Hōjō Ujiteru vs. Momo

Sporting Event / Competition

The last match of that morning was, perhaps, the most unknown of the four. In previous battles, watchers had a pretty strong idea of which competitor would walk away the victor. Between Hōjō Ujiteru and Momo, however, the odds seemed a lot more even. Both fighters were fairly unknown. Indeed, it was a bit of a surprise either had made it this far. At the same time, they had both displayed unique fighting prowess that made them opponents to be respected; Ujiteru with her great invisible protector, and Momo with a kick that could shatter oni bones.   From above, Mōri Motonari and Kikkawa no Myōkyū welcomed the competitors to the field. Ujiteru took up position on the left, with Momo stretching and bouncing in place to the right. The crowd hushed until Myōkyū bid the fighters to begin their match.

It became obvious that Momo could have acted in those first few moments, if she chose. Neither Ujiteru nor her invisible creature were as quick as a Hare of Inaba. The usagi opted not to make a move, however. Instead, she took a defensive posture and began accumulating her ki. It seemed as though that kick of hers wasn't something that could be used without preparation.   In response, Ujiteru seemed to merely concentrate. As the audience had been expecting, an invisible set of enormous teeth seemed to suddenly close around Momo and attempted to crush her. The usagi had been ready for it, but she was still taken off-guard by the sheer ferocity of the attack. Bone cracked. Momo's left arm hung at a distressing angle, blunt marks still indented into her flesh. Even after such an injury, however, the Hare of Inaba was not about to give up. She readied to jump and...   Disaster struck. The invisible creature attacked again more quickly than anyone could have predicted. At the same time, Ujiteru herself raised a hand. Crackling lightning leaped from her palm, psychic rather than magical in nature, and attempted to ground itself in the rising rabbit. In a stunning display of aerobatics, Momo twisted through a row of fangs she couldn't see, then used an invisible skull as a platform to launch herself high into the air. The lightning bolt from Ujiteru grazed her thigh, but Momo was already moving too quickly for a direct hit. She came down in an arc, over the unseen creature in the center of the arena, knee cocked back.   As Momo reached Ujiteru, her foot snapped outward with a crack like a whip. The momentum and sheer force of the blow was far too much for the Hōjō girl's untrained body. Ujiteru's torso caved inward and she was dead before she hit the ground. At the same moment, a thunderous boom echoed through the arena as air rushed to fill a sudden, massive gap in its center. It seemed Ujiteru's immense helper had not survived her death. Momo looked a little sheepish, but happy as she cradled her broken arm. It might not have been her intent to kill the girl, but in the life-or-death circumstances, her use of force seemed appropriate. As the usagi returned to her family in the stands, a pair of white-veiled priestesses came from below to take Ujiteru's body.   The fourth match was over, and the quarterfinals concluded.