A/N: ... Well. This sure took an inordinately long time to finish, and I'm so sorry for that; this was actually about half done in around March, and then my writing came to a dead halt. Needless to say, yeah, things have been happening for me. Including being done with college now, no more of that eating up my time now woo! But anyways, will discuss more at the end here.

"Ragna…" Her breaths growing heavier with every gasp, Tsubaki could only stare at the man standing in the way of her justice. Izayoi's viridian blade sparked against Blood-Scythe, the two weapons deadlocked for the moment. With hum, the laser sword deactivated, leaving Tsubaki with but an empty hilt. She took a step back, cold sweat running down her body as she shook her head. "Ragna, what are you doing…?"

For a moment, only a sigh answered her. But then Ragna straightened up and strapped his sword across his back again. His eyes fixed on hers, red and green flames scorching her resolution away. "I'm stopping you right here, Tsubaki. I'm not stupid; you're about to lose yourself completely. And I won't let that happen."

"…I don't understand." Her head shaking as though on a loose swivel, Tsubaki took another step back. She couldn't fathom anything that was happening. How could Ragna deny her this vengeance? That man that lay bleeding on the ground behind him had slain her father, goddammit! She had every right to take his life! This spark of anger travelled through her, inciting the wrath festering within once more, and she reignited her sword. "I don't understand, Ragna. But I won't let you deny me this! Stand down!"

Ragna flinched at the conviction in her voice, iron-strong and crushing. But he couldn't back down here, either—he had lost enough already. He could see how close to the edge of darkness she now stood, forever lost to wrath. So much like he was so long ago. He would never let her go down that path. "No. How about you stand down instead? We take this piece of shit with us, and deal with him once you've gotten all this crap out of your system. You're not in your right mind."

"…How dare you…" Zero Type's cloak faded from Tsubaki, leaving her back in her white uniform. The green sword sealed itself back up, becoming a translucent red-orange blade once more. Its edge dulled, and Tsubaki pointed the weapon at Ragna. "I won't bring you to judgment, Ragna. Not after all that we've been through together. But I will drive you out of my way if I must."

"Yeah? Let's see it, then." Ragna tossed Blood-Scythe to the side and held up his right fist. Darkness spewed from the seal on his grimoire. "Izayoi's screwing you up bad. So let's just get rid of it, alright?"

"You will never deprive me of my weapon. I am justice; I alone determine what is right, and what is sin. And I will cast judgment on all that oppose me." Tsubaki darted forward, trying to simply jet by Ragna and get to Belioz. However, Ragna simply took a stride to the side and lowered his shoulder to meet her shield charge. It drove him back, and he grunted in pain, but he wheeled back around to stand in front of Belioz once again. With a growl, Tsubaki swung Izayoi's blunt form at him, batting him across the side with all of her strength. A yelp of pain answered, and Ragna could tell the blow had claimed one of his ribs. But he didn't stand down. A lunge of Izayoi straight at his stomach followed; even with his rock-hard muscles, the thrust punched the wind out of him.

But Ragna didn't drop to his knees. Arm still smoldering, he matched Tsubaki's glare. And smirked. "Come on, Tsu. We've sparred before; I know you've got more than that in you."

"Gah… why are you doing this?!" The flames of wrath rising every higher in her, Tsubaki struck out with several swings of her weapon. They battered against Ragna's arms and side, leaving bruises in their wake, but made no progress in driving him away. Panting, she wound up and brought her sword down in a diagonal strike with both arms. The blow caught Ragna at the joint of his shoulder and brought him to his knees, his howl of pain signaling the limb's dislocation. But a moment later, he dragged himself up again. Tsubaki stepped back, trembling. "I don't want to do this, Ragna… please, get out of my way. You know this is important to me; I don't understand why you won't let me just kill this man."

"Heh… not happening, Tsu." The Azure's flame in his hand did not so much as flicker, even as he struggled to stand straight. "You're gonna have to do a lot more than that if you want me out of the way. Think you can actually go through this shit?"

"Why?!" The shriek hurt more than the ensuing strike to the side of his face. Tsubaki stood huffing, watching him stagger to the side. Fear gripped her—that could have been a serious injury right there, something she couldn't bear. But the undying burn of rage consumed her mind again, and she charged forward with her shield. The strike to the chest sent Ragna stumbling back, almost tripping over Belioz. "Why won't you get out of my way?" Her sword came up across his body, and then straight down on his already-dislocated shoulder. As he dropped to his knees, she lifted her sword high. Something in her told her to bring its edge back and cut down this man that would defy her. "Why are you defending him?"

"…You think this is for him…? The hell with that…" Ragna coughed, trying and failing to rise to his knees. "I don't give half a shit about that asshole… I just want to save you. Look at what you're doing, Tsubaki."

"…I…" Tsubaki closed her eyes, the tremors in her body threatening to shake the sword out of her hands, to drop her to her knees. She had to do this. To not take Belioz's life would be to deny her father closure. But… She closed her eyes to hide the burning tears, and lunged in to kick Ragna straight in the chest. Her leg only came halfway up. "…Please stop this…"

"I won't. Not until you stop. I told you way back then. Remember? That I'd walk through hell for you?" Ragna rolled off of Belioz's body and managed to pull himself back up, the smirk and humor gone. In their place blazed passion, a fervent flame that torched through Tsubaki's conviction and left her melting. "I love you, Tsubaki. And I'm gonna do everything in my damned power to keep you safe."

"…I don't…" Tsubaki took a step forward, sword still raised overhead. Bringing it down with her full strength would no doubt knock Ragna out, leaving her free to take Belioz's life. But her knees buckled, and before she knew it, she curled into a ball in the floor, tears streaming as she sobbed, Izayoi on the ground beside her. "…I can't do this… why am I hurting you… for justice…?"

Despite his bumps, his bruises, his damaged bones, Ragna drew himself forward and pulled her into an embrace. "Yeah. This ain't justice, is it? It's just rage. You don't wanna follow the path I did."

"Ragna… I can't even…" And Tsubaki broke down entirely, unable to do anything more than cry into Ragna's battered chest, clutching him in a wiry grip as if he were the only thing keeping her tied to the world. Ragna ran his hand and down her back, comforting her the best he could. His body ached, he doubted his shoulder could move far, and his emotions had torn themselves apart, much like Tsubaki's had—he just now realized that he, too, was crying. But they had made it through. And that was all that mattered.

It took several minutes, but eventually Tsubaki pulled herself back, eyes red and puffy. She sniffled and rubbed them, looking up into Ragna's eyes. "…Ragna? I… I can't make out your face…"

Something cold and deathly clamped on Ragna's heart, a numbness radiating out through his entire body. "Tsubaki… stay with me, alright? All this shit's gonna work itself out. Are you…?"

"I can still see somewhat, but… no details." Tearing up again, Tsubaki ducked her head against his chest. "…This my judgment, isn't it? Retribution for my sins… for telling myself I'm justice incarnate…"

Ragna had no answer for her, except to squeeze her tighter. His chin rested on the top of her head, and he stroked a hand through her hair. "Tsubaki… look, I'm here, alright? I'm not going anywhere."

"Mmm… thank you so much, Ragna." Finally, she looked up again. "Let's… you're right. Izayoi needs to be destroyed. I… should have known… the first time I used Zero-Type, I should have stopped right then…"

"Hey, come on now. None of that. Let's just get this over with." Ragna released his embrace, arms lingering a moment long as they resist letting Tsubaki go. With a heavy sigh, he staggered over to where the sword and book lay, and took hold of both in the hand flaming darkness. He looked back over to Tsubaki. "Last chance to stop me."

"I have no intention of it." Tsubaki couldn't even try to look at it, the cursed weapon that had just come so close to ruining everything she had and held dear. Under its influence, her quest for justice had been rendered a mere sham, an exercise in the very evil she sought to eradicate. "Please, remove it from my life forever."

"Right…" Ragna growled, and the Azure shifted his hand. Long claws grew in place of his fingers, and with them he pierced Izayoi through, book and sword both. A shockwave burst out of the Armagus, blasting him, Tsubaki and Belioz's unmoving form back. But the damage was done. With a sound akin to a zipper sliding into place, Izayoi burned in black flames and vanished, dissolving into seithr before their eyes. Ragna let out a sigh of relief, his arm remaining a bestial claw, a cancer of black tar creeping up his neck to his face. "There… it's gone n… grk!"

"Ragna?" Tsubaki pulled herself up and stared at where he boyfriend stood. Although all appeared fuzzy and distorted, she could tell something was wrong. Far too much black over the red of his coat. "Ragna… what's happening?"

Thrusting his arms out and down, Ragna reared back and roared, the melody of am eldritch monster echoing through the halls of the Mutsuki manor. The Black Beast hunched over and turned its crimson stare Tsubaki's way, before lurching toward her. Heart racing, Tsubaki stumbled back. She had no weapon now, no way to defend herself. "Ragna, it's me… please, you have to recognize me… Ragna!"

Ignoring Blood-Scythe, still lying on the ground, the beast howled and rushed toward her, claw drawn back to rend her in two. With a scream, she rolled off to the side. A burn torched her skin, the power of the Azure following in the Black Beast's wake. As she stood up to try and flee, it turned back to her, its red jaws open and panting. Tsubaki froze. This couldn't be happening! Amane had said his Observation would stop this, so why…?

Something plowed straight into the Black Beast and sent it sliding across the smooth floor—a large sword wreathed in purple flame. As its owner lowered his weapon, he sighed. "Man, you guys sure made a mess of this place. What kinda girl would ever want to stay the night in a place like this?"

"K-Kagura?" Although she couldn't make out his features, Tsubaki could tell it was him. Black hair, giant sword, thoughts eternally on women. Only one person fit that, after all. Sidling along the wall of the hallway, she spoke through the frog stifling her throat. "P… please don't kill him… that's not what he really is…"

"Sure. If I can help it, I'll leave him alive. But you." Kagura turned a moment to glare at her. "Get the hell out of my mansion, and don't come back. I shouldn't even let you go after what you tried, but I'm a nice guy. So go, and let me handle this."

As her elevator came to a stop and opened, Platinum darted out into the underbelly of the Iwatsuchi Librarium branch. Hibiki's instructions on reaching the Cauldron had proven accurate—maybe she would forgive him for bringing Carl to so dangerous a place after all. But first she had to find the boy. "Goddammit, shorty, what do you even think you're doing here?"

Her pace slowed as Sena commandeered her body. "Calm down, Luna. I'm sure Carl's fine. He's been coming back to the mansion every night, after all…"

Another pause, and then Platinum sprinted ahead again. The orange glow of the Cauldron shone in the distance; already she could see two silhouettes in the light. "So what? He hasn't been speaking to any of us! He just… stares. It's creepy."

"Yes, but…"

"No, no buts, Sena! We need to stop this before we lose him!"

"…Fine." A defeated sigh ended the argument.

It didn't take long for her to approach the caped boy standing before the Cauldron, but trepidation made it feel like a century. Finally she stood behind him, swallowing down nervousness. "Hey. Shorty. What's up?"

"Ah, Luna. How nice of you to come here." Carl didn't turn around, although Nirvana swiveled about to face her. "Have you come to study the potential of the Boundary with me?"

"Like hell. I'm dragging your butt back to Kagura's." Platinum glanced up at the automaton staring her down, considered for a moment, and then drew out her staff. "Whether you like it or not."

"…I'm afraid I don't understand." Now Carl turned, head cocked to the side as his monocle gaze glinted in the light. "I'm merely researching how best to save my sister. I don't see the problem with that."

"The problem is you've been creepy lately! … No, Sena, dammit, I'm not done talk-" Platinum stumbled back, clutching her head. After an apparent battle several seconds long, she looked back up, the edge in her gaze dulled. "Sorry about Luna there. What she means is… Carl, you've been really distant lately. And Luna's getting really lonely over it."

"Is that so? Then I do apologize." Carl knelt down and turned to the side, waving Platinum closer. "But please, come and see what I've been learning here. It's amazing! If I had enough time, I could learn anything I ever needed to know!"

"…Sorry, I really don't feel like having my eye shot out by a Cauldron."

"Hmm. Sacrifices must be made for the sake of the pursuit of knowledge, but very well. I'm afraid I must decline your request for me to return; there is too much for me to gain here. Rest assured, I will be there for dinner tonight. If you wish, I could explain anything I learn to you then."

"I don't care about any of that, dammit!" After the outburst, Platinum huffed for a few seconds before sighing. "…I mean, yeah. Knowing stuff about the world and stuff would be great. Like, I'm sure there's stuff in there that could help me and Sena get different bodies. But… just look at how you're dad's become knowing all this kinda stuff."

Although Carl's face darkened, Platinum couldn't see it, and thus she continued. "And, um… I can sorta tell, Carl. Every day, you're looking at us less like people and more like… things. And like I said, it's creepy, goddammit! So I don't care what else you can learn from that stupid thing, just figure out what you need for Ada and stop it!"

"That's enough." As Carl rose to his feet once more, Nirvana tensed up beside him. He swiveled around with lightning in his eyes, driving Platinum a step back with his tangible anger. "I won't become like my father, Luna. I'm doing all of this for my sister, not my own gain. If this is how you plan on acting, then I must demand you leave."

Platinum swallowed, but stood her ground. "Yeah. No. I'm sure Relius thought that exact same thing; 'I won't be consumed by this knowledge.' And look at him now! A grade A freak! Me and Sena have already lost part of ourselves; we're not losing you, too. So get your ass back over here right now, shorty, or we'll kick your ass and take you back!" A pause. "…Luna, are you sure we should be going that far…?"

"Very well. So that is your choice?" To Platinum's surprise, Carl simply tilted his hat to cover his eyes better and turned around again to observe the Cauldron more. "Sis, please. Remove them by any means necessary. We can't allow this kind of interference."

Nirvana hesitated a moment, but then almost seemed to sigh before advancing toward Platinum with claws raised. Snarling, Platinum extended a hand and materialized her staff. "Okay then. Have it your way, Carl. I guess Luna and I will just have to beat some sense into you."

Nu's eyes snapped open as her sedation faded. For a moment, she blinked in confusion at the brilliant white ceiling overhead. Oh. Right. Kajun's laboratory. Yawning, she sat up and glanced about. She expected Kajun to be at work on some science thing she didn't remotely understand, with Makoto either hovering around her or looking to raid the kitchen again. Instead, the only person she saw was a complete unknown, a blue-haired girl sitting at a table, her face buried in her folded arms. Nu rose to her feet and hovered over. "Subject unfamiliar. Requesting identification."

"Huh?" The girl looked up, eyes red and puffy, cheeks streamed with tear trails. She blinked a couple times at Nu before sighing and burying her face again. "…I'm Mai Natsume. Kajun and… Makoto's friend. You're Nu, right?"

"Correct." Nu cocked her head. "Is something wrong?"

"Makoto's dead."

The two words came from nowhere, carrying such blunt impact that Nu couldn't register them at first. "Nu… doesn't… huh?"

Mai didn't even look up this time; her words cascaded in a dead monotone. "She fought Relius Clover. Neither me or Kajun could do a thing. Relius… he took her…" A sob cracked through, and it took her a moment to resume. "…He stole her soul straight from her body. And… now she's gone, and I couldn't do anything…"

Nu's cyclopean eye blinked a couple of times. Although her expression didn't change, her shoulders sagged, and she reached out to grip Mai's shoulder. "…Nu's sorry. Makoto was Mai's friend?"

Numb, Mai just gave a nod. "We'd just reunited after years. And then this…" With a sigh, she finally looked up and waved a hand vaguely toward the back of the lab. "Kajun is… She thinks Makoto can still be saved if we can somehow get her soul back. She put her body into cryostasis here, and is… I think she's working to figure out something with you here."

"Don't worry about Nu. Mai should go look for Makoto then."

"No… we've already decided." Mai looked up into Nu's eye, a fire blazing in her own. "Kajun needs to do this for both you, and for Noel. But as soon as we're done, we're going after Relius and bringing Makoto back."

Before Nu could respond, the door to the laboratory swung open. Kajun stepped through, beaming. "So. Good news. I think I… Oh, hey, Nu. You don't mind going right back to sleep, right? Because I think I've figured out a solution to shielding you from Izanami's control."

Nu cocked her head. "…Will this solution bring harm to this unit?"

"Oh, it won't be pleasant, unfortunately. But according to my calculations, there's only a 5% chance of really messing you up. I mean… it's a vector to recode your DNA entirely and remove the bit that lets Izanami control you. Of course it will be dangerous." Despite the severity of her words, though, Kajun winked and smiled at Nu. "But it's fine! Trust me. I'm sure I've got it here."

"Unit will comply." Nu gave a slow nod, before turning to Mai. "But Natsume should be searching for Makoto if she is not needed here."

"Mmm… you're right. I thought I might get some help from Mai on this, but it turns out her bringing Noel's blood sample is all I actually needed." Kajun turned to Mai as well and smiled. "Don't worry about us here; it will all work out fine. You have the radio I gave you, right?"

"Yeah, of course." After standing up and stretching, Mai extended a hand, and Outseal formed in her grip. "It was nice meeting you, Nu. Sorry to have to leave so soon, but… yeah. I need to get on tracking Relius here." She nodded to Kajun. "I guess you guys will be right behind me as soon as you're done here. I mean, we've pretty well established I can't fight him on my own."

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of leaving you to his hands." After a moment of silence, Kajun stepped forward and embraced Mai, drawing a surprised squawk from her. "Please be careful, Mai."

"Yeah, yeah, of course!" Mai giggled in embarrassment as she returned the hug. "Don't worry about me, either; I'll be fine, too."

"…Right. Of course." Kajun stepped back and gestured towards the door. "Already have the teleporter over there set up for transport to Iwatsuchi, the most likely spot for Relius to return to. Feel free to use it."

"Yeah, I will here." As Mai headed off toward the door, she turned back once to wave at the other two girls. "Alright then. Seeya, Kajun! And you too, Nu!"

Although silent, Nu returned the wave. Once Mai had left, she turned back to Kajun. "Nu is ready to begin."

"Alright." Kajun took a deep breath; for all of her encouraging words, she couldn't help but feel the weight of unease in her stomach as Mai left. "Let's get this done, then."

In a coughing fit, Litchi woke. She grimaced as she sat up; black smears—ejecta from her throat—marred her hands and the sheets of her bed. A headache throbbed in her skull, threatening to drop her back into the realms of unconsciousness. But a familiar voice pierced through the agony brought a shred of comfort to the doctor. "Oh! Doctor Litchi, you're awake!"

"Unh… Linhua?" Shaking her head, Litchi reached to grope for her glasses in their familiar spot. As she fumbled to put them on, she groaned. "…How long have I been out?"

"It's… been four days." Litchi could imagine the grimace on Linhua's face as she said that. "You're honestly in really bad shape, doctor… I mean, I'm doing what I can to take care of the corruption, but…"

"…I understand. Thanks, Linhua." The black spots now fading from her vision, Litchi looked herself over. Despite the inky splotches, she was, at the very least, still herself. And she couldn't be more grateful for that. From her bedside, Lao Jiu crawled over and nuzzled against her side. "…Are Bang and Tao around?"

"No, not right now. Tao is back in the village, and Bang is with Tenshin in Ronin-Gai."

"I see. Thank you."

For nearly a minute, neither spoke. Finally, Linhua broke the silence, tepid and uncertain. "…I don't understand, Litchi. Why did you go so far to chase that… thing?"

"I… don't know." Litchi clutched her forehead. "I feel like… like there's a gap in my memory. Like Arakune is supposed to be something important to me, but I have no idea why. I just… I know he meant something to me."

"I…" Linhua sighed and looked down. "…There's something really familiar about him for me, too. But I don't what it is. But, doctor!" She reached out and clasped Litchi's hand. "Please don't go after him anymore."

"…He needs to be stopped." How Litchi knew this, she had no idea. But the feeling that she had a promise to keep burned too strongly for her to ignore. "I need to destroy him, Linhua. I don't know why, but I do."

"Then let Bang and Tao take care of it! Please, doctor. You're…" Linhua sniffed as tears budded in her eyes. "…You're on death's door right now from the Boundary corruption, and just being near Arakune makes it worse. Please rest; you're too important to Orient Town – and all of Kagutsuchi – to lose here."

For several heavy breaths, Litchi was silent. "…Is that so? It's that bad, then? Even with Lao Jiu?"

"I'm pretty sure Lao Jiu is the only reason you're still yourself right now."

"I see." Her eyes closed as she ground her teeth in frustration, tears now burning in her eyes as well. This wasn't right! She needed to free Arakune, because… because… there was some reason, but she could not recall it. But, in her state… "…How long would it take me to recover?"

"…I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before. By all rights… I'm pretty sure you should have dissolved to seithr by now. I can't say at all…"

"…Then I suppose I need to see Kokonoe." Litchi paused. Why had she left Kokonoe to begin with? Working with such an esteemed scientist was perfect for her, yet she had made the conscious decision to leave. Bitterness towards Kokonoe ignited in her, and she could not fathom why. There was no doubt: something in her was missing. But she knew she would never remember what. "…Alright then. I entrust Arakune to Bang, then."

"Mmm… alright." Smiling, Linhua released Litchi's hand and wiped her eyes. "I'll try to get in contact with Kokonoe. Please, doctor, just rest."

"I will. Thanks, Linhua." Litchi laid back, eyes sliding shut with a phantom smile on her lips. She had no idea what it was she had lost—but at least she hadn't lost everything.

Despite the monstrous power before her, Kokonoe just rolled her eyes and scowled. She glanced back; thankfully, it seemed Bullet had decided to listen to her and was heading for where Voivod lay. Good. She snapped a finger, and spherical graviton appeared over Tager's fallen body and whirred to life. "Yeah, of course having fun's all you care about. You goddamn maniac. Sorry, I don't think I'm going to indulge you."

"Oh?" With a low laugh, Azrael cracked his knuckles. The burn from Tager's meltdown stung his entire body, but he couldn't possibly care about that right now. Not with such great prey before him. He took a step, and the ground shook beneath his foot. "So I'm not going to get a taste of your magic, am I? That's fine… I know you've got plenty of tricks without that. So, come on! Hit me with your precious technology, then! I'll crush everything you throw at me and devour you, Kokonoe!"

With a grunt, Kokonoe took an inadvertent step back. Tager and Bullet had managed to make Azrael release this much of his power? She had never expected that. The pure force radiating from him washed over her in waves, making it nigh impossible to stand before his fury. Snarling, she braced herself to stand her ground. On a dare, she turned and glanced back. Good, she was directly between Azrael and Tager. Time to drive him back some. "Yeah, sure. Enjoy the fireworks."

She pulled out a cylindrical device and pressed a button at its apex. Above her, a wormhole opened and a large missile jettisoned forth, flying straight at Azrael. For a moment before it struck, his grinned widened, and he met the projectile with a heavy punch. On impact, the rocket exploded into a fiery blast. Without even waiting to see what became of Azrael, Kokonoe pressed another button. A Gatling gun, every bit as long as she was tall, materialized in her hands. With a pull of the trigger, it barked a burst of lead his way.

But of course, when the smoke cleared, Azrael stood as though untouched, his whipping aura alive as ever. He grinned and took a step forward; even from where Kokonoe stood, she could feel the earth tremor beneath his power. "Really. Is that the best your technology has to offer? I barely felt a thing."

"Oh, shut up. I'm just getting started." Kokonoe snapped her fingers, and a second graviton came to life as well, on the opposite side of Azrael from the first one. Both machines sparked to life, churning as they overclocked to drape him with opposing gravity wells, dragging on him from either side and locking him in place. He grunted and struggled to no avail. Grimacing to herself, Kokonoe pulled out a small tool, a drill bit at the end of a handle and trigger. This was going to suck. "Gotcha now!"

"Tch. You think…?" Azrael growled as Kokonoe vanished in a ring of white light and braced himself, muscles tensing. A moment later, she appeared right in front of him—he had not expected her to attack straight on like this. Even in the mammoth gravity, he managed to swing his elbow around at her chest. Before it could connect, however, she rammed the drill bit straight into his stomach. As her finger pulled the trigger on the weapon, an electric shock coursed through his body, stunning him for a moment, and the steel head detached, embedding itself into rock-like muscle. He roared in pain, but the paralysis proved fleeting. His knee shot up and caught her square in the chest, launching her skyward with a sickening crack. The gravitons, taxed beyond their limits, exploded in the air, and Azrael sank to a knee in pain, grasping at the bloody hole in his torso. "Gah… the hell is this?"

Kokonoe squeaked as she hit the ground, and simply lay panting for several moments. Yeah, yeah, that was definitely a broken rib or three. But at least it had worked. Ginger, she pulled herself up to her feet, clutching her chest. With a languid snap of her fingers, she once more summoned a graviton above Tager. She dared a glance to the side; Bullet now had Voivod slung over her shoulder as she trudged to where Tager lay. Just another minute or so here. Despite her pain, she turned the grin of a savage beast on Azrael. "I don't know. Why don't you find out for yourself what it does?"

"Heh… alright then." Azrael tensed up, ready to vanish in a whirl of mist and appear several yards forward. Instead, a burst of electricity exploded through his veins, coursing out from the drill bit. The shock dropped him right back to his knees, and a cough splattered blood on the ground. "You…"

"Yeah? What about it, you shit?" Kokonoe straightened up, laughing—until pain erupted in her chest and she sagged back down with a wince. "Goddammit… but hey. Your flash step bullshit's shut down now. Should make you a bit more manageable."

"You think so, huh?" Despite all going against him, Azrael returned Kokonoe grin as he staggered back up. He hated to admit it, but between Bullet's incendiary assault, Tager's nuclear meltdown, and now Kokonoe's technological barrage, he was beginning to wear down. Time to finish this, then. "Not bad at all, Kokonoe. But don't you think you're underestimating me a bit? Gustav!"

The cloud of malice around Azrael flared up for a moment, before he launched himself forward, blazing several yards forth to swing a punch straight at Kokonoe's head. With a grunt, she threw herself back just in time to avoid the blow, but the pressure wave from the attack bowled her over and sent her rolling. Laughing, Azrael leapt forward, arm reared back for a finishing blow. Kokonoe rolled off to the side to dodge, her thumb pressing another button on a device. At once, red metal gauntlets formed from nothingness to encase her arms. Azrael threw another haymaker, and her cold mechanical fingers caught it. Motors whirred from within the arms, driving just hard enough against the blow to keep Kokonoe upright, even as steel cracked and burned in Azrael's corona.

A full madman's grin plastered on his face now, Azrael didn't strike again, content to just grapple against Kokonoe's armaments for the moment. "Ha! Come on, Kokonoe! You want to try to overpower me now? Go ahead and try! I'll crush you where you stand!"

Kokonoe hissed in her breaths as she fought back against this juggernaut strength, her machines straining to their limits—even now, sparks coursed through the wires and smoke drifted from the motors. Beneath the iron glove, her thumb fumbled more with her device. This was also going to suck. Probably even worse than Azrael's knee had. As the gauntlets bent and shrieked death cries, she muttered something under her breath. For just a blink of the eye, the phantasmal image of a goat skull flickered behind her. A moment later, the gauntlets exploded into flame and shrapnel, burning skin and slashing flesh—but nowhere near what should have been.

As Azrael recoiled from the blast, Kokonoe activated one final button on the device before the explosion ruined it. A long pole, ending in a blunt weight with a thruster affixed to it, appeared in her hands. Snarling, she had no words as she swung the hammer with all her might, the engine spurring force into the strike, twisting her and sending a flare of pain through her shattered ribs. No doubt she had done even more damage to them—but it was enough. The blow sent Azrael stumbling back several feet. Not very far, but enough for her purposes. Before he could recover, before she could give any mind to the pain, Kokonoe vanished once more, and this time appeared directly beneath the graviton she had set near Tager. A quick glance to the side told her Bullet and Voivod had arrived safely. She lifted a hand to her mouth, radio in her grip. "Initiate mass teleport back to base, now."

From where he stood panting, Azrael froze up, staring dumbfounded as white light surged around his prey. His fingers clenched and he snarled, stepping forward; somehow, during the course of the battle, he had drifted a fair distance away from Tager's body, too far now for even an empowered Gustav to reach. And without being able to flash step… "Kokonoe, you coward! Stand and fight me! I won't let you run now, not before I've devoured you, flesh and soul!"

"Coward? Nah, you're just a dumbass." Despite the excruciating pain, Kokonoe smirked at him. "The hell did you think I was even fighting you for? I'm not stupid, and I'm sure as hell not fighting you to the death. I was just giving Bullet enough time to retrieve Voivod so I can get them and Tager the hell out of here. So why don't you—"

Before she could finish, the teleport commenced, and she vanished from view, Bullet, Tager and Voivod all in tow. With a roar, Azrael slammed a fist against the ground, the impact cratering the soil around him. "Damn you, Kokonoe… I won't forget this."

The cloud around him died down, and he collapsed to his knees. His entire body ached—something he had never experienced since gaining Dragunov. Had he unleashed too much power? Or had his opponents simply been able to erode away at his near invincibility? He neither knew nor cared. It wouldn't happen again; Kokonoe would pay for her impudence with her life. Next time they met, she would know the true Terror.

He scowled down at the hole in his gut. Kokonoe's device had embedded deep, too deep for him to simply claw out. Even he couldn't take that kind of damage and survive. Azrael spat blood and rose. For now, he would rest and recuperate—a foreign concept, and a most unwelcome one, wasting time that could be spent hunting for prey. But for once, he was left with no other option.

For once, he had well and truly tasted defeat, hindering him going forward, with nothing to make up for it; not even the damage he inflicted upon his foes, brutal though it no doubt was, meant anything to him now. And this burned far more than any electrical scorch ever could.

O

O

As soon as she appeared in the safety of her laboratory, Kokonoe dropped to her knees, coughing blood. "God… dammit… that fucking monster…"

Somehow finding it in herself to stand at least for the moment, Bullet dropped Voivod to the ground, before falling back against the wall. "Hey… you can fix Cap… I mean, Tager, right?"

"…Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I can. But you." In a surge of rage, Kokonoe rose and glared at Bullet, sharpened teeth showing through her snarl. "What the goddamn hell were you two thinking, fighting him like that?"

Bullet's eyes snapped up to match Kokonoe's fury. "Don't… don't you even dare, Kokonoe. That man… he killed my entire unit. He's why Tager is what he is now! You think I'm just going to let him get away with it?"

"Yeah. I do. Know why? Because you are a goddamn ant compared to him." Kokonoe seethed a moment, before breaking into bloody coughing. "Goddammit… but listen. You two aren't going anywhere near Azrael from now on, you hear me? We had a goddamn truce with him, for fuck's sake, and now you just went and cocked it all up for revenge. So thanks for giving us another goddamn enemy to worry about. Exactly what we needed when we still don't have answers for Izanami."

Teeth grinding, Bullet took a step toward Kokonoe before sagging in pain down to her knee. "Like hell I'm listening to you. Maybe if you and whatever this Voivod guy is help us, we'll take him this time. He was almost—"

"You don't understand the first thing about Azrael, do you? The man took a laser that would have destroyed a city head on and just laughed it off, and that was just in the last couple of weeks." Kokonoe staggered to her feet, fingernails cutting into her palm. "You want to know why anyone ever has a chance against him?"

"Because he limits himself."

"Exactly. What you're seeing is him holding back. It's the only reason anyone ever wins against him. And guess what happens if he fights someone that kicked his ass before?" Silence met her, but Kokonoe went on anyways. "Yeah. He lowers his restrictions further. That right there? That was the best chance you'll ever get to take him down, and it wasn't even as close as you think it was. I doubt there is a person in existence that could make him unleash his full power, too; Sector Seven made a true monster with him."

Bullet held her gaze, but the fire had long died out. "But…"

"But nothing. You lost. Accept it, and move on to something that isn't suicidal. Actually, Tager engaged his power unit's meltdown cycle, right? Shit…"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You have no idea what powers him, do you? That stupid bucket of bolts…" Kokonoe placed a light kick into Tager's side. At once, the whirr of Bullet's Armagus sounded, and Kokonoe whipped around to see its burning core aimed at her. "…Really. You actually think that's a good idea? Simmer down, you idiot."

"Shut up." Bullet snarled, letting her cannon charge up further. "Don't you dare treat my captain like that." After a few more moments, she lowered the weapon and let its flame die, her warning delivered.

"How cute. Just a few days ago, you despised him. But anyways…" Kokonoe cut off, wracked by coughs once again. "Shit… I'm going to need a couple days to recover myself before I can even think about fixing up Tager. But you. I need to tend to you right now. Before the radiation Tager no doubt infused you with gives you cancer. Shit, it might be too late already, but I'm sure as hell going to try to stop that."

She pointed to a nearby blast door, a radiation hazard sign emblazoned upon it. "Get the hell in there, right now. I'll be by as soon as I'm sure I'm not going to puke all over you."

Bullet placed a hand on her hip, cocking her head to the side to sneer at Kokonoe. "What, you're feeling sick when I'm the one that might have radiation poisoning? Give me a break."

"…Actually, you know, you're right. I did something I swore I'd never do, but you're right anyways." Kokonoe looked over her arms, cut and blistered—but at least still affixed to her body. That moment of weakness, of knowing she had no recourse but to call upon the power she had inherited from her mother, a mage of highest caliber, gnawed at her. "Now get in there. No more complaints."

A/N: So yeah. I live. And I do have a couple other older fics decently close to updating as well, although no idea how long they will take.

And on the note of fics: hoo boy, does BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle open up so many concepts to possibly run with. You can pretty well expect a crossover ship fic of some kind to eventually make its way onto here. Also, nowadays I'm honestly much more into Under Night In-Birth than BlazBlue, so my writing might shift towards that instead.

And finally: that major project I've alluded to? Picking up steam. Next update, I will probably finally reveal what I've been up to that's taken such precedence over fanfiction.