"Assistant? What do you assist Zorlo in? And why are you trying to beat him instead of assisting him?" Nephilim asked as she brushed off the folded wing armors that were across her chest. She'd deactivated them before she even entered the room in case another anti-flight trap tried to spring on her.

"Truly, that's none of your business!" Zachary yelled as he ran in low to throw a punch. A punch that was easily dodged as Nephilim stepped back.The next volley of punches missed just as easily as Nephilim stepped around them.

"Are you sure you won't just give up? I don't really want to hurt you," Nephilim asked as she rolled off Zachary's next punch and kicked off his shoulder to both knock him off balance and distance herself from the Firebrand.

"Lady, if I'm not mistaken it's you that's running away from me. Not the other way around!!" he snapped back as ice needles formed in the air around him. With a single hand, he sent the needles at Nephilim who, with an odd smile, seemed to merely dance around, under and even between the flying needles that shot past her and through her hair and flaring skirt. "Are you honestly afraid of me or something!?" He closed back in on her only to she her suddenly frown. As his punch went, so did one of her own to his surprise. Also to his surprise was the strength such a lean girl possessed as the Otome-angel's punch shattered his gauntlet with such strength that he was knocked back off balance, recovering just in time to meet her second punch with his other gauntlet out of instinct. Instead of his gauntlet shattering, all he knew was her fist seemed to explode as her Blitz cannon fired into his gauntlet at an angle. The gauntlet shattered and Zachary was thrown into the wall across the room. His knuckles were one large, bloody, and painful wound as he stood back up. Luckily, nothing seemed broken. "What in the name of the frozen hells was that? And her strength..."

Meanwhile, Nephilim's bottom pair of wings were activated and the Battleroid had lifted off the ground. Her right arm glowed slightly before becoming her crimson long sword. "Ready?! Pinion!" Her yell interrupted his sentence, making him look up to see her streaking at him with her long sword pointed for his neck. He wouldn't move in time to completely avoid a hit.

"...no choice..." Nephilim's blade tip hit the flat of Zachary's Mobius so hard that a shockwave blew across the floor and nearly drove the breath from Zachary's lungs. "Dammit, wings too?"

"Stand. Down." Nephilim said with a bit of force and annoyance. "I don't want to hurt you or kill you. This is your last chance. I won't pull my punches or warn you anymore."

O=={-------> Meanwhile <-------}==O

"What was that?" Tsukineko asked himself as he looked to the sealed door on his right. The shockwave could be felt just outside the door. Hearing a battle apparently going on the other side of the door, the Dark Neko turned back and continued down the hall that he'd seen someone melt a trap in a blast of flame energy. Whoever it was, they're probably a good opponent to warm up on, He thought to himself as he rounded the corner. All his instincts seemed to scream at him as he leapt to the ceiling, just barely dodging the crimson daggers aimed for his armored stomach. with all the grace of his race, he kicked off the ceiling and past Keigo, flipping in mid-air to land in a kneeling slide. "Open..." Red light flared to illuminate the Flame Demon as Tsukineko drew a crimson sword from his Gate of Blades. The handle was built into the back of the single-edged blade to protect his armored fingers farther.

"Hmm...You're fast, it seems," Keigo said as he leapt forward and clashed blades with Tsukineko. His other leveled and swung forward only to meet another crimson blade, a spitting image of the first.

"And you aren't so much," the Dark Neko replied as he vanished and reappeared down the hall with a wave of his hand." Sorry, but I've got an appointment with Zorlo! Can't be late!" He yelled back as he ran off and Keigo ran after him. The moment he entered the room, the exit slammed shut. Tsukineko was standing at the other side of the room with his hands on his hips as he turned. "It seems this place won't let me go until I beat you."

"I'll be the one to win here, Neko," Replied Keigo as he readied his own blades to match the Neko of Blades.

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