomstick: Terra uses a sword capably, but is far more reliant on her magic, making her more of a long-range fighter than short. But despite that, Terra was able to see the good in her humanity and made the right call in fighting for all things good in the world.
Wiz: And she proved it by aiding humanity's final effort to destroy God Kefka and begrudgingly, Espers. While Terra was faced with the possibility of being wiped from existence, her humanity ended up keeping her alive, giving her the freedom she had truly longed for.
Terra: I've found a future that I want to protect. No matter how strong my powers become... I will never lose sight of my dream!
Sayaka[]
Wiz: Sayaka Miki lived a normal life with absolutely no troubles, she had her best friends, her secret crush, everything was blissful to no end, but her life forever changed when she discovered the existence of Magical Girls.
Boomstick: Learning the girl Mami Tomoe was a magical girl, Sayaka's strong sense of justice inspired her to follow Mami, ultimately exposing her to the Magical Girl's ongoing hunt for Witches.
Wiz: However... things took a dark turn when Mami was murdered by a witch, with Sayaka and Madoka bearing witness to that gruesome scene. With Mami gone, Sayaka worried what would happen if Witches continued their ways unabated.
Boomstick: Kyubey, this white cat looking thing offered Sayaka the chance to become a Magical Girl, but since the rules of Magical Girls prevent Kyubey from forcing them into it, Sayaka was offered the proposition of making a wish in exchange for becoming a Magical Girl.
Wiz: Sayaka didn't need long to decide, after discovering her crush had suffered severe nerve damage in his hand, ending his violin career, and the state of medicine unable to heal him, Sayaka signed the contract with Kyubey, becoming a Magical Girl.
Boomstick: Having become one now, Sayaka basically got the Magical Girl starter kit, a Soul Gem, a cool weapon, a new outfit, a transformation sequence, the works. Oh and as a plus finally got to see her crush once again pick up the violin, so it was a win-win for Sayaka.
Wiz: Due to the nature of her wish, Sayaka gained powerful regenerative abilities, being able to heal herself from wounds much, much faster compared to her fellow Magical Girls. She also has great endurance, being able to wear down and destroy Witches.
Boomstick: To go along with her powers, Sayaka wields a Cutlass in battle, and her magic can create additional cutlasses for her to use, sometimes using them as projectiles, being able to home in on a given target.
Wiz: By covering herself in her cloak, Sayaka can teleport, but she does command impressive speed, being able to leap buildings and large distances with ease, her speed is even fast enough to rush Homura Akemi in time to prevent her from stopping time.
Boomstick: Sayaka would use these abilities as best she could, until she learned the truth, which set her down a path that would eventually put her into the deepest despair, this resulted in her corruption, which permanently transformed her into a Witch.
Wiz: Oktavia von Seckendorff was what remained of Sayaka, with the Witch being a threat to all the Magical Girls, and ultimately Oktavia met her end when Kyoko Sakura sacrificed herself. Sayaka's death would impact Madoka's life so much that when Madoka made a wish, she pledged to save all Magical Girls.
Boomstick: And by becoming the new Goddess, Madoka rewrote the laws of the universe itself, and Madoka saved Sayaka by making her an assistant to the Law of Cycles.
Wiz: By becoming an assistant to the Law of Cycles, Sayaka's soul was able to take on physical form, she was able to live in this new universe. And perhaps most impressively, Sayaka gained the ability to summon Oktavia at will, allowing the two to work together.
Boomstick: Despite being the Magical Girl with the least potential, and considered the weakest of the quintet, Sayaka has stepped up to the challenge, despite still being a sorta rookie, she managed to rival magical girls with greater experience, Kyoko and Homura, being able to use her endurance to stay in the fight.
Wiz: Sayaka's durability is also exceptional, not only did she manage to survive attacks from Kyoko and Homura that would've been too much for her, but she managed to make her hits count, her regenerative ability became so strong that direct impalement no longer became an issue, such as the time she impaled herself in the chest, only to summon Oktavia, and she was fine. She even survived being impaled within a tree, and she was fine.
Boomstick: And that allowed her to keep fighting even in the toughest conditions, but Sayaka isn't perfect, her courage makes her careless, her sense of justice gets the better of her, and one time she ignored her pain so much it drove her to become masochistic and reckless.
Wiz: And then there's the reality that when Homura Akemi rewrote the laws of the universe, her actions made Sayaka unable to return to the Law of Cycles, though she still could summon Oktavia.
Boomstick: Yeah, don't you hate it when your best friend's friend decides to remake the universe and specifically make it the way she wants!? Gotta hate that.
Wiz: But despite what she's been through, Sayaka's heroic attitude as a Magical Girl, while flawed, is what makes her strengths shine, her devotion is unyielding and will go any lengths to protect her friends and her home.
Sayaka: I don't regret using my wish for another's sake. If I regret my decision now, the feelings upon which it was based will be for naught.
DEATH BATTLE![]
The many cliffs that could be seen within sight were blanketed in pure white snow, distant mountains that peaked higher into the sky had many torchlit buildings in the distance, seemed like these cliffs were simply a territory one had to pass through, if they could handle the cold during the day, and especially at night. The sound of muffled steps could be heard as a trail of footprints, left in the snow were headed from the higher mountains.
"Hmm, could this be a Witch's Labyrinth, it looks a lot more real than any I've ever been inside", a girl wondered, walking across the ground with a white canvas. "Well, can't be all bad, it feels kinda nice here.", the girl stopped for a moment and stretched her arms, she took a deep breath before opening her eyes and feeling a lot more energized, she continued to walk for a bit longer, putting more energy and confidence into her steps, this girl was Sayaka Miki, out seeking the next adventure!
Sayaka stayed on her current course, seeing that the atmosphere around her was quite comforting, she had finally convinced herself this was not a Witch's Labyrinth, but rather a snowy mountain somewhere, this gave her more energy, as she hadn't been to a place like this before, and she was interested to see what she could find, and so she started looking around more intently, as she had been wandering, for the most part, she peered around corners and looked over the edge of cliffs she came across.
But unfortunately, it was snow for miles, nothing to really "discover", as Sayaka had hoped, but she hadn't given up just yet, she stopped and looked down and saw that there was another step of footprints in the snow! With a rush of excitement flowing into her body, Sayaka picked herself up and sprinted, following the footprints to see where they would lead, she ran for a short while, thinking whoever went down this path must've done so recently. "I wonder who it is!" Sayaka exclaimed.
A few moments later, Sayaka saw the footprints had come to an end, she halted and began looking at her surroundings to try and locate any people, and just her luck, someone was there, sitting on the side of a cliff overhead. "Hey there!" Sayaka shouted, eager to bump into someone. They looked down to see Sayaka waving at them to gain their attention. The person stood up and jumped off the side of the cliff, Sayaka's eyes widen in sheer surprise, not expecting such a turn of events. But before Sayaka could speak up, the individual's descent was a lot more controlled and didn't obey gravity.
They landed on the ground gently with their two feet, Sayaka noticed this person was a girl, with blonde hair, in a red dress, with a purple sash around her waist, red boots, red wristbands, and purple shoulder-pads, looking at her appearance for a moment, Sayaka was reminded of her fellow Magical Girl, Kyoko Sakura. Only this girl didn't look at energetic or as outgoing as Kyoko. Sayaka lifted a smile on her face and greeted the girl. "I'm Sayaka Miki, what's your name?" Sayaka implored, being as friendly as possible. "Oh? My name is Terra", the girl replied, this being Terra Branford.
Sayaka, content with the answer she was given, followed her curiosity and asked a second question, "What are you doing out here on your own, Terra?". Terra didn't seem fazed by the question, but answered the friendly girl's request, "I am trying to test my powers without hurting anyone". This managed to interest Sayaka even more, and so Sayaka continued to investigate. "You look like you wouldn't hurt a fly." Sayaka cheerfully commented, trying to cheer up Terra. "Thank you for that, Sayaka." Terra responded. "I mean, if it'll make you feel any better, you could try showing me your power!" The Magical Girl sincerely offered.
She got invested, significantly so. And her heroic attitude started coming to the surface. "That's right! Because I have powers too! And I can show you mine in exchange!" Terra wasn't quite expecting such an answer, but knowing the kind of people she's encountered, she knew that Sayaka wasn't joking. "Okay, I will give it my all." Terra softly chimed in. Sayaka, now having the approval she needed, on her command, glistened with blue shining light, covering her entire body.
Terra watched in a combination of awe and wonder, seeing the blue light start to flicker, and fractions of Sayaka return to normal, but along the way, Sayaka's attire changes from that of a school uniform, a white thigh-long cape, a blue and white button-down strapless top with a skirt, white stockings with a blue stripe, teal boots, and two gloves. To complete her transformation Sayaka reaches to herself and magically materializes a cutlass sword.
As the sword is formed she takes hold of it, before hold the cutlass down by her side. Completing her transformation into a Magical Girl. Terra admired what she had seen, seeing that Sayaka had such a positive energy about her, "Tada!" Sayaka exclaimed. "I wish I could look straight ahead like you" Terra had become a little envious of Sayaka, but the Magical Girl made sure not to stay on a high horse.
"Don't worry about it, you just need to have a good grip on your powers, then you can be like me!" Sayaka reassuring Terra to put her troubles at ease. Terra reached to her waist and gripped the handle of her Enhancer sword, and held it in a manner that looked like she was imitating Sayaka, to which Sayaka was glad, "You got your own sword too!", Sayaka was then decided. "Alright, everything's ready? Let's go!", Terra was a little hesitant about using her powers but knew this would help her. So the two girls held their blades at the ready, prepared for battle.
FIGHT!
(Cue The Decisive Battle (Arrangement) - Dissidia: Final Fantasy)
At a shocking speed Sayaka approached her foe, but able to raise her blade swiftly, Terra locked swords with Sayaka, cutlass against Enhancer, with the clash proving mostly a stalemate. Sayaka backed off and flew into the air, with her eyes staying focused on Terra. Not entirely sure what to make of her opponent's actions, Terra remained still, but keeping a hold of her sword, remaining at the ready, though she wasn't sure if she would be able to predict what kind of actions Sayaka would take.
The Magical Girl waved her arms, and a group of cutlasses appeared, extruding from blue energy that emerged adjacent to Sayaka. She signalled her hand downward, and the cutlasses acted on command, all launching directly toward Terra. With a great many of them approaching her, Terra felt a jolt of panic travel throughout her body. She quickly gestured her arm, creating pure flames from her magic, and held her arm upward toward the cutlasses approaching her.
As Terra nearly shrieked she launched the burst of flame skyward, colliding with the swords. Their magical natures clashing and causing both to give in to the other, though the cutlasses manage to get through, but in far greater reduced numbers, with only a handful stabbing into the ground. Sayaka flew back down to the snowy ground where she saw the whole thing. "So, you can use magic?" Sayaka observed. Landing on the ground with grace.
"Well, things just got a whole lot more interesting", Sayaka got a chance to see just what kind of power she had been warned about, though this made her interested to see more. Sayaka dashed and equipped herself with a second cutlass on her free hand, now dual-wielding. Sayaka swiftly executed swordplay the likes of which Terra didn't expect. Sayaka clashed her cutlasses against Terra, with the three blades locked against one another, Sayaka saw an advantage and with a leap, broke Terra's guard, managing to land a cut on Terra's arm, but mostly mitigated by her clothing.
Inspecting the cut on her arm, Terra did not feel the sting a great deal, only a small thin line with blood escaping. But in a matter of seconds, the wound began to close up, bringing joy to Terra's face, lowering her arm. Sayaka landed on the ground, still holding her two cutlasses. Terra held her Enhancer firmly once again and signalled to Sayaka that she was still able to fight. Jumping at the opportunity, Sayaka charged with cutlasses in hand, ready to strike once again, but this time Terra had other ideas. She jumped into the air, her flight taking over, slowly gliding her backward.
Sayaka saw this and leapt into the air as well, following Terra. Terra reached out with the arm in which she held her weapon, and in moments she launched a fireball. Having dashed too quickly toward her opponent, Sayaka collided with the fireball, a direct impact. The force of which knocked Sayaka to the ground, but in moments she got back up on her feet, her outfit charred in only a few places, but Sayaka herself was perfectly fine, simply dusting her shoulder.
A bit surprised to see the endurance of her opponent, Terra felt a bit more inclined to use her power. Sayaka materialized a set of cutlasses and threw them one at a time in quick succession, Terra evaded those that she could dodge, but otherwise conjured fireballs from her hands to destroy the remaining cutlasses, all the while Sayaka approached and clashed blades against Terra's once again, but instead of holding a sword lock as she had done prior, Sayaka had summoned more cutlasses from above.
Commanding them to rain down upon Terra, all of the cutlasses were locked on Terra specifically. Sayaka backed off and glided back a short distance to avoid being in the area of effect herself. Terra saw the blades coming and used her magic in a moment of desperation, but instead of using offensive magic to simply destroy them, Terra vanished and then reappeared just on a nearby cliff. The cutlasses all piercing into the snow, which took Sayaka by surprise, only for her to notice Terra was overhead. But she did not get long to realize that.
In just mere moments, a giant chunk of ice had been hurled toward Sayaka, while giant in size, it was not fast enough to catch her off guard, Sayaka used two hands to hold her cutlass, and with a fierce swing, she bifurcated the ice into two halves. The halves crashing into the snow and breaking apart, some of it shifting the snow to reveal the surface beneath. Sayaka jumped, approaching Terra this time, and using her vertical ascent to slash upwards, the strike knocked Terra backward, but not enough to disarm her.
Sayaka landed on the cliffside and much like her previous attempts, once again drew out a cutlass with her magic, taking up the dual-wielding swords a second time, Terra regained her posture and still kept her sword at the ready, Terra and Sayaka both glided toward each other, clashing their blades. Acting more cautiously this time, Terra kept her eyes open to see if Sayaka was going to attempt a similar tactic, however, this time Sayaka jumped into the air.
Landing behind Terra, Sayaka attempts to strike from her new angle, but her cutlass is met by one of Terra's sword, but not her Enhancer. Instead, Terra had breathly unsheathed her second sword, Apocalypse. Sayaka was surprised by this and took a step back. "So, you've got multiple swords too, huh." Sayaka having gained that knowledge decides to keep her efforts focused on swordplay. Taking a hold of her main cutlass, Sayaka takes herself back into the trading blows of cutlass against Enhancer.
Terra, not being as tenacious in this clash as Sayaka, is pushed back more and more. She is reluctant to make a strong counterattack. After a few more steps Terra has been backed up to the edge of the cliffside, and she realized this quickly. Sayaka did not let up her strikes and with a fierce slash, knocking Terra off guard, causing her to lose balance and fall over the cliffside. Sayaka stepped forward and gazed over the cliff.
But there was no danger for Terra, she landed gently on the ground, safely and securely. Sayaka leapt and touched down on the ground as well, seeing that the high ground they had jumped from was not particularly high, a little over 10 meters. Sayaka charged and aimed to slash at Terra's torso. Terra parried the cutlass with her Enhancer, Sayaka misstepped as a result, Terra quickly cast a Firaga in her free hand and reached her hand out to Sayaka's torso, launching the burst of flame, impacting Sayaka immediately.
(Cue Venari Strigas - Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
The fiery blast launched Sayaka back several meters, yet again burning part of her outfit. Terra stretched her hand outward, firing Firaga repeatedly in quick succession, Sayaka quickly grabbed her cape and used her magic to teleport, steering clear of the crimson flames headed for her. Reappearing right in front of Terra, the sudden reemergence caught Terra off guard. Sayaka swung her cutlass, successfully striking Terra, this time leaving a long thin cut mark on her stomach.
With a bigger cut this time, Terra winced and used her free arm to cover her wound, still holding her Enhancer. Sayaka summoned even more cutlasses, standing ready by her side. In pairs, Sayaka grabbed her cutlasses and begun throwing them at Terra while the latter was still trying to protect her wound. Terra stepped back slowly and with a short amount of momentum, jumped into the air, using her flight to stay airborne, Sayaka's cutlasses missed their target, but Sayaka was still summoning her cutlasses.
Now that the cutlasses were being launched skyward, Terra's hands glowed, as she was casting magic once again. This time the winds intensified and in moments tornados formed, three of them, all rotating around Terra. The cutlasses' momentum was nothing compared to the velocity of the tornados, causing them to immediately adhere to the strength of the wind, being blown into another direction, or simply falling to the ground below.
However the tornados did not subside, Terra's magic continued to press on, Sayaka began to feel the effects of the wind picking up, suddenly and drastically, even the snow on the ground was starting to shift around. Sayaka teleported using her cape again. And landed nearby, she turned around only to see that Terra was still pursuing her with the tornadoes. Terra used her magic to further amp up her tornadoes, unifying all three of them into a singular, larger tornado.
This time Sayaka had no chance, the tornado's winds pulled her in, the wind blowing violently. Now with her target in range, Terra stretched her hands upward, the tornado increasing the speed of the wind. With Sayaka now approaching the top of the tornado, Terra commanded the winds once more, the tornadoes unleashed a powerful gust, launching Sayaka into a rocky wall. Knocked to the ground thereafter, Sayaka felt the cold embrace of the snow on her face, her skin as well.
Terra gracefully lands on the ground, Sayaka mustered her strength and rose back to her feet. Picking up her lone cutlass along the way. Sayaka looked more serious now than she had before, but she still smiled underneath it all. Terra also lifted a smile, both girls persevered, acknowledging the strengths of their opponent. But neither of them had any intention of backing down from this fight, with their blades in hand. Neither of them feeling exhausted or out of breath.
Sayaka still carried her heroic attitude, determined to demonstrate such heroism. Her attack against Terra once again became graceful with her strikes, and attacked more precisely, instead of overbearingly, easing the flow of the battle, as if Sayaka was suddenly dancing mid-fight. Terra still fought her battle gently, attacking softly, but effectively. Their blades clashed often and swift evasions and dodges when their swords couldn't take the hits they cannot.
Waving her hand as it glowed with light, Terra cast five spheres of light and aimed them all at Sayaka, this was her application of Holy, the orbs struck Sayaka, knocking her airborne. Terra dashed into the air to pursue her opponent, Terra was now in attacking range and swung Enhancer to strike Sayaka while she was vulnerable. But Sayaka was able to act in response and was able to swiftly maneuver herself to her left, avoiding the slash from Enhancer.
The Magical Girl decided to try this out on Terra, she took hold of her cutlass and slashed toward Terra. Having seen what Sayaka was attempting to do, Terra flew slightly to the right, avoiding her opponent's attack, with Sayaka vulnerable yet again, Terra quickly cast more magic, Blizzaga and launched the giant chunk of ice toward Sayaka, hitting her directly. The Magical Girl was still completely fine. Sayaka thrust her cutlass into the chunk of ice. Blizzaga couldn't stay in one piece and crumbled into pieces, freeing Sayaka.
With a fair distance to the ground below her, Sayaka swiftly threw her cape over her body, teleporting to the ground safely. Terra looked at the ground and saw Sayaka had safely landed, relieving her. Terra followed up by also flying back down to the ground, the two girls were once again back on even ground, with no injuries, let alone scratches on their bodies. Their respective regenerative powers working efficiently at restoring their minor wounds, ensuring both girls carried on.
Wielding a single cutlass in hand, Sayaka once again decided to summon more cutlasses to this battle, materializing from blue energy that bore the same blue colour as Sayaka's outfit. A handful of cutlasses stood around Sayaka, and finally created a cutlass to go on her free hand, once again entering the dual-wielding approach, at this point, all the blades were on the table and Terra could see it as clear as the sky. Terra reached to her waist with her free hand and unsheathed her exclusive weapon, Apocalypse.
She firmly gripped her new weapon and held it at the ready, unifying Apocalypse and Enhancer. Sayaka was very impressed with Terra's decision, with both of them dual-wielding swords now. She gained a surge of motivation. Wanting to have a sword fight that would truly test both of their skills with the blade. Sayaka surged forward with her cutlasses at the ready, she jumped into the air, pulling back her cutlasses, as she descended from her jump, she swung her blades forward.
Terra raised her two blades in defence, forming an x-shape with them, successfully able to meet Sayaka's landing strike head-on. Sayaka then started swinging her two cutlasses, spinning her whole body to ensure that both blades can strike, Terra is amazed by her opponent's physical capability, but with the benefit of her two swords, Terra succeeds in keeping up with Sayaka's finesse. Four swords flash repeatedly, the twin cutlasses, Enhancer and Apocalypse.
Her attacks with the grace of water, Sayaka continued to motion her cutlass strikes and slashes with elegance, putting Terra on the defensive, but dual-wielding was able to cover more areas and prevent certain gaps in vulnerability from being exploited. Having only fought Terra with just a single sword beforehand, Sayaka did not have the same openings right now. Nevertheless, she continued using her sophisticated swordplay, she swung one of her cutlasses once again.
(Cue Duel in the Jedi Temple - Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
But Terra sternly blocked the swing with both of her swords, Sayaka's momentum had come to a complete halt, and Terra didn't waste that moment, with a shunt, Terra's sword pushed back Sayaka's cutlass. Sayaka became unbalanced. Terra swung one of her swords to Sayaka's newly unbalanced cutlass and pushed down as hard as she could, slipping Sayaka onto one knee with her cutlass nearly on the ground, she had become alarmingly vulnerable at this moment.
Fortunate enough she had her left arm and its cutlass completely intact, and went for an overhead swing against Terra, aiming for her head. But her slash was met with Terra meeting her cutlass with Apocalypse. Now having brought her other sword, Enhancer back up to meet the other swords, Terra swung vertically, aiming for Sayaka's torso, Sayaka rotated herself ninety degrees to use her left arm's cutlass to block the swing from Enhancer.
Both of the girls then arrived at the same idea and executed it at the same time, with Terra pulling back Enhancer to strike to Apocalypse, and Sayaka rotating back to her front and swinging with her right hand's cutlass. Sayaka did not want to just keep letting Terra gain these advantages, and with her left hand's cutlass free to act, joined her opposing hand's cutlass in striking Apocalypse. But Sayaka quickly noticed Enhancer was also freely usable for Terra, and she felt her instincts kicking in. Terra then aimed for Sayaka's head, swinging with Enhancer.
Immediately ducking as best she could, landing on one knee. Sayaka used the cutlass in her right hand, aiming for Terra's torso. But having anticipated a strike, Terra held Enhancer and Apocalypse in front of her, pointed upward, successfully holding back the cutlass. And promptly using the strength in her arms to push the cutlass down. Sayaka struck again, hoping to take advantage of Terra's physical exertion in that strike, but she managed to raise at least Apocalypse to meet this strike.
Concocting a plan, Sayaka firmly held both her cutlasses. And swung both of them at Apocalypse. The physical effort had brought Terra's defence down enough for Sayaka's twin strike to disarm Terra of Apocalypse, leaving her with just her singular sword, Enhancer. With this moment now to her advantage, Sayaka was able to land a successful hit, striking, and cutting Terra in the back, the momentum was enough to send Terra a fair distance.
Terra landed in the snow and made sure she didn't lose her hold of Enhancer, seeing Apocalypse over near Sayaka. As for Sayaka, she had made a leaping jump and was closing in on Terra, shouting as she was bringing down her cutlasses as she descended upon Terra. Seeing the attack coming with plenty of time to spare, Terra raised Enhancer in front of her, successfully blocking the strike, even halting Sayaka's descent, with Sayaka having become vulnerable, Terra cast Firaga in her hand and directly impacted Sayaka.
Having been knocked away from her opponent, only a brief distance, however, Sayaka landed on the ground as Terra started climbing back to her feet, but she had only gotten back onto one knee when Sayaka swung with her right had cutlass, Terra just knew she couldn't stay in this position and needed to get back on her two feet, she raised Enhancer, successfully blocking Sayaka's cutlass. Sayaka followed up by swinging with her left hand's cutlass. Terra used that moment of freedom to perform a forward roll, avoiding that cutlass as well.
She was not going to let Terra just roll out of harm's way and swung her right hand's cutlass, but it only barely missed Terra, slashing at the snow on the ground instead. Terra had finally gotten one foot on the ground, and her knee also helping stabilize her, before Sayaka could make another swing, Terra landed a kick with her left leg, knocking Terra back several feet. The perfect pocket of time for Terra to stand back up. Sayaka regained composure after that kick, only to then notice Terra had a swing incoming, especially for her.
Sayaka met Terra's sword swing with her left hand's cutlass, but Terra had regained the offensive, her strikes pushing Sayaka back, Sayaka defended against another swing with her right hand's cutlass, and then attempted to make an attack herself, but Terra was able to avoid the swing. Sayaka spun her body around to make use of her two cutlasses, but Terra's next swing made her block with both her cutlasses, in an x-shape. Sayaka pushed Terra to the side with both her cutlasses being able to push Enhancer away.
With a swift recovery, Terra was able to continue, while Sayaka had now gained the offensive, Terra met swords with Sayaka once again, the next attack from Sayaka was narrow, but Terra was able to duck her head to avoid the swing. Sayaka completed a three-sixty degree spin to make another swing, her left cutlass clashing with Enhancer, Sayaka then attempted to strike Terra's body with her right hand's cutlass, she made the swing, but her arm was stopped, Terra had caught Sayaka's right arm, gripping her wrist specifically.
Determined to even the playing field, Terra strengthed her hold of that wrist, and Sayaka soon realized that it was becoming difficult to bear and she correctly realized this when it proved to be too much, and she dropped her weapon involuntarily, leaving both girls down to just a single blade each. Sayaka desperately swung with her left arm's cutlass, but this was easily met by Terra's Enhancer in her right hand. Terra then held her sword with both hands, and overpowered Sayaka's attack and started turning the swing back on her.
In sheer desperation to not lose her balance, Sayaka held her cutlass with two hands, desperate to hold on, as the level of desperation rapidly climbed, Sayaka knew she had to act somehow, she held the handle of her cutlass tightly, and pushed herself forward, which got Terra off her momentarily. Sayaka decided she would make the same approach as Terra, and swung her cutlass with two hands. But this sheer dedication to making an offensive attack left her defence poorly accounted for.
Swiftly manipulating her opponent's swing, Terra redirects Sayaka's cutlass and completely negates the thrust of Sayaka's attack, Terra then regained the offensive and locked blades with Sayaka once again, her swings becoming more and more unyielding, culminating in an overhead swing, which Sayaka blocked with her cutlass, Sayaka being able to hold this position, quickly summoned another cutlass in her free hand, with two cutlasses, she was able to push Enhancer back and also make Terra step back as well.
With a new opportunity to strike, Sayaka jolted forward as fast as she could, but this was a grave mistake, one that Terra decided to punish before Sayaka could even swing her cutlasses, she was frozen in midair, unable to move. Sayaka felt her body still, Terra had extended her arm, holding Sayaka in telekinesis. She pulled her arm back, rendering Sayaka in a position she could no longer attack. Terra applying her telekinesis, pushed Sayaka away, and into the slide of a cliff, Sayaka gazed forward as best she could.
(Cue Symposium Magarum - Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Terra released her telekinetic control of Sayaka, leaving her to land on the ground, dropping her cutlasses. "So, you're that strong, huh...", Sayaka commenting on the potency of Terra's abilities, and she slowly walked on her knees to reach her cutlass, Terra approached calmly, seeing if she would be attacked. Sayaka took hold of her cutlass. "I can show you the rest of my power now." Although she was on her knees, Sayaka held her cutlass, but instead of being pointed outward, she was holding it toward herself.
Without so much as even a slight worry, Sayaka impaled herself with her cutlass, Terra was stunned, she couldn't put any words out. Sayaka's blood poured out, changing her surroundings from a pure white of snow, into a crimson canvas of her blood. After a brief moment, the blood on the ground began to shake. It was at that moment a large being emerged from the big puddle of Sayaka's blood, Terra was shocked, this being rose and appeared behind Sayaka, who had now stood back on her two feet.
Somehow having completely recovered from impaling herself, Sayaka had called upon her witch form, Oktavia von Seckendorff. She was wielding a cutlass of her own, Terra, distraught by how this was accomplished, stepped back in momentary fear, seeing Oktavia's towering presence with Sayaka standing with confidence. Terra's fear was fleeting however, she swallowed it. "I have never seen such strength. But I'll give it my best." Terra closed her eyes and took in the air caressing her skin.
Decided on what she was going to do, Terra dropped Enhancer to the ground, Sayaka stopped. Surprised by her actions. Terra opened her eyes, "If I have to fight..." Terra's body glowed with a shining light, Sayaka raised her arm, covering her eyes from the light, but still wanting to see what's going on. As the brightness subsided, Sayaka lowered her arm to see Terra had changed her form completely. Her clothes completely disappeared, revealing her body to be a vivid lavender, and her hair similarly coloured. Only now it had become more long, wild and flowing than before, she had transformed into an Esper.
Sheer awe came over Sayaka, she hadn't ever seen anything like this, no Magical Girl or Witch had ever demonstrated any power like this, but Sayaka didn't think on it. She charged on ahead, cutlasses in hand, ready to strike. Oktavia moved forward as well, holding her cutlass as well. Sayaka swung her cutlass, but suddenly a rush of water emerged from the ground, Terra successfully casting Flood. The water, however, wasn't to Sayaka's discomfort, although having been shot into the air, Sayaka recovered quickly and landed on the ground.
Oktavia, with the presence of water nearby, used it to her advantage, appearing next to Sayaka without much trouble, the water wouldn't last simply due to the snow. but Oktavia got out of it what she could, seeing that Oktavia was benefiting from the water, Terra realized that using Flood was not the way to go, and would likely benefit Oktavia. Instead, Terra started using her other magic, Sayaka once again closed the distance between herself and Terra.
Able to join in the fight as well, Oktavia took her cutlass and thrust it at Terra, the much larger blade proving to be something Terra could not simply push away with magic, Terra jumped to the side, avoiding the giant cutlass, causing it to strike the ground. Terra focused her hands, forming a giant fireball, charging it for a couple of seconds, slowly increasing its size. Sayaka saw this and makes a leap to reach Terra, but she couldn't reach her in time, as the giant ball of flames homed in on Oktavia, the Witch quickly raised her cutlass to defend from the fireball.
(Cue Map Theme (Book III) - Fire Emblem: Heroes)
Defending valiantly, Oktavia soon realized the water was evaporating thanks to the heat of the ginormous fireball, Terra took this opportunity to glide over to Oktavia, and at a safe distance, cast Thundaga. The thunderbolts struck Oktavia, disorienting the Witch, And now with Oktavia's guard broken, the fireball successfully hit its target and left Oktavia completely vulnerable. "No more running." Terra proclaimed as she flew closer to Oktavia, forming Blizzara and sending it straight at the Witch, impacting almost immediately.
"I can protect everything!" Terra claimed, her body glowing with white energy, but it soon started charging around Terra's arms instead, Terra positioned here arms to more appropriately charge the energy, in just a couple seconds, she had charged enough, "I won't be defeated." Terra stated as she spun around, she whipped her arms outward, firing several crescent-shaped energy blades at Oktavia. Sayaka turned to check to see if her Witch was okay, fortunately for Oktavia, she had not been dealt the final blow.
However, the strength of Terra's magic was much more powerful now than anything she had demonstrated prior, and Sayaka had seen this first hand, and beyond that, there wasn't enough water, so Sayaka turned to Terra, determined by Oktavia to ensure their victory. Using her magic as best she could, Sayaka summoned a legion of her cutlasses, all standing by. Terra watched the cutlasses appear, seeing Sayaka ready to launch all of them, Terra did nothing, she stood there and waited for that next daring move, to see who would be the one to make it.
As anticipated, Sayaka made the next move. Unleashed her sea of cutlasses, all of them travelling at incredible speeds, all homing in on Terra. The Esper watched the many incoming projectiles headed directly for her. But still, she did not move and allowed them to keep closing the distance, Sayaka watched them all closing in on Terra. The blades had reached Terra, but they did not strike her. The cutlasses stopped and dropped to the ground, successfully casting the Graviga spell. Sayaka held her two cutlasses and sprinted as fast as she could.
The moment Sayaka raised her arms to strike, Terra took her chance, she waved her hands, casting yet another spell. This time five balls of light emerged and all of them struck Sayaka, knocking her into the air, each one contributing to the knockback. With that spell having worked, Terra quickly followed up by casting a fireball, successfully connecting with Sayaka, Terra threw a second, and it too successfully made contact with Sayaka. Terra cast a third from her hands, further adding to the combo.
Closing her eyes, concentrating, she cast a fourth and final fireball, her concentration ensuring it would strike Sayaka. With this chain of attacks successfully pulled off, Terra's hands glowed with white light, "O perfect light!" As Terra waved her arms, a spherical field of energy formed around Sayaka, it enveloped her within it, casting the most powerful spell Terra could cast, Ultima.
The sphere grew larger, thanks to the power of Terra's Esper transformation. "I want to end this!" Terra shouted. Her hands came together, as Ultima's casting was complete, the spell's supreme power went into full effect, exploding simultaneously with Terra's motions. Sayaka had completely disappeared within Ultima, with its glow shining radiantly.
Terra landed on the ground and reverted to her human form. She gazed up at the now fading Ultima, to see her opponent was gone, Terra worried and thought "I'm sorry". She closed her eyes once again, almost as though she was praying. She liked Sayaka and believed they would've been friends.
K.O.!
Conclusion[]
(Cue Terra's Theme - Final Fantasy VI)
Boomstick: I’m sad now...
Wiz: Terra and Sayaka both wield impressive power, with their journeys helping them realize the full extent of their powers, and ultimately being able to use them without ever losing themselves.
Boomstick: But Terra is just much more powerful, being half Esper is part of what makes her so potent, and also having so much more magic compared to Sayaka, but that doesn't leave Sayaka without advantages of her own.
Wiz: Indeed, Sayaka is very capable of using her cutlasses to fight, as demonstrated by her battles against Kyoko Sakura and Homura Akemi, far more experienced Magical Girls. Sayaka is very proficient in its use. In other words, Sayaka's greater strength is swordplay, while Terra's is magic.
Boomstick: And while both of them could use their strength to get advantages over the other, they had plans in case things went south, in Sayaka's case, she could summon Oktavia so long as there was water nearby, or blood, since that works too.
Wiz: And Terra had her Trance ability, being able to turn into an Esper and use the full power she had been holding back. Oktavia is considerably powerful, being able to contend with the likes of Homulilly, while Terra's transformation simply makes her more powerful, even in her base form she's defeated beings like Kefka Palazzo.
Boomstick: While both are impressive, Terra's Trance-formation is more reliable, she can access it at will, and use her magic to even greater degrees, whereas Oktavia relies on water or blood to be summonable, and while Sayaka can simply IMPALE herself, she won't do it over and over.
Wiz: Sayaka's regeneration is her trump card, and she was able to recover from a lot of Terra's attacks, but Ultima is the most powerful spell in Terra's arsenal, and far more destructive than anything Sayaka can withstand, wiping her out.
Boomstick: Sayaka put up a really good fight, but in the end, she ULTIMA-tely lost.
Wiz: The winner is Terra Branford.
Trivia[]
- This battle was released on the same day as Ghost Rider VS Lobo.