The Cauldron of Black: The Tip of the Spear

"Abandon. Obey. Die."
He stood outside the "entrance" of the Deep Cover Ops's HQ, his reflection on the walls perfectly showing off a solemn and bitter expression. His black hair hung loosely past his shoulders, further emphasizing his mood. He stared for what seemed like an eternity at himself, afraid to go past that boundary. It was a feeling he wasn't used to - the feeling of being a stranger of what might as well have been his home. It was only recent developments that had come to change this, developments that reminded him of who he really was. He had allowed himself to forget this, that the shelter and peace of mind simply wasn't meant to be. It wasn't because of his teammates, far from it. He cared about every single one of them - even the hotheaded Takashi who had come to resent him. This was because of events outside of his control, events that occurred long before that fateful day in Yūrei. It was only now that the past had come back to bite him and drag him along to this particular fate.

It would be soon that his true "allegiance" would be revealed. It may not be the moment he stepped foot into the HQ. But once Arael had his plans going underway, it would be exposed. He could guarantee that much; no spy could remain hidden for long against the eyes of the Soul Society. Once it happened, he would have to discard everything. Every bond he made and the life he had built for himself would have to be sacrificed. In exchange was the presence of sin, a second betrayal that was sure to harden everyone's hearts against him forever. But he knew that if he didn't do this, it would all end in tragedy for him. It was better for everyone to hate him than--

He shook his head, taking in a breath and doing his best to shake himself out of his funk. It wasn't the time to dwell. If he wanted this to happen, he had to stop moping. He had to do it, take the first steps and play the actor until it was time to leave the stage. He would pretend, and when the time came, he would drop his facade. It was of the absolute necessity that no weakness was revealed, otherwise everything would be compromised. Arael was never happy about avoidable failures, after all.

With his composure taken in, Braeburn McTavish stepped forward to enter.

Yōki felt beside herself. As of late, the DCO had a surprising lack of missions to attend to. During the initial few months of the War of Four's end, they worked nonstop at rebuilding the world on the spiritual and material planes while feretting out all remaining opposition. With the lack of manpower due to the casualties of the prior conflict, they had barely any time to stay in-base while waiting on the next batch of directives.

It was during this time that she saw less and less of Braeburn, much to her chagrin. She expected it, what with the happy reunion of their family and the ability to mend old bonds once severed through many trials time had lapsed through. But it was only afterwards that she realized that they barely looked at each other, even when he did return for imperative calls. It didn't seem like him, and maybe it had something to do with Takashi's sullen attitude. She was glad that eventually the straw hat swordsman relaxed a bit and his cross feelings to Braeburn was more reserved, though she knew Braeburn would get over something a lot quicker than what was let on.

Shrugging within thought, she wasn't even paying attention to the fact that Rokotsu was still talking about how she just beat the new DCO recruits in arm wrestling.

"Yooohooo! Yōōōōōōkiiiiii!" Rokotsu sang with a wave over her eyes.

"Hm?" Yōki turned, glancing at Rokotsu with rapid eyeblinks as her trance was broken by her friend's voice. "sorry, what was that?"

Pouting, she shook her hands with annoyed emphasis, "What's wrong with you, Yōki? You're spacing out on me again! And that's like the fifth time!"

"Sorry, I...got a lot on my mind lately," Yōki grumbled out, pocketing her hands into the folds of her dark brown cloak, having ditched her uniform for a more casual look. She knew she could get away with it, knowing how she wasn't needed for an assingment. It also was far more to have cloth than form fitting second skin material against her own body.

"You need to empty the jar, Yōki. You'd be a lot less stressed if you do," Rokotsu said with her arms crossed behind her head, taking exaggerated steps forward.

Rolling her eyes, she couldn't help but chuckle as they passed by the entrance to the base. It was the most common one, using a synchronized series of gates placed within the Soul Society, Aether and Yūrei. The large hall shined with the luminous flow of the liquid gates that shimmered brilliant majestic light. She often wondered if there were other ways of getting into the base besides the rips in space fabric that the Inner Circle used or these gateways.

Just as she was wondering this, she couldn't help but notice a familiar figure step through. Seeing the outline, dark cropped head and stocky build she immediately knew who it was. Smiling widely, she turned on her heel in midstep and rushed down the corridor while waving enthusiastically at the man who entered, "Braeburn-san!"

Her call was surprising, and Braeburn was quick to express that with a jerk of the head and slightly widened eyes. His heart leaped to his throat, but he didn't dare let the apprehension show on his face. Instead, he put on a small grin and spread his arms out in a welcoming gesture, his body language expressing his usual brand of mirth. "Yōki!" He cheered, dropping his arms to his sides as he approached. His eyes swung themselves to the woman in question's accomplice. "Rōkotsu! Didn't expect for you girls to home in on me so quickly! Gotta give me a warning first, or else I just might get a heart attack!" For emphasis, he gave a friendly punch to Yōki's arm. "What's been happening while I was away?"

While Yōki was more receptive to Braeburn's response, playfully slapping away his hand with a grin, Rokotsu couldn't help but furrow her brows at him. Something seemed off to the orange haired woman and she couldn't place it. Not knowing exactly what it was, she decided to shrug it off and smile as she usually did.

"I'm fine, just lazying around the base. Missions haven't really been the same without you, especially since they've decreased in the last few months," Yōki replied casually with a wave, stuffing her coat pockets with her hands as she swayed on foot while keeping eye contact.

"Burnside, Yōki's head has been filled up too much," Rokotsu said with a too-serious expression, nodding as she crossed her arms over her buxom chest, "she needs to get it emptied. Talking to you seems to help with that."

"ROK-CHAN!" Yōki shrieked, comically slamming a fist over her friend's head with saucer sized eyes and a look of incredulity crossing her normally calm face. "don't just say things like that!"

"But you've been acting less like yourself than Braeburn is!" Rokotsu said without thinking, rubbing her head while pouting for emphasis.

"Be more polite. He's been taking time off to hang out with his family, and he has a relationship to think about. Remember to be more respectful, Rokotsu, and less blunt," Yōki sighed with a roll of her eyes, looking apologetic to her dear comrade, "I'm sorry, Brae-san, but she's been incredibly antsy as of late. She had to make up her time not doing missions by beating everyone in every athletic sport one can conjure. I think Takashi's pride has been injured again when she wrestled him into submission."

"Takashi."

Braeburn couldn't help but wince a little when his name was mentioned, his mind immediately flashing back to his own fight. It didn't leave a good feeling, knowing that he was the cause - or at least a catalyst - for someone else's sense of inferiority. Did he really mean what he said when he dismissively called them out as not truly being his friends? He had never meant to usurp the man in any way. Everything had just fell into place for him, and as far as he was concerned, it was pure luck that brought him into his position. However, considering the circumstances, it seemed as if luck was turning into misfortune.

He folded his arms across his chest, a more serious look donning his face as he looked at Yōki. "How is Straws, by the way?" He questioned. "Is he doing any better from... well, you know..." He pursed his lips a little as he said this.

"Oh..." Yōki blinked a few times, her disposition lightening at the reason for the now obvious sullen air that clouded Braeburn's normally laidback nature. Smiling slightly, she licked her lips as she tried to think of the right words. Opening her mouth, she said slowly, "he's...worked past that. I think he was hurt by what he did more than he felt sorry for himself. He's asked about you several times in the last few months, though he's always denied being worried about you. I think he'd like to make amends in his own Taka-Baka way, you know?"

"He's back to his old self, don't worry!" Rokotsu hurriedly interjected, flexing her arms in a way that accidentally made her chest jiggle. Grinning mischieviously, admired her guns as she talked, "he's more worried about these bad boys outgunning him than being left in the dust. I think he's trained twice as hard to make me eat my words, but instead eats his own hat, haha!"

"She's not joking about that hat thing, either," Yōki said with a nervous chuckle, a visible bead of sweat crawling down her scalp as she shrugged helplessly, "I've seen him eat at least two...and directly went to the bathroom afterwards..."

"He was worried about me?"

Braeburn gave a chuckle of his own, his verbal thoughts mixing in with the image of Takashi having his own hat shoved down his throat. To be honest, it was rather hard to imagine. But considering that it was Rōkotsu, anything would've been possible at that given point. Idly, he wondered what the results of those bathroom trips were.

"He shouldn't have been worried about me."

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised." He said casually, reaching over to playfully ruffle the ginger's hair. "Sometimes, you enjoy fighting a little too much for your own good, you know that? One of these days, you're going to end up overdoing it!"

"He should've continued to hate me. At the very least, that would've kept him prepared. He shouldn't have..."

Giggling at the sign of affection, Rokotsu had all but forgotten her suspicion of the feeling she had. Even Yōki felt more relieved to be around him. They both could understand that a dull ache from that emotion ridden moment affected them both. Hearing him ask about Takashi was a sign he was just as worried about him as the latter was to the prior.

A thought emerged that suddenly caused Yōki to turn to Braeburn for a second, "Hey, how has the family been? I know you said things were going to be patched up after the war, but I never heard anything about that. Are they...coping with the aftermath as much as everyone else is or is there more to it?"

After retracting his hand, Braeburn looked over at Yōki again. "Everything seems to be falling back into place, as far as they're concerned." He answered, scratching the side of his face with a finger. "My sister's reinstated back into the Onmitsukidō under Captain Sazuke Tensai." He closed his eyes and let out a soft chuckle. "She's been talking to me about it, sore about the whole "working under her arch-enemy" thing going on.On the plus side, she does plan on making the Captain's life a living Hell, so I suppose it can't be going to bad for her. She's still getting used to the Onmitsukidō's other members... more specifically, those who hold a grudge for what she said years back."

His smile faded as the subject of topic changed. "Mom made it an effort to head straight up to the Head Captain, bow down and apologize for selling information about the Soul Society out to the Red Sun cultists. But of course, she didn't realize that Shin'en had been K.I.A., so it was a while before she got the message that Hana took his place. According to what I've heard, Captains Horikawa and Nagasaki had a bit of explaining to do since they were the ones who made an effort to cover Mom's disappearance as a death. But in any case, they're doing better than I expected them to."

"Oh, that's good," Yōki said with a nod of understanding. Her answer held a hint of solemn knowing, realizing a lot of things that's happened to Braeburn must have been hard, especially within the more recent year. From undertaking a mission to Yūrei, traveling to Hell with Daisuke, seeing the end of the world and then the near end of society itself, he must have taken it harder than most with his family being involved. From what she heard, his sister was an instrumental member of the Inner Circle, making their reunion undoubtedly an interesting one to have.

Still, she was glad that the recovery, while slow, was still happening. Better to have scars of healed wounds than injuries that never heal. That's what she would have liked to think, anyways.

"Burnside!" Rokotsu suddenly said, breaking Yōki out of her reverie, looking at the orange-haired girl's beaming face as she looked intently at Braeburn, "we should totally get everyone in base and just hit the bar! It'll be great! What do you think?!"

The smile on Braeburn's face was tainted with a light wince.

He had been planning on slipping away, using the lax state of the D.C.O. in order to gain more information. It was something he had been doing ever since he had gotten introduced to the Deep Cover Ops, recording data and sending it back to Arael's group for future reference. At this point, he could safely say that they had more than enough data. But as the situation changed, he was needed to keep tabs for any updates. The last thing he wanted was to get dragged into a group gathering that could ruin any of that. The best thing to do was to make an excuse.

"Actually," He said, putting on an apologetic smile. "While that sounds like a good idea, it's been a bit of a tiring day out. I was planning on retiring to my quarters and getting some rest. That all right?"

"Awwwwwww," Rokotsu whined, putting on a pouty expression that showed her childish disappointment. She hadn't seen Braeburn in awhile and she was looking forward to having another bar night with him. His reunion tuckered him out more than she wanted him to be, especially what with his longer than desired absence.

"Oh come now, leave him be, Rok-chan," Yōki mussed Rokotsu's head, urging her to turn away from Braeburn as they gave him some space to walk out. Looking over her shoulder, Yōki winked at Braeburn as she called out with an inviting wave, "we'll have plenty of time to hang out with mister reunion later. Won't we, Brae-san?"

Braeburn gave a casual shrug. "Might have to wake me up for it, but hey! I'll be there." He answered, grinning from ear to ear. He turned away from them and started walking in the direction of his quarters, giving a two-fingered wave behind him. "I'll see you around, and try not to get yourselves into any trouble while I'm gone! Izanami knows you have a habit of doing that." The last sentence was punctuated with clear humor, letting them know that he really didn't mean it. That was his final piece of words before he disappeared around the corner. He kept the pleased smile on his face as he walked, and for a few seconds, it seemed as if he was genuinely mirthful.

However, once the seconds passed, that look was immediately wiped away with a grim disposition.

"All right. I'll need a few things from my room before I do my sweep - more specifically, my camcorder and laptop. I'll have to be quick, and I have to be precise. I'll make sure to take down everything before sending it to Whitey Locks. Standard method for today, and it'll keep him off my back for a while longer." He closed his eyes briefly, his eyebrows furrowed and his teeth clenching slightly within his closed mouth. "But still... what am I going to do once my cover's blown, when the mask is lifted? Just what exactly's going to happen to me? I've already betrayed them once before, as far as the law is concerned. I'm pretty sure that this time, no one's going to forgive me."

At this point in time, he had reached his own room. He grasped the door handle and paused, giving a heavy sigh. "But it's all for a good cause - a selfish one, but a good one. If I don't do this, then he'll..." He shook his head, trying to clear the thought out of his head. "It's for a good cause. It's the only thing I can do at this point... even if it means breaking the bonds I've forged for myself." He opened his eyes to stare at the door for a second longer before twisting the handle, straightening his expression.

"Failure isn't an option here."

With a grunt, he pushed the door open to his room.

When he'd open it, a slender uniformed figure draped in a Captain's Haori was to be seen with her back facing the doorway. Her skin tight body suit was hidden from view, as her arms was wrapped over her chest, eyes looking forward at the wall that held a few of his memorabilia. Ranging from pictures of his squad to even of his family, only a handful of objects resembled anything dangerous like a sheathed sword gifted to him by the Deep Cover Ops or a banner of honor bestowed to him by the Hayate Clan. She looked at a particular medal he earned at a ceremony after the war that nearly ended all of existence.

Feeling him before she could even enter the room, she kept her gaze upon the medal, using one hand to rub her fingers against it while he walked forward. Sighing mirthfully, she began to speak, "Hana was all too eager to see a redeeming value in you, Braeburn McTavish. I think even the previously suspicious Hayate boy did too, knowing your checkered past. Circumstances aside, you were most likely a very noble character that would have gone down as a loyal and impeccable member of the Soul Society. Your participation in thwarting a number of world to society annihilating events were of not small feat as your comrades could attest to that."

Pausing for effect, she backed away from the wall before turning on her heel to face him. A look of grim regret painted over her visage that went well with the melancholy her eyes projected. Withdrawing what looked like a manilla folder, she tossed it lacksadaically onto the floor before his feet. A series of pictures, all taken within the past few months as dated, were shown of Braeburn's more suspicious activities. In addition there were extracted files showing audio messages of communication with the mysterious "client" she had found, as well as a number of restricted access information stolen as copies from the databases for DCO.

"I traced most of this information back as far as your joining of the organization. Safe to assume you've been working for this illustrious The A for quite some time and that he has no particular ties with the Inner Circle or any contacts that Aizen or the Quincy King may have known of. This means, as far as my intelligence goes, you're working for a force that has yet to make itself known in the world and is planning to do something as to evade detection by Deep Cover Ops and the Soul Societies," Sazuke said in an all-too business like fashion. Her stare turned icy and her tone went harsh as she lowered her hands to her sides, eyes locking onto Braeburn's face. Barely restraining herself from gnashing her teeth, she ushered out a warning, "if you come clean now, I believe the Captain Commander will lighten your sentence and revoke my demand for your life. Your treachery here is all too real and not something I can just let slide. Tell me what you know of your employer's plot and I won't have to break your body before the Onmitsukidō break your mind. Trust me, you have no place to run so it's better if you speak now while you have the chance."

Every system within Braeburn's body seemed to stop upon seeing her.

He froze in his tracks, his blood chilling within his veins. He could've sworn that his skin went pale when he saw the figure of Sazuke Tensai within his room. His eyes had widened, his mouth had fallen open and beads of sweat were already forming down his face. Questions raced through his mind like multiple cars racing through a track.

How had she gotten in here without his knowing?

Did anyone else know of her presence?

Many more questions would race through his head as she continued talking to him. As the fruits of his labor were revealed from both of them to see, he could only utter small strangled noises from his throat. His hands, paralyzed with apprehension, were shaking considerably when he took in every picture and every audio file. As expected, Sazuke had done extensive research and came back with excellent results. Judging from her choice of words, she had already informed Hana about it. Who knew just how many more knew of his position? It made one thing very clear: trying to run without confrontation wasn't an option. Even if he bolted right now, there was no doubt that someone was going to corner him. He wouldn't even be surprised if his own D.C.O. trio had already been informed.

He wanted to confess, tell them everything he knew in order to spite his so-called "employer". But he knew that with the mind that the man possessed, Braeburn wouldn't get very far without consequence. If he wanted to keep things the way he wanted them to be, he would have to maintain his ground. He would have to keep Arael's trust, assure him that he was now an enemy of the Soul Society and not a reluctant mercenary. He had to play the part of the villain, even if it meant that the war would be waged right here and now. So he tapped into the darker parts of his mind, pulled out what had been buried since he had first left Tendan Dākusaido, and adjusted accordingly.

"Here we go."

He let out an amused and malicious chuckle, opening his eyes to stare into the piercing orbs of Sazuke's orbs. "Well, well..." He said calmly. "Looks like Captain Tensai's been fishing in the right pool yet again. Congratulations." He raised both hands in front of him, giving a slow and mocking clap. "You done rooted out the spy before he could do any long-lasting damage, just like you did with dear old Mom. I should've known that I'd meet you first when the curtains pulled themselves back. I mean, how couldn't I have seen it? The Onmitsukidō has always been at the head of a pack when it comes to suppressing internal diseases of the Soul Society before they can even start to fester."

He lowered his hands to his sides, taking a few steps forward. "But you see, I respond to a much higher authority than the likes of you, Captain. Compared to the likes of him, you're nothing but an ant under a heel just begging to be crushed. You may have caught my shady dealings. But it's already far too late. Pretty soon, this world is going to be buried under ten feet of pure shit once again. You, these bunch of freelancing idiots, Sasayaki's pet project and those justice-humping maggots called the Gotei 13 are going to learn that soon enough. So why should I bother telling you anything? It's all going to come to you soon enough. You want more than that?"

He wiped the smile off of his face, his eyes leveled into a vicious glare and his mouth contorting to a snarl.

"Kill me and I'll tell you with my dying breath, wench."

A Fight to the Death! Steps Behind My Shadow
For the first few moments, the sharp Captain could see a form of conflict arise in the young man's face. She could practically taste the salt of the sweat beading down his crown. Eyes dilated showing complete apprehension, knowing he had been caught. Regret, guilt, and sadness all flashed across the doorways to his inner being. It became all too clear something was going on that was torturing him from the inside, but he wasn't one to willingly show it.

After all, why else would he suddenly default to a mastermind villain, playing the part of someone to be sympathized or appreciated? That's what it appeared to be through Sazuke's point of view. But it hardly mattered to her now. She'd get the info if she had to beat him into submission. Even if he died, she knew that Kaze would find some way to extract the details from his corpse.

Scoffing incredulously, Captain Tensai grasped the shoulders of her Haori with each hand, arms crossed in front of her, "Be careful what you wish for, boy. You may just end up getting what you ask!"

With a swift swing of her weighted coat, the dense fabric smashing into the left wall as she tossed it aside. Within the quaking tremor of reverberating force that shook the foundation of McTavish's quarters, she leaped forth in a mesmerizing blur of super speed. Leaving an outline of black and brown, she already aimed to employ a swift knife hand thrust to his throat, followed by a retaliatory nerve pinch to his upper left pectoral and midcenter with her other free hand. She intended to use the first attack as a decoy, ensuring that the other strikes would hit the shut off valves for his Soul Chain and Soul Sleep, effectivley rendering him helpless and in a state of near death.

In a single act, she intended to finish the battle before it even began.

From that very first movement, there was a spike in everything.

Adrenaline. Blood flow. Nerves and senses. Awareness, spiritual and physical. He had heard about Brina's own encounters with the Captain, particularly the second one where she had learned to fight evenly with the Onmitsukidō leader. It was established that she was a very dangerous enemy to deal with, even if it was one-on-one. But he had come this far. He had worked quite hard to get to the level he was at, especially considering the humiliating defeat he had at the hands of that psychopathic Fullbringer-Shinigami. His body was refined, his mind was sharp, his senses were on full alert and he was filled with a sinful excitement. The smile of bared teeth and narrowed eyes of shrunken pupils conveyed that very much. He knew that a tough battle was coming on.

But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it.

His hands lunged forward, catching both of Sazuke's wrists millimeters before they could hit their targets. Following that was a lift of a leg, his foot striking her knee to ruin her stance. That very same foot would bend back, lift itself and connect its sole with Sazuke's stomach. The force was equivalent to being hit by a cannonball and would be enough to send the woman back through the wall she had been "analyzing". In the process, the medals and banners that he had earned would be thrown aside, with some even being smashed to pieces. Even the sheathed sword had been broken in two, the halves falling beside the opening Braeburn had created. In his bloodlust, Braeburn didn't even pay it the slightest of mind. He would grieve about it later, when he wasn't caught up in a battle of life and death. He would mourn over it when he had the spare time, think about just what exactly he had done.

But for now, all that mattered was continuing this fight.

He grasped the hilt of his sword, drawing it out as he leaped after Sazuke. But it wasn't the sword he had wielded many times before. It was something completely different, what with a crimson red blade instead of stainless steel. It was something that had never been revealed to his comrades up until this point, and it reflected his mood uncannily. Within a heartbeat, he had used a Flash Step to meet Sazuke once more. Both hands gripped the handle of his red steel ribbon of death, swinging the cutting edge in a ferocious and extending uppercut.

She gasped as she felt the force of the kick slam into her abdomen. It felt painful, something she could only compare in a fight closer than when she faced off against the sibling's sister, Brina. While she remained unmistakably the superior, Brina had come back in a rematch that left them both in a deadlock of sorts with neither gaining the upper hand. She had never fought her brother and now realized all the fights up to this point had fashioned him into a dangerous weapon.

The wall seemed to crack and rattle as the various mounted affects trickled down to the ground with noisy clatters. She only had a few moments to gather enough air and sense within her dazed mind to plan accordingly. Seeing him draw his sword, the blood dyed blade, she knew that he intended to kill her in one fell swoop. Seeing him move forward she had to commend his use of Shunpo to accelerate his offensive in a way that she could only think of the Captain Commander in terms of stance and posture.

But she wasn't Commander in Chief of the Onmitsukidō for nothing. In the span of his step, she pushed her body off the wall a smidge, sliding across its damaged surface just enough that she could pivot out of the way of the vaguely telegraphed sword swing. Watching it carve a gnarled outline on the wall beside her, she quickly snapped out a few kicks towards his extended upper body, intending on taking advantage of his over leaning posture. Spiraling around his unarmed flank, she briefly raised her hand up before pushing it forward in a feinting palm-thrust, discharging a Kidō pulse of Shō that harnessed her own monstrous strength.

The result would create a structure shattering shockwave that'd bludgeon him with a fullspread force comparably stronger than his own kick. Even as the quarters quickly became a battlefield, with the previously spotless and unmarred surface being destroyed in a matter of seconds, Sazuke's focus remained on the prey at hand. Not waiting to see if his footing became unsettled or if he'd bodily strike the wall first, she jabbed a few more Shō infused punches that'd pummel him through space, intending on keeping a fair distance away from his sword's reach while also hitting him in a way that'd disable his grappling counters.

Retaliation was quick and brutal.

As Braeburn saw Sazuke dodge his swing, he pulled a hand off of his blade in order to defend himself. When her feet connected with the side of his arm, he couldn't help but hiss a little at the amount of force. This particular assassin wasn't flimsy, that was for certain. The power of her those muscles were nothing to trifle with, and it felt like trying to use one arm in order to defend himself was more of a risky option than anything. But his sense of danger would only increase when she moved under his flank. When the Shō-enhanced punch connected with his side, it felt like he was under an immense pressure. His eyes widened as he was hit, a yelp escaping him.

"She's a monster...!!"

But he fought back.

Reflexes kicked in, and he used reiatsu as a stop to keep himself from getting pushed back. He found one of his legs lifted upward and himself standing on one foot thanks to momentum. In that brief moment, it was as if he had been subject to being crushed between two walls. But he kept the air within himself, fighting against the pressure just in time to counter Sazuke's second punch. He swung himself back, using his freed arm to swing an elbow into Sazuke's offending wrist. As a result, what would've been a second blast was deflected away from his person. In the brief period that their faces were merely inches away, he brought both foot and the shoulder of his sword arm forward to ram into Sazuke's front to knock her off her feet. To finish it off, the sword was brought in a backhand swing to chop off her exposed legs.

She was startled with how ready her enemy was to return the favor. She had expected him to be reeling from the first two hits, forcing him to be subjected to a battery that'd leave him very vulnerable. Instead, he cushioned the blows of her air punches through Kidō by using his own substantial Reiatsu to billow against it. Within a visible rush, he invaded her personal space and practically bore a pair of dagger ejecting glares right into her own irises.

When his shoulder slipped past one of her thrusting arms, she felt the powerful thrust his upper body made against her own. Whereas she was caught off guard by his strength, she was thankfully tempered to withstand much worse punishment. Skidding along the ruined flooring by the soles of her feet, she grunted at the impact generated by the blunt body part. When his sword came around to cut her at the thighs, she timed her evasion by a hair's breath from contact. Lowering her upper body at an angle, her lower half swung up and over like a pendulum, with heels performing a double axe kick to his exposed cranium.

Landing back to her feet with a heavy crash, she unleashed a large assortment of her own Reiatsu, creating enough pressure that it'd unsettle his own footing should he have remained miraculously standing. Electrical shocks and tendrils flourished around her as it expanded in gait, creating a field of enormous energy that seemed to drown the room with its suffocating presence. Then, within seconds later, it was drawn into her very pores of the suit conforming figure of hers. Faint crackles of Reishi sparked around her passively, giving off the impression she had activated her feared and most deadly technique: Perfect Shunkō.

"Give up now, McTavish, and I might only cripple you," Sazuke grated out as she stood confidently before her enemy, her eyes aglow with an icy rage at the nemesis standing opposite of her, "if you don't, I can't guarantee I won't kill you!"

"By a hair's breath!"

Even as he moved to avoid the countering kick sent his way, Braeburn couldn't help but marvel the way Sazuke had avoided his strike. He bent himself back, moving himself to sidestep the attack. Her heels were a millimeter away from scraping his front, and for a brief instant, he had to shut his eyes from the wake that the kick had brought. He backtracked a few steps, readying his blade and aiming to continue the attack. To let up on such an enemy would've been too much of a risk. It would've allowed her ground to push him back, pin him into a corner and finish him off. With the odds stacked against him, it was the last thing he wanted to happen. He would've been more comfortable had they truly been one-on-one, but here, he had no idea whether or not reinforcements would show up. He bared his teeth and tensed to throw himself at her again.

However, he wouldn't get the chance before he was hit with a surprise.

He was stopped in his charge by the release of reiatsu, the surge of pressure earning another yelp from him and a stumble. He had to brace himself, bending his knees and placing a foot behind the other in order to keep himself from falling over. He held his sword in front of him with one hand in a readying position as he looked on. In the brief moment that it existed, he had to squint his eyes in the face of the bright light that had consumed the room. But thankfully, it only lasted for seconds, and it wasn't long before he could fully take in the gaze of Sazuke's trademark technique. His mouth was curled in a defiant snarl, the innards of his eyes shrunk to dots.

"So this is it... the "perfect" Shunkō." He thought to himself. "A regular one's got quite the defensive ability, and I don't see any reason not to believe that this one's on a completely different level. In addition, her offensive capability's got a boost. Her strength was a bitch to deal with before, but if one solid hit doesn't crush me, then it's gonna send me flying out of this room. But still..." His hand gripped the handle of his blade tightly. "As deadly as it is, I can compare it to a set of thickened armor. Either there's a weak point that I can exploit, or I'll need something powerful enough to pierce it. And I doubt that Sazuke would be so quick as to use something with a glaring weakness..."

He knew that he'd be exposing himself a little too soon by doing this. But it was better now than never, to save himself a great deal of trouble and flash one of his wild cards than never get a chance to use any of them at all. He moved his free hand to join the other in holding the grip, uttering words that had never been uttered in the presence of his allies.

"It's time to kill..."

There was a pulse of the blade, before the metal began a process of disintegration. It dissolved into ash-like pieces, starting from the top to bottom. In its wake, a new weapon was revealed: a black, silver-edged katana with a tooth-like protrusion and a green jewel just below that in place for a guard. It was simple, yet subtly displayed an amount of wickedness. He brandished it and spread his feet apart in a preparatory stance, the blade giving off an eerie click as it was shifted in his hands.

"Kyoshi."

"I see you've made your choice," Sazuke murmured aloud, eyes glaring at the new weapon that was brandished before her eyes. She would've been surprised had she not prepared for the idea of the culprit withholding other weapons or techniques he never revealed before friendly eyes. The sword and its name was drastically different from his file and testimony by his fellow comrades. Kettō had been replaced by Kyoshi. It meant that all prior strategies of her handling the innate speed of the sword's contraction and retraction was out the window as this was a complete unknown.

Still, this didn't mean she was without options herself. To her knowledge she never revealed her own deadly dual Zanpakutōs to the man before her and she had yet to rely on their lethal potency. While she admitted her strongest offensive power was in her Perfect Shunkō, it wasn't the most dangerous she had at her disposal.

With this in mind, she still wanted to play it safe and try outmaneuver her adversary instead of charging headlong in a test of speed to reaction timing. Leaning her body to her left and right, she appeared to blur in place, as if she was drunk and unsteady on her feet. In truth, she was masking her duplicating movement technique, one that she intended to take her enemy off guard with.

A loud crack was heard behind Braeburn as a Shunpo Clone appeared, swinging with incredible force a spin kick that cleaved the air in a spiraling motion. Above him, another copy grasped the ceiling with her fingertips, swinging both legs up to kick him in his upper body. On the left, another came in and fired off a rapid succession of powerful punches that intended on breaking through his defenses and crush his body with sheer force. While none of them had the complete ferocity of the original, they bought her enough time to prep one of her most dangerous Hakuda techniques.

Manifesting at a fraction of the time she had prior to activating her Shunkō, Sazuke swung her right arm with perfect poise and killing pressure. Harnessing the inner and outer forces of her body, the Kidō that was within as much as out of her body only augmented it to incredible extremes. A force capable of shattering a mountain focused to a small area that resided within a man's body. Even if it grazed him, insurmountable damage was assured to take place.

"Ikkotsu!" She shouted as her attack warped, bent and distorted the space her knuckles intended to bludgeon along with its target.

Braeburn was no fool.

To take the slight swaying for anything less than a trick would've been stupid. This wasn't an amateur he was dealing with. This was a master assassin, a formidable frontline fighter and a deadly enemy. Every move was meaningful, every little action was with a purpose and as long as she had that skill, her existence threatened his own. So when he saw Sazuke move as she did, he was more than ready to declare it as a ruse.

And he happened to be right on the money - something he realized when that very first clone appeared behind him.

His sword arm moved before his mind did, the blade slicing down the offending target before the leg could reach its designated target. It may have been only a clone. But the sight of blood being spilled and a dissipating body collapsing caused that sinful enjoyment to race faster through his body. To brandish his blade like this, to have a chance to fight one so strong and a chance for a tough kill filled him with anticipation and an enjoyment that should have never been there. He was dangerous, and yet he was in danger. He aimed to kill, and he risked getting killed in return. With each and every second he remained here, he was skirting death.

And he was savoring every drop of it.

Focus.

His edge was brought upwards, splitting the second clone spawned in two.

''Channel all of it. That power, that desire, those beautiful senses... channel them all into your objective. Channel them all into the target of your choice.''

A final swing tore through the arms and chest of the final clone, leaving the two to stand against each other once again. If Sazuke looked at Braeburn's expression at that moment, she would see his mouth etched into a gleeful smile and His eyes gleaming with malicious anticipation.

Pierce through those holy defenses straight to her heart.

He positioned his sword into an uppercut position, gripping his sword in two hands and placed a foot forward to meet the assassin as she threw herself at him. He moved so that her oncoming fist would miss his head and pass over his shoulder. At the same time, his blade, helped by the veil of his energy and killing intent, would meet her oncoming abdomen and flank in a sort of cross-counter attack. At that very moment, he was skirting death by a hair.

Kill her!

In a posturized moment, the Onmitsukidō Commander spiraled her body horizontally along the path of her punch. Seeing his body language the moment the knuckles were about to miss their mark, it didn't take a genius to know she was open for counterattack. By the literal hairsbreath did the tip of his sword miss her waist as it sucked in and curl around the arc of his sword. Dust particles and precipitation flourished around the metal while her body did a complete spin to land behind his crouched person.

Leaping back, she kicked at his back, generating a shockwave intensely more fierce than any of her Shō infused punches had been. Ripping the infrastructure of the room so severely that the ground seemed to split open and force the contents to fall through into an empty quarters beneath it, The wall and ceiling caved in at certain places, with only Sazuke's own intense aura blasting it apart before it could be a hinderance to herself.

Watching him fall, she gritted her teeth, realizing how strong of an opponent Braeburn really was. She had to think of a way to move past his honed reflexes and astute speed. She couldn't afford injury in a fight like this, where any handicap could slow her down. She could acknowledge that, since his time in the DCO, he has become a formidable fighter that even a Captain would have trouble facing him. She could only wonder what other tricks he had in store for her enemies.

When he saw the tip of his blade miss, Braeburn only had seconds to react to the follow-up.

He swung torso, feet and sword in order to meet the crouched form of his enemy, the sharpened teeth of his blade challenging the force of her kick. The shockwave she brought with her was not only enough to counter his strike, but knocked him off his feet and sent him flying into the opposite. He shut his eyes and let out a sharp yell as he was thrown, his back slamming hard into the hard material. The impact stunned his body briefly, but he managed to open one eye long enough to see what was happening to his room. He saw the rift within the floor that opened up courtesy of Sazuke's power, causing his descent to the lower level. It was obvious that the intensity of this fight would escalate to the point of collateral damage. But it was surprising that there hadn't been reinforcements to converge on their location already. Either everyone was more lax than he had thought, or his room had been conveniently secluded.

Either way, it was a good thing. He didn't need outside elements to interfere in their fight just yet.

He landed in a kneeling position with a free hand planted against the new ground. Bits and pieces of the ceiling crashed and shattered around him, but he didn't seem to pay much mind to it. He smirked at the somewhat frustrated look on Sazuke's face, using the momentary pause to voice his thoughts. "So, I'm curious, love." He said lowly. "Were you trying to take me down in one hit? Were you trying to push me into a corner and make sure I had no way to defend myself before beating me to death? It's to be expected from an assassin like you. But,"

He pushed himself off the ground to a standing position, his knees slightly bent and his sword lowered at his side. "I am a soldier. I am a force that marches through the storm, regardless of anything that comes to challenge me. Fire, arrows, spears, shields... it doesn't matter what stands in my way. For I was never meant to be broken. I was made to be unstoppable, the blade that runs through the toughest of armor to run straight into the enemy's heart. I know the heaviest of storms only as my home. But as for you, this one is going to consume you alive."

He straightened his stance, lifting his blade and brandishing it in two hands once more. By this time, the smile had faded. "It's high time you learned just what happens when you step into a warrior's territory, assassin."

"If you only knew, soldier boy," Sazuke thought as her eyes squinted a fraction tighter in its glare at him. Descending with a sliding drop to the widening gap within the quarters they topped its ceiling upon. It was quite spartan, devoid of any affects any agent would possess in presiding here. Much like the entirety of the wall that Braeburn's room was embedded into, most of these "cells" were sealed off courtesy of Sazuke's order over DCO personnel for a special 'training exercise' she planned to instill. While Braeburn assumed he was confined out of circumstance, it had all been staged the moment he closed the door behind him in his own room

As tendrils of Reishi continued to course in and around her body, Sazuke's gaze coldly analyzed her opponent. He had yet to employ any ability beyond Zanjutsu maneuvers. Yet she didn't want to dismiss the possibility he retained other abilities, just like his faux Zanpakutō. Taking a few steps forward, she reached her hands to either hilt, speaking back in a bored tone.

"Are you done with your tough talk, boy? I thought I'd have to land the final blow in order to hear what I wanted. Guess your tongue is on auto-pilot for buying time with useless snark," Sazuke quipped back, allowing the grating metal sound ring in the air as the pair of swords exited their scabbards. Twisting their handles around in circles, the rivuletting gestures began gathering a white light across their metal frames. Murmuring out loud, she gradually brought the two swords together till they merged into a single rod of glowing Reishi, "Crawl out from the Deepest Pits. Whisper your names throughout the Night..."

Swinging her newfound weapon from the sheathe of light, a black threaded hilt bound in circular tsuba with a dark grey blade was formed. With hissing vapors of excess Reishi dancing from the metal, Sazuke adopted a standard upright swordsman stance, with the edge visually dividing her face and upper body. "Zokunen Dōjin."

Allowing her eyes to meet Braeburn's without flinching, her Shunkō crackled continuously without ceasing across and within her well endowed, well-toned frame. The Reiatsu thrumming from her Zanpakutō channeled her own passive power, causing the ground to shake and the air to distill around her. Pulling back the blade, so its flat would almost touch the back of her head at an angle, she asked out loud, "Tell me, Braeburn. Have you ever found yourself wondering what it would have been like if you didn't break your beloved Captain Commander's Heart?"

Hibiki Kire!

Using that verbal jab as an opening, Captain Tensai unleashed a powerful swing of her blade to cut a rift through space. What wasn't just a kinetic slash of wind and pressure was also an augmented discharge of Sonic waves that flew forward from the blade's edge. Gouging the earth wide in effect, she aimed it to not only rip him apart but scramble his insides should he choose to resist with his own power or weapon. It was truly a baited test to see if any withheld powers his Zanpakutō could nullify her own. Could he survive it or outright ignore it?

The release of her Shikai was something that put Braeburn right back on edge immediately.

The sudden release of power didn't help that matter.

The energy that she released into the room caused him to stumble a little, and he was forced to adopt a more stable stance. He kept his blade leveled at the ready, but he twitched a little at the words she had chosen. He gripped the blade a little bit tighter, feeling a sting of anger within him. She had nerve talking about their relationship like that, especially the aftereffects of what he had done. He already knew. He didn't need to hear that, for it was a question that had been repeated in his head ever since Arael's appearance to him. He didn't need to see the look on her face when she saw him in action, cutting down what was supposed to be his comrades and allies. She didn't need to see him, not like this... and he certainly didn't deserve to see her.

In reflex, he found his mouth opening to retort. But it was cut off when he saw the attack launched his way. His mind was quick to snap out of his brief regression.

She doesn't care about your problems. She doesn't want to know your answers. She only wants to get under your skin, get you distracted so she can finish you off. That has always been her way. Do not allow her to win.

Instinct took over, and he swung his blade in order to meet the sonic waves head-on.

But he wasn't expecting the side effect.

As soon as he met the offensive energy, he could feel those sound waves shake his inner foundation with a vengeance. Every organ within his body felt like it was trying to shake itself apart within him. A wave of agony raced through his body, causing his eyes to widen and his pupils to shrink. He couldn't even find it within him to yell out in pain, for a rush of crimson liquid beat him to it. He briefly shut his eyes, spurting blood from both the nostrils and mouth. But still, he held on. He kept that blade raised against the surge of power, and it wasn't until that all of it was dispelled that he allowed himself to staggered back. He took sharp exhales and inhales, glaring at Sazuke with one eye closed.

"Sound waves?! Shit... and here I thought her Shunkō would be the worst thing to deal with here!! It felt like I was going to collapse from the inside out!!"

Much to her satisfaction, Sazuke saw the real damage was done to the man. One could harden their body, protect the skin, even cover the face. But the insides was nothing that even the toughest warrior could protect if all defense becomes obsolete. For all of his talk about being in the domain of a soldier, he found himself drawn into the trap only an assassin could deploy.

"Just like your sister, you talk tough until you get blindsided," Sazuke spat with vindication, aligning her blade to be held upright as she fixed her gaze upon his staggering frame, "Betrayal seems to run in the family, doesn't it?"

Using her Shunkō enhanced speed, she breached the gap faster than she knew her stunned opponent would be allowed to act. In a blur she swung her blade at various angles, horizontal to diagonal and vertical, becoming a blur of grey colored streaks. Amidst the flurry, she made an elbow jab, a kick, and a palm thrust, intending on raining down as much physical punishment she could while he was off center. She couldn't afford to let him recover in any way.

"That bitch!!"

Another jab, and Braeburn could feel that fury stirring within him. Was she going to make this a habit? Was she going to keep sticking verbal needles within him until he broke? It was so shameless as to how low the assassin would stoop just to get an advantage. If one looked at their positions from face value, it seemed as if she was the villain here, the ruthless mastermind who got off on one's mental pain as much as their physical pain. If he continued playing the part of the villain, it would even seem like a game of evil against evil. But once again, he kept himself from firing back. He knew what she wanted, and she wasn't going to get it out of him.

Still, it didn't make it any easier when she attacked.

Taking in a breath, he brought his blade up to bear and met her strikes. It was bad enough that the strength of her blows were steadily pushing him back, closer to the wall. But his body, not having enough time to recover from the sonic effect, was getting pushed harder than it needed to be. Every strike against his sword brought him pain, even as he twisted his wrists to fend her off as effectively as he would've. In terms of skill, he could hold his ground. But in terms of current constitution, it was clear who was the winner.

Then came the physical strikes.

The elbow jab caused him to skid back against the wall completely, forcing him to roll away to avoid another swipe. His breaths were hastened as he kept up his defense, trying to keep himself from falling off his soles.

"At this rate, she's gonna turn me into mince meat! I really don't want to start pulling out my techiques willy-nilly... but I'm losing ground, and I'm out of options. I've got to use it--"

His thoughts were interrupted by a very rude boot to his chest.

It was a direct hit. He could feel his insides bend against the pressure of the Shunkō-enhanced kick, and this time, it seemed like he was only one step away from falling apart. Another amount of crimson liquid spewed from his nose and mouth, and he swore he almost blanked out at that moment. He could barely manage to keep himself from falling back, his upper body leaning away from his charging opponent. In that very instant, he tapped into the technique that he had only brought himself to use as a last-resort, when it was clear there was no other way to preserve his life. He tapped into it, feeling it surface even as his mind struggled to stay conscious. He managed to swing his head to meet Sazuke as she came for him again, seeing that palm strike come closer and closer...

Then, awakening.

His eyes suddenly widened, and within that instant, Sazuke would see a drastic change. His white sclera gained a black color, and his irises and pupils now shared the color of a blood red. There were veins visible within his neck and through parts of his clothing where his skin touched. In that second, his stance straightened back up. His senses were brought back to play once more, and the agony was quickly suppressed down to a constant and dull aching. His teeth were bared in a snarl that did not belong on the likes of a human face, his demonic eyes glaring deep within Sazuke's own. His body acted, raising a leg up to knee the oncoming wrist. This time, the force released would be a drastic leap from what he had been capable of beforehand - the gift of his precious technique.

Chōshinsei.

A free hand swung out, grasping Sazuke's wrist with a speed equivalent to an attack snake's. Its owner threw himself forward, using his body momentum to hurl Sazuke off balance and off of her feet. At the same time, his sword tip was pointed and thrust towards her gut. The combination of these movements were made only in a second, marking Braeburn's abrupt transition from cornered to the counter-attacker.

Such actions could only be perceived by the super swift. Sazuke's Perfect Shunkō didn't just allow her to move and act at superhuman levels but enhance her senses to retain levels of reaction timing few had. Her eyes widened at witnessing the eye change, the sudden shift of Reiatsu composition within her enemy's body, and the level of speed he received as a result. She couldn't halt the arcing gesture quick enough to have her sword escape the snare Braeburn's hand made, his own legs rushing him forward to seize the opportunity.

Bracing her backpedaling body that was on the verge of losing its footing, she wrapped her Shunkō empowered palm over the back and sides of the thrusting sword. Sparks flew from the jarring halt it made, as the dense Reiatsu flowing across her skin kept it from being cut outright. If she had time to sweat at her predicament, she would at the unseen sight of the sword's tip only being a bare nine inches from its mark.

The pressure of the hold between each other was palpable as she glared into his darkened eyes. Through experience she knew that his Zanpakutō must have pushed his body past its limitations to match her own powers. Even now it was a strain to keep the sword from pushing any farther towards her vulnerable abdomen. Gritting her teeth, she had to break this standstill if she had a chance of pushing her adversary to the brink.

Flicking her sword to one side, she gestured it enough to release three finger length darts infused with her own Reiatsu. Catapulted from hidden sockets the sword's backside withheld, Kumori Dokuya aimed to hit his blindspot quick enough to upset his stance. Whether he'd feel it or register the sensation of pain was irrelevant. It served as a distraction long enough for her to slam her forehead into his, issuing a ear splitting crack that would assuredly split her own forehead as much as his own. Ignoring the throbbing pain from the attack, she'd swing the captured blade in her possession long enough to snap kick his chest, intent on freeing her captured wrist and send him soaring into the reinforced room behind him and perhaps the one behind that.

"!!"

It was Braeburn's heightened state of awareness that allowed him to pick up the darts hidden from his sight.

But it was due to positioning that he couldn't evade it.

Once again, he was introduced to an invasion on his flesh when the needles pierced him. Thankfully, the effects of his own technique kept him from jumping away immediately. It also shielded him from Sazuke's follow-up attack, reducing the sensation of his head splitting in two to a throbbing sensation when Sazuke's forehead crashed into his own. It didn't stop the hiss from escaping through his clenched teeth. But he continued to glare in defiance and fury.

"I am not going to fall at the hands of someone like you!!"

After the point of collision, Braeburn bent low and released the hold he had on her free hand. His newly freed arm swung down to grapple the swung leg. A thrust of the shoulder into her front would send her on her back with force potent enough to shatter the ground underneath. He scrambled to straddle her, his free hand lashing out like a snake to grasp her mouth. As for her other wrist, he allowed his sword to do the talking. His metal plunged through her sword wrist, effectively pinning everything save for her free hand. It gave her the opportunity to punch him off, but in this state, it was playing chicken. Either his body would give in to her blows, or she would give in from lack of air or a crushed throat.

Right now, he was applying an incredible amount of strength into the grip he had on her neck. His demonic eyes glared down at his enemy, and he found the mouth to spit out the words. "It's always the psychopaths I have to deal with, isn't it? The ones who get a hard-on for other people's suffering, the ones who hold themselves so high, thinking that their power, status and state of mind gives them the right to spit on other people. It's the foes like them - foes like you - who I hate the most.

"Yeah. I know you're an assassin. I know you're supposed to be the "black ops" of the Gotei 13. But right now, I can't see the difference between you and the low-lifes of Tendan. Spitting on my family already earned you a red card. But those are your allies now. For Izanami's sake, my mother and sister begged for your forgiveness! And yet, you're willing to kick them just to get at me?! It's disgusting! You're sick!!"

By this point, his grip had tightened to its maximum. His voice fell to a much colder tone to emphasize his final words.

"Killing you would be a kindness for existence. No one would dare miss a monster like you."

Sazuke couldn't help but grimace at the feeling of wind escaping her lungs. The sheer endurance and strength he projected was staggering to her. Not even his sister with her Shunkō activated had staggered her so much. True Zanpakutō or not, he was incredibly dangerous to the point of surprising her initial estimation of him.

A violent hiss was let loose from her mouth as he straddled her, making quick work to pin her down with the edge of his sword through her own wrist. Fiery pain was only deadened by the amount of adrenaline pumped through her thanks to the Shunkō pumping through her veins. Any potential retort she could think of to his nauseous verbatum was only silenced by the stranglehold he placed over her neck and mouth, effectively cutting off her air supply. His strength kept her from fighting back and her arm pinned to the ground disallowed any Hakuda technique to twist away.

As her heart pounded, she could only think of one thing. The heated breath lapsing over her face and the lack of oxygen that she was starving for was a key difference between them. With her hand still tightly gripping her weapon, she slid her thumb against a latch within the hilt. It'd be something that would give her a defining edge over him.

Seizetsu Haien!

A thick mist of smoke coming in a colorless gas was released in a thick gout over the two of them. With a taste mimicking black powder and a scent of tar, someone breathing so heavily would no doubt cough at inhalation. But what could be thought of as a regular smoke bomb or a venomous trap was something she banked on him being distracted by. The arm he had so foolishly disregarded balled the fingers into a tight fist, charging all of the Kidō energy inside her muscles to focus on a single point along her knuckles. While he'd struggle and notice the gas, her other hand would be free to strike him in the ribs with enough force to even penetrate the Reiatsu flooded blood vessels strengthening his muscles and skin. Enough force was guarunteed to rattle his insides and possibly render him into cardiac arrest, unless his Zanpakutō could protect him from that.

"Hate me all you want, McTavish, but its people like me who keep traitors like you from spreading your cancerous betrayal to others. Loathe me and it won't change the fact I'm a necessity! As long as there are scum like you, your self righteous words are hollow. I am the Justice of the Soul Society while you are, as you always have been, a criminal in needing of punishment!" She thought as her attack followed through, in a raw attempt to pin him in between two fronts of aggression. Would the poison hit him first or would her fist?

"Egh--!!"

The emission of the gas was something that caught him off-guard. He shut his eyes and let out a brief hack when the vapors tried to enter his mouth. The powdery, tar-scented substance was certainly far from something he would have liked to experience. But even as he released the hold he had on her neck, he still managed to detect the energized fist swinging his way.

"Back!"

This time, he could evade it.

He pulled off of her via a Flash Step, reappearing to stand on his feet. His blade was leveled at his side, and he was breathing lightly as he stared at his foe. "If I have to be beaten," He breathed. "It's not gonna be at the hands of someone like me. Only a man has the right to slay another monster."