Just as with the tempering of a finely crafted weapon, one’s skill must be repeatedly honed and refined in order to eliminate any imperfections and push the quality to its absolute limit. As per their duties, Apostles are required to combat the dark entities known as shadows as well as investigate reports of demonic and mystical activity in the mortal world; with their orders being relayed to them by Oblivia or Ava by proxy. As such, Apostles must be adept at combat and must refine their skills to better combat the demonic threat whenever the need arises. While experience on the battlefield can assist with the betterment of an Apostle’s feats, sparring with their teammates can also aid in the perfection of their skill and the understanding of their own capabilities. However, some Apostles find the experience more than exhilarating as it gives them a demanding challenge that lower class shadows cannot. One such match up that can get somewhat heated is the sparring sessions between the Crimson Lotus, Nuova Shan Lao and the Shiranui Butterfly, Megumi Yomitsuchi!

Nuova and Megumi both have similar backgrounds in that they were both highly respected fighters in their past positions but have since settled into a calmer occupation. Nuova was the strongest of the Wyveria Sanctuary (second only to the queen Alsara), with her skill recognized by many in the kingdom and feared by its enemies; but now she works as a trusted Sifu in her home village where she teaches aspiring warriors who seek to learn her clan’s Dragon Pride martial arts. In comparison, Megumi was a highly skilled swordswoman and soldier of the Tsukihi village who later earned a higher position as the old lord’s secret bodyguard and intel gatherer; but now works as the town’s treasured shrine maiden.

Both Nuova and Megumi’s powers focus primarily on fire, with their sparring sessions usually being stalemates due to how evenly matched they are. Nuova and Megumi have high fire resistance, meaning their sparra based abilities have no effect on the others, with even the isolated sparra portions failing to do any significant damage to the other. Even something such as Megumi’s invisibility and intangibility wouldn’t be able to help much due to the smoke Nuova can give off, making it difficult to conceal her presence. Megumi’s illusionary abilities might give her a slight advantage but it might not have too much of an effect on Nuova due to her mental fortitude; and even if it succeeds it wont last for long. Megumi has considerable speed and evasive capabilities at her disposal, but against Nuova’s durability, any successful strike might not yield a great deal of damage. In contrast, Nuova has considerable reflexes and a good deal of weight to her strikes, meaning even if she can’t fully keep up with Megumi’s speed, if she is able to deliver a decisive strike it will do a good deal of damage.

In terms of martial arts prowess, Nuova will have the upper hand due to her use of 5 different styles, in comparison to Megumi who only utilizes one. While Megumi is evasive, her striking power in comparison to Nuova’s is somewhat lacking, but she will be able to compensate for this with her speed as she can deliver strikes in rapid succession. Depending on which style Nuova chooses to utilize, she may be able to quickly turn the tide if she uses a more counter heavy or reaction-based style.

Their weapon proficiency may yield a very interesting outcome. Although Nuova has more knowledge on how to use multiple weapons from her clan, Megumi’s expertise in the few weapons she uses may make the fight moot. Being a prodigy with a blade and several polearms, Megumi will be able to outmatch Nuova in terms of weapon use. Megumi’s aforementioned speed and keen precision with her blades would allow her to sneak in various strikes on Nuova in between their clashes. Combined with her ability to effectively dual-wield her blades, Megumi would be very difficult to fight as she can attack, evade, and counter at a moment’s notice.

Despite the advantages that both Megumi and Nuova have against each other, their matches typically end in stalemates. As there is usually no clear winner, Megumi and Nuova have taken to sparring frequently with each other, believing fighting someone who can match them so closely would allow them to further develop. Here we see the clash of flames between the two fiery beauties, a decisive dance of azure and crimson! This was a truly stunning piece done by ToxicSoul777 over on Twitter showcasing a match between Megumi and Nuova! I hope you all enjoy!

*TRIVIA: Both Megumi and Nuova have stated that the only other person who SOMEWHAT matches them is Soliana, however, the fox surpasses them in terms of sheer raw power!