The Dragon and the Countess: Tianhuo [D] vs. Countess Dante

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Match type: Last Woman Standing
Condition: Victory gained via knockout

Within the locker rooms, a woman of Asian descent is seen praying while closing her eyes.

Tianhuo: Honored Mother, give me strength. Honored Father, give me courage. (She stands up and cracks her neck muscles before taking a deep breath) Now it is time.. to find my first pupil.

New World (feat. Vava) by Krewella & Yellow Claw blares through the speakers as orange and yellow pyrotechnics go off on her side of the stage.

Announcer: A wayward warrior fighting out of Foshan, China! She came here to find new promising pupils to become apart of a highly skilled group of Shaolin monks known as the Longma! Standing in at 5ft 9in, weighing in at 146lbs and making her LAW Debut! The Death Dragon, TIIIIANNHUUOOOO!!

As her name is called, Tianhuo appears on the stage with a liangmao (otherwise known as a bamboo hat) to cover her face. She makes a mad dash to the ring before throwing the aforementioned bamboo hat into it, in which she jumps off the top rope and preforms an acrobatic maneuver before landing on her feet in a Phoenix stance and catching said hat causing the crowd to cheer.

Tianhuo: Ni hao, LAW! I am Tianhuo, the Death Dragon!

The crowd continues to cheer as she is given a microphone.

Tianhuo: As the announcer said, I have come here by order of the empress of China to spread the word of the Longma’s teachings! However, in order to do that.. I need to find young fighters who are willing enough to become my pupils! I will not lie, my ways of teaching are rather grueling.. but they show good results to those with an iron resolve! But the question is, who here is brave enough to show me their power?!

@CaptainL

[CaptainL]

When LAW's faithful had heard that tonight would welcome a new fighter to the ranks of the promotion, they were eager to see what the show would bring. And now that Tianhuo had descended on the ring, they were all the more excited to see what might happen next! It was always exciting to have a new face come through LAW, ready to offer something novel and uncharted that would shake up the status quo. And even before her first match, Tianhuo had promised to be an intriguing addition to the roster. She stood out from many of her fellow wrestlers, being a bona fide Shaolin monk - and not only did that give her entrance an exotic flair, it also told everyone watching that Tianhuo wouldn't be like any other competitor. She would redefine what it meant to be a wrestler, incorporating her mastery of martial arts into her fighting style, and no doubt challenging all comers in the process!

Already, she was getting plenty of cheers! But not everyone was excited to greet Tianhuo. As it so happened, there was someone backstage who had heard her offer to recruit new blood into her sect...and that person was not amused.

"HOLD IT!!"

Everyone's attention would soon be drawn to the entrance ramp, as a voice boomed over the speakers before anyone showed themselves. "You aren't the only grandmaster in LAW, you know! And no matter how much you've devoted your life to the fighting arts...your temple will NEVER compare to the might of the BLACK DRAGON FIGHTING SOCIETY!!"

Some fans were confused as to where the voice was coming from, and who was here to challenge Tianhuo. Others already knew, just based on the stranger's unmistakeable way of speaking. But either way, the curtains soon parted, and there stood the woman who was fated to be Tianhuo's first opponent - Countess Isabella Caramelita Dante, the Crown Princess of Death!

Spoiler

For those new to Isabella, her entrance proved...underwhelming, to say the least. Walking down the ramp now wasn't a tall, menacing figure rippling with muscles and staring Tianhuo down with a fearsome gaze...but a thin, unassuming-looking girl who would have passed for a high school freshman if she had been seen anywhere else. A few of the fans laughed, while others were booing her for the disrespect she had shown Tianhuo - but Isabella reacted to both in the same way, jabbing a finger accusingly into the stands. "YOU WILL NOT MOCK ME! I could MURDER you with A SINGLE FINGER!"

Such an outburst, coming from Isabella, did little to quell the mockery being hurled at her from the stands. Either way, she grit her teeth, storming up to the ring and hopping on the apron to lock a glare directly into Tianhuo's eye as she leaned over the ropes. "If you're going to seek out students, you should go somewhere else! No one would want to follow in your path, when your entire temple couldn't withstand the might of my dojo! But if you really do want to try and make a case for yourself..." She pat her unimpressive chest, standing as tall as she could. "...then be my guest! COUNTESS DANTE, the DEADLIEST WOMAN ALIVE, will GLADLY take the opportunity to prove her superiority!"

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Tianhuo: Very well, do not expect me to hold back just because you are 16 years younger than me. (She bows to her opponent before taking her stance) Now come, show me your power!

[CaptainL]

"I'm..." Tianhuo did deserve some credit - she was showing more respect for the Countess than Isabella had ever seen from her opponents before. But right now, her words had given her pause. She wasn't sure if the martial artist was mocking her or not, and she had to stop for a moment and do some quick math on her fingers before she quickly reminded herself she didn't have time for that! Shaking herself back to her senses, Isabella looked back at Tianhuo and sank lower into a stance, raising her fists to ready her strikes. It didn't matter what Tianhuo thought about her! All that mattered was how hard she could hit her!

Isabella did return Tianhuo's bow, but a moment later, she was back in her stance, circling her foe with her eyes trained on her, narrowed into a steely glare. She had to be ready for whatever Tianhuo had to throw at her - and she had to be ready to strike back, too! Her fingers squeezed tighter together as she clenched her fists. As the two of them turned a corner in their strafing, Isabella would lunge toward Tianhuo with a swift jab of her fist, aimed at the monk's abdomen!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Tianhuo endures it before preforming an elbow strike, followed by a double snap kick.

[CaptainL]

Isabella's jab had struck true, but it didn't seem to slow Tianhuo down for long. Soon enough, the monk sprung right back into action, whipping her elbow back around at the self-proclaimed grandmaster! As she saw Tianhuo spin around in place, Isabella's eyes went wide and she let out a gasp. She tried to bring her arms up to defend herself, but it was too late. Tianhuo's elbow came crashing into her jaw - and she spun around in place as she was thrown backward off the force of the blow, crying out in pain!

Stumbling back, the Countess doubled away from the impact. Her back fell against the ropes, keeping her from going any further. There, she panted for breath, wincing and rubbing at her jaw where her opponent had hit. Her face was still numb from the blow - but she quickly shook herself, putting that thought aside. She couldn't let herself get distracted now. That would mean letting down her guard. And when Tianhuo was still on the offensive, that wasn't something she could afford to do - particularly as she launched herself toward Dante with her legs kicking out in the air!

At the sight of the incoming collision, the Countess's jaw dropped in a gasp. If this hit, she knew it was going to hurt! But at the same time, she wasn't going to let that slow her down - she still had a chance to dodge! With a burst of adrenaline hitting her, she ducked down, tucking in her chin to drop into a sommersault and roll underneath Tianhuo's incoming kick. If she could pass by underneath her, she would jump back to her feet, whipping herself around in an arc to throw a roundhouse kick into Tianhuo's side!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Tianhuo’s double kick would end up hitting nothing but air, getting caught off guard from the roundhouse kick and staggers a bit before regaining her footing.

Tianhuo: Impressive.. for someone of such a young age, your reaction time is impeccable.

[CaptainL]

For as much as she could be a blustering blowhard, Isabella did actually know how to fight. She had trained herself in the fighting arts, and she might have based a lot of that information on cheap martial arts manuals of dubious authenticity, but she was nonetheless a capable combatant - and now, she was even standing up to Tianhuo! Even a few of the fans were shocked to see it was actually working! When she saw the monk had been staggered by her relentless offense, Isabella stood a little taller, and a grin came over her face. At last, something was working for her - and that meant she was proving the supremacy of the Black Dragon Fighting Society and the fearsome Hand of Death!

Of course, the Countess also saw this as the perfect opportunity to gloat. And gloat she would, puffing out her chest. "Of course! Not even the most advanced of training among the conventional schools of today's fighting arts can HOPE to surpass the deadly potential of DIM MAK!" In fact, she was looking to demonstrate this, as she took a few purposeful strides closer to Tianhuo to close in on her opponent. She would swing her arm out in an arc, hoping to parry any incoming blows that might be thrown toward her - but what she was really aiming for was Tianhuo's throat, which she would try to strike with a chop using the side of her hand, for her Thousand Hand Chop!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Tianhuo would end up parrying it before preforming her Volcanic Bash signature, sending the Dim Mak practitioner back towards the ropes. If she rebounded, she’d be able to strike back with a flying roundhouse kick to her head!

[CaptainL]

The Countess had lined up a shot directly to Tianhuo's throat. If she could pull it off, it could well have knocked the wind right out of her lungs, leaving the monk sputtering and gasping, and no doubt allowing Dante to take control. However, Tianhuo's reflexes were lightning-quick - and just as Isabella's blow came toward her, her own hand whipped out, catching her by the wrist! The brunette only had enough time for her jaw to drop in a gasp, taken by surprise by her opponent's swift and sudden comeback - moments later, Tianhuo struck outward with her shoulder, knocking her backward!

Isabella bent forward, gasping and sputtering as she clutched her gut. The blow had driven the air out of her lungs, and she soon came crashing into the ropes - just in time to spring her forward, where Tianhuo was about to swing out again with her leg to hit a roundhouse kick! As she saw her opponent twisting backward, her muscles tensed as she prepared to let the pressure loose in a frightful whirlwind of a kick, Dante's eyes grew even wider. She did know one thing, though - she couldn't afford to take such a hit. And she wasn't about to!

Digging her heels into the mat to slow herself, Isabella tried to lean backward so that Tianhuo's kick would only pass by over her! If she could dodge, she'd reach up and grab the newcomer by the leg, trying to yank her down with a dragon screw!