A/N: Next chapter time! This one's actually continuous unlike most of my chapters which typically involve a line break here and there. I think this might be another first for me on here, but who knows?

I'm very glad at the pleasant surprise everyone had during the last chapter. I know some of you had a hankering feeling before, so I wonder: did your prediction come true? Let me know! I love it when readers actually engage with my writing.

One last thing to mention here: recommended music! I tend to listen to music while I'm writing up the drafts and even sometimes while re-reading for editing purposes. I find that it actually enhances certain moments quite well. With that in mind, here's the first of probably many recommended tracks to listen to during certain moments:

Moment: Meleph Fight

Track: Autoroll - Kevin Penkin (Shield Hero OST)

Hope you guys find it has the same effect as it does for me. As per usual, please be sure to read and review. Thanks!

The door shuttering open, Consul Dughall strutted in with his absolutely massive Blade following right behind him, his every footstep nearly shaking the entirety of the ship. "A terrorist and a Flesh Eater escaping would make me look very bad indeed."

Rex's eyes narrowed at the gaunt politician, though he was more analyzing that enormous, mechanical Blade for any weaknesses. "If that's the case, then what's with the sirens stopping?", he stalled for more time to get a look. "Wouldn't you surround us with all the soldiers you could?"

"Bah! They're not worth the payroll I grant them if they couldn't spot how obvious it was that you were disguised.", he scoffed. "I'm sure your friends would agree."

Dromarch only exchanged looks with Rex and said nothing more. Last he recalled, wasn't he captured by Brighid? Wouldn't the ones in this ship be under her Driver's payroll?

"So they're your men, then?", Rex continued, occasionally meeting his eyes to give the impression he was focusing on him.

"What a stupid question!", the "prim" man stuck up his nose. "Of course they would be! Weren't you listening?!"

The Consul refocused his attention over to the girl with red hair, pink clothes, and glowing green accents. It clicked in with Rex that he knew this type, they would babble on, so he let him stray away from the conversion. All the more time to get a look at your Blade.

"Ah, but that Core Crystal.", he remarked, flamboyantly extending a palm towards the object he referred to, and the person who had it. "You must be the Holy Grail!"

Homura tightened her stance in response as she burned her gaze into him. "I hate to admit it, but it seems Meleph was right.", the politician grumbled about the woman under his breath. It seemed their distaste for one another was mutual.

"If you know about me...then you're the one who imprisoned Rex, aren't you?!", she leaned in as if she was going to slap that smug grin right off his face. Rex, however, held out an arm as if to tell her "No".

"You mean the boy? No, that was luck on Paxel's part. But this makes it all easier since you're here."

"I guess you wanted to grab her, you slimy bastard?", Rex called.

"I'd watch your tongue boy.", he replied. "But yes, you are right. After all, the most powerful Blade in history, with the power to tear Alrest asunder? Only a fool wouldn't seek to claim it if he knew! And I am no fool! Which is why I have come to claim her! You cannot argue with such logic!"

"Flaw detected in final step of logic.", Hana's features flatlined.

"Sorry, but you've done enough capturing for today!", Nia stuck her tongue out at the Consul.

"Such impertinence for a dirty terrorist!"

Rex stepped back, taking Homura's sword in hand and readying it fully, with the blade erupting out fire, and kept stepping back with her until he reached the tiny, child-like Blade.

"Hey, uh…", he whispered.

"Hana.", she introduced, steeling herself while Tora pulled out the shield.

"Rex. You see that cap on his Blade? The one with the gears? Just underneath its arm."

"Hana detect it, yes."

"Take your shield...drill...thing and stab it in there while we distract it. I think it's a weak spot."

Hana tilted her head and raised a brow. "Hana CPU designated as Tank. Hana and Driver best suited for distraction. Estimate Hana's strength will take strikes easily."

Rex blinked. He had zero clue what she was talking about. "Okay...but you're also the smallest here, so you can worm your way to him better than any of us. Your weapon is perfect for the job, too."

The Blade started getting in front of the Consul as he pulled out his rifle. Now Rex felt he was going overboard with the amount of force. But no matter, his status as a Flesh Eater let him hone into their bond, and he detected it was practically non-existent. Strong Blade or not, this could be a cake walk.

"Fine. Hana ready. Will tell Masterpon of plan."

"Good.", Rex smirked, returning his eyesight to his opponents. "Nia!", he called out, charging forward with Homura at the massive Blade, his sword connecting with a swipe of his equally impressively large weapon. Homura held him steady with her back.

Immediately Rex became familiar with the strength. It was almost on the same level as Metsu. If he took a hit, he had no doubt it would knock the wind out of him, possibly even give him a concussion. He gritted his teeth as he held the struggle. "Get that jackass!"

"Which one?", she joked, pulling out her rings and dashing around the Blade. As she was about to encircle around the large blade, she became unaware of the fact that it was tracking her too, deciding to push Rex off and go for her head.

"My lady!", he reacted quickly and grabbed Nia by the hood with his jaws and backflipped over the large swipe of the Blade's weapon, just barely missing the chance to save her from decapitation. Dughall in the meantime was taking aim right at them with his rifle.

Rex immediately jumped over to the side after the Blade changed focus and he regained footing, harshly pelting one of his coins he hid in a secret compartment of his jacket at the Consul's face, making him miss his shot as Dromarch landed, dropping Nia.

"Hana Drill!", the artificial Blade called out, doing exactly what Rex had planned. It seemed to work, considering how it let out a low, rumbling groan and was wobbling on its feet.

"Now, Homura!"

"Got it!"

She used her powers to combust the Blade within huge flames, making the Consul stumble backwards from the sheer heat. Rex used this as a distraction, sliding under the Blade and pouncing towards the Consul, his sword poised for a stab. Homura circled around to near him, holding out her hands as the visual Ether chain between them materialized.

The Consul missed by a sheer hair, grinning devilishly as he pulled the pin on the grenade with his thumb and dropped it in his helmet as he slid off to the side.

"Eek!", Azurda squeaked as he chucked it at the Consul's Blade, the weapon bouncing upwards after hitting his head and exploding above it, the nearby Drivers of Rex's group forced away from the Blade by the force of air it pushed out when exploding, while also avoiding the shrapnel flying in every direction.

This was going to work towards Rex's advantage however, as he was pushed near Consul Dughall. Just one slash...enough to put him down but not kill him…

His thoughts were interrupted as the Blade rotated around completely on its hip joint, dropping the weapon, its massive hands grabbing Rex and Homura and throwing them backwards. Each let out a loud yelp, the two landing next to each other and dead center in the group at the other end of the hangar. Tora and Hana on the left, and Nia and Dromarch on the right, as it appeared from the Blade's perspective.

It wheeled around and in a single smooth motion, picked its weapon back up, ready to counter.

"Damn…", Rex coughed out, feeling the air return to his lungs after nearly being squished by breaking Homura's fall. He was lucky his ribs weren't broken, but he did feel his right arm turning a bit numb, a rush of hot warmth as blood flowed through them again. Definitely severely bruised. I wish I would've saved up for another gauntlet!, he whined internally as the two got up, Homura supporting him by pulling him up.

And...man is she heavy!

Homura blushed deeply, letting go and immediately dropping the man onto his butt. He let out a sigh and waved off some silent apologies. He was mad, but not at Homura. It was more directed at the smug face that got side to side with a tall Blade.

Consul Dughall cackled. "You fools! A Blade can regenerate from any injury!"

"Hiding behind a Blade...you coward!", Rex called him out as he stood up once more, hoping to aggravate him enough to make this end easier.

"Still, common sense eludes you? If I die, my Blade returns to a core. Yet I can still live if it dies.", he boasted his tactics.

"Using a Blade as a living shield?", Nia gritted her teeth. "You're the worst! Blades can regenerate, but they still feel pain!"

He let out another cackle. "As if I should care about Blades' feelings! Though I wonder, can you feel pain?!", he directed himself towards the Holy Grail.

Homura felt a small sense of fear flash through her spine, immediately zipping over to see Rex inhale and exhale once, quite loudly, and very angrily. "I see…then...", his eyes opened to show pure conviction shining brightly. "Then you aren't fit to be a Driver!"

Another dispersion of Ether and Homura and him both were covered in the golden glow that signalled the reach of maximum power. She was initially worried about him going bonkers again, but reading the link to his mind, he was as calm as could be.

No wait...his head was clear, but not out of peace. She now recognized this feeling, something she felt with her original Driver long ago. These emotional flames were that of a burning, righteous anger. How did she know?

She was feeling it too. Not just with her link, but within her own boiling blood. That is, if Blades could even bleed. She could already tell this man would be unpleasant from his own unbecoming, and unworthy pride. But a sadist that treated a Blade like this? Much less threatened her? She was ready, like Rex, to knock these guy's teeth out of his gums.

Tora gaped at the sight of his sword's flames intensifying greatly, meanwhile Nia glanced over. "You okay?", she asked. "You better not be freaking out again!"

"Don't worry. I'm perfectly fine.", he said, brandishing his blade once more and pointing its tip at Dughall. "It's that trash you should worry about."

Nia only smirked in return. Ain't he just chock full of surprises?

"Let's do it!", Tora called out, the hype getting the best of him as the group followed him dashing towards the Blade with gusto.

"Dolmes, finish them!", Dughall commanded his Blade.

"Homura!", Rex gently tossed up the sword to her as she sprinted faster than him, immediately slashing away at the Blade, this time, doing tons of damage now that the sword was powered up along with them.

"Blazing End!", she called out.

"Hana Spinning-Top Slash!"

"Wild Roar!"

The three all fired off their special moves at the same time, creating a massive combo. Dolmes let out a low howl. Meanwhile, Rex slid under him yet again and made a mad dash for Dughall, socking him in the face, the crunch of his jaw coming out of place sounding out before proceeding to turn into a boxer as he dealt blow after blow after hard blow.

If the others saw it, they would gape. But they were currently focused on Dolmes, so they weren't able to see Rex go to town on Dughall besides brief glances.

Homura threw the blade up in the air, it spinning quickly and constantly striking as Dromarch's beam of pressurized water pelted him, and Hana's shield, which now had a chainsaw popping out the sides and shredding into Dolmes.

The sword returning to her hands, she immediately threw it to Rex, who finished up his flurry of strikes with a single jump slash to Dughall, immediately spinning around and getting up to throw his blade tip-first with great force in a move none of them expected.

It penetrated right through the back of the weakened Dolmes, coming out of its core crystal on the other end. Homura gasped and placed a hand to her mouth. It groaned weakly one last time as it was reduced to a Core Crystal, making a clink sound as it dropped and bounced on the metal floor of the hangar.

The sword of the Holy Grail however, merely clunked as it closed again in mid-air. Homura went over and picked up the weapon and the blackened, dead Core Crystal, coming back to Rex's side to watch Dughall stumble backwards at the same time that Rex placed the sword back where it belonged on the back of his hip.

He was in great pain, but couldn't muster the strength to let out a yowl, much less a groan. "How...a bunch of stinking kids...my triumphant return...to Mor Ardain...with the Holy...Grail…", he then fell backwards with a grunt, giving into the pain and going unconscious. Rex found himself surprised at the fact he could still muster words after all those socks to the face.

"Out like a light.", Azurda smirked. "That's what he gets for trying to execute all of you. Especially you, Rex."

Rex blinked and was about to tell Azurda something until he was interrupted by Homura grabbing his forearm and pulling on it to get his attention. She leaned in. "Rex...what...why did you do that?", she whispered to him, eyes glazing over him with concern.

"Mercy.", he replied in equally low volume. "I wasn't going to let that Blade suffer anymore by being bonded to that maniac.", he tossed the Core Crystal behind him on the ground, which gave her a shock.

She gave him a weird look. Such a brutal display and action. It wasn't wrong of Rex to think that way, but she felt it was a bit extreme. Even more so when he tossed it aside like that. She was about to ask him another question as a voice spoke up, disrupting the conversation.

"What are you talking about?!", Nia tilted her head. "I wasn't going to be executed. I was going to be taken to an Ardanian prison."

"I never heard anything about me being hung here either.", Rex added.

A short pause.

Both Rex and Nia's eyes widened as they let out in unison. "It's a trap!"

"W-what?!", Homura gaped.

"Think about it. Why else would there be poor quality security, and numbnuts over here waiting for us?", Rex explained, pointing a thumb back at the knocked out Dughall. "Sirens don't die down automatically like that."

"B-but if you weren't going to be executed, then…", the redhead slowly rotated from Nia to Rex. He shrugged.

"Don't ask me. I was seriously drugged."

Homura was horrified. Rex? Drugged?! She turned to Nia for any info she missed out on while she ran.

Nia nodded. "He was, but it was totally necessary if they didn't want their faces torn off."

The Holy Grail turned to Dromarch. "I believe I overheard something about Indol for him...though knowing them, I doubt he would've walked free."

Rex shivered, deciding to think about something else for a change. "I doubt the loony bin over here was the one pulling the strings though."

Unbeknownst to the group, the tiger-striped Nopon was growing antsier by the second, to the point where he was jumping up and down in-place.

"Muh, no time!", Tora stressed, hopping up and down in place more frantically. "Talk later, Rex-Rex! We should escape!"

"Rex-Rex?...Er, right. Let's book it outta town!", he took off in a sprint, the group joining him.

Dashing out on the plank, the group brute forced their way through any remaining soldiers on the dock, taking them down with ease with total group synergy. Everything was going smoothly, and they were just about to exit the gate of the local garrison/dock here, until…

The blue flames blocked their path once more.

"These flames…"

"Brighid again.", Rex immediately directed his attention to the shadowy figures who were stepping towards him from behind the flames. He noticed a new face as well, a raven-haired woman in uniform who we know as Meleph. Call it a hunch, but Rex felt as if he was finally coming face-to-face with the person who was truly responsible for this.

"Her Driver's here too.", Nia pointed out.

"The Flamebringer...Meleph.", Dromarch added.

"Meleph?", Rex scanned her over.

"Special Inquisitor Meleph of Mor Ardain.", the tiger replied. "The most powerful Driver in the Empire, wielder of Brighid, the strongest Blade."

Rex smirked. "Strongest Blade? I doubt it.", he cockily proclaimed. Staring at her, memories flooded in again, but this time his subconscious didn't attempt to fight it, nor did the voice in his head appear. "Ah yes, I remember you now. Brighid."

She scoffed. "Already forgot me? Did I scar you that badly?", she put on a mocking tone.

"Not even close.", Rex returned the smack talk. "But like I'd tell you what that means."

Brighid and Meleph's expressions intensified as Rex continued. "So they were waiting for us, huh? I knew it was too good to be true.", he clicked his tongue. "Were you in on that guy's plot, too? Or was he your puppet all along?"

"Don't dare lump me in with him.", Meleph hissed. "But yes, I did have a plan involving her. That's our only commonality. As for what happened...call it a convenient coincidence."

"So then you spread those rumors knowing Homura would come for Rex and me, didn't you?", the cat girl questioned.

She lowered her head as she came closer, the group now noticing she was wielding the dual swords wrapped in flames once more. Tora in the meantime carefully listened and kept watching Meleph along with Hana. "Muhmuh…", he muttered.

"You catch on quick, don't you?", her deep voice temporarily softened. "Yes. I did just that."

"That's awful!", Homura blurted out. "You're the one who was going to hand him over to Indol too, huh?! And let him die?!", she may not have shown it, but she knew what they did to accused Flesh Eaters.

Brighid let out an offended grunt. "How dare you! Lady Meleph was–"

She held up a hand to let Brighid know to silence herself immediately. She had this handled. The last thing she wanted was unwarranted leakage of personal information.

She was taken aback that the Holy Grail would speak, much less at her. It seems the two of them were cut close to home by the recent turn of events and the fate of Rex. She bit her inner lip to keep her composure appearing strong. "Regardless, my true goal is the Holy Grail. By that emerald Core Crystal, if you truly are the Holy Grail…", she inhaled.

And exhaled. "...then I cannot allow you to tear this world apart again."

"As if!", Rex bellowed out. "A gentle soul like her wouldn't."

"You really don't know, do you?"

"Don't patronize me!", he crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. "I know my history. The Holy Grail sunk three Titans during the Aegis War. Everyone knows that."

Tora blinked as he looked at Homura slowly ball up into a fist and glare into the ground upsettingly, and then to Meleph.

"You know this...yet you are still willing to defend her? You know I want nothing more than to prevent her from becoming a weapon. Just give her up and this can end peacefully."

"Don't try to play the "Good Cop" game with me.", his turn to scoff, doing so at Meleph. "I'm not going to let anyone touch and abuse her or her power. Not you, that high-rise fruitcake back in the ship laying knocked out cold, or anyone!"

She could almost smirk at the insult towards Dughall, and thank him for knocking some sense into him. Almost. She had an image to keep up here.

He continued as he slowly unsheathed his sword. "I made a promise to her and I intend to keep it.", he placed both hands on the handle, the sword opening up and belting out its flaming blade of Ether. "You want her? You can take her when you're stepping over my cold, dead body. Just know one thing: I die kicking and screaming."

"Rex…", was all Homura could say in reply to his sheer dedication, despite only knowing her for so little time. He truly is a kind soul. I knew I was right!...Adam...

The group was stunned when Meleph's blades separated, wiring peering out from underneath, and then flicking them to make a crackle after turning them into whips. The only ones not surprised were Rex and Homura, but they were too focused to be so.

Meleph sighed. "Fine. Then we'll do this the hard way."

The rest of the group joined Rex in brandishing their weapons.

"Try not to lose your marbles this time. I'd hate for another easy victory.", Brighid smirked at Rex. "Lady Meleph was looking forward to seeing if you were strong."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Homura smiled with extreme gratitude at Rex, before becoming determined again as she faced the Ardanian mega-duo. The two stood off, saying nothing for a bit.

Rex then darted off with great speed, closing the short distance between him and Meleph and beginning with an overhead strike. Meleph wrapped her whips around his sword before stepping to the side, Brighid holding out her hands which granted Meleph enough strength to rotate and throw Rex off. The man flew towards the direction of the high walls which closed off the place, minus the opening where a gate should've been. He skidded for a short bit, gaining his bearings once more quite quickly.

"Hey dumdum!", Tora taunted, bashing his shield as he rotated around to get her to face the opposite of Rex.

"Hmph.", she kept striking the shield over and over with great force, requiring Hana to keep him steady with her hands on his back.

Meanwhile, Nia went for the jump attack from earlier again, only to be blocked by an Ether shield via Brighid. The two of them were too busy to notice Rex was literally just behind them, and slashed through each in wide arcs.

The two of them yelped in pain, Meleph gritting her teeth as she used her other whip to lash at Rex, who promptly blocked each strike, any other he missed being covered by Homura at his side.

"Not so fast!", with her strikes now divided between the two of them, Hana grabbed the shield, letting the drill whir loudly as it spun to a speed unseen, erupting an earthly tornado from it.

"Nopon Storm!"

Rex knew this was the perfect time as Meleph was currently being stunned by the harsh winds.

"Homura, combo that!"

"Yea!", she grabbed the sword as Rex tossed it to her and jumped up in the air, stabbing it in the ground. "Prominence Revolt!"

A flame pillar erupted from the ground, taking the tornado caused by Hana's shield and wrapping it around itself, creating a fiery tornado with which Meleph and Brighid were trapped within.

"Hmph. This is nothing.", Meleph was unimpressed as she took a deep breath. "Will of Th–"

"Azure Maelstrom!", water splashed from through the tornado, drenching the duo.

Just as the tornado dissipated, Rex was jumping in from the same direction with Homura joining him, hand on the sword's handle.

"Burning Sword!"

Meleph could only block, but was left with her back bending due to the sheer force of the strike, struggling to push back against it, before being burned by a combination of an explosion, which knocked back Brighid, and then surrounding by a blazing inferno pillar as the two hit the ground together. She let out a scream that was swallowed up by the flames.

"Lady Meleph!", Brighid cried out as she grabbed the raw dirt of the grassy ground with her hands, heels digging in and dragging through before coming to a stop.

With signs of singing on her clothes and hair, ash dusting spots on her cheeks, Meleph gritted her teeth and hardened the swords.

"Not yet!", Rex let out, aiming his grappling hook at her midriff. With the help of Homura, he swung her around. "Have a tase of your own…", he released her, aiming her trajectory at her still recovering Brighid. "...medicine!"

Her back slammed into Brighid, the Blade's body serving as a cushion. Meleph immediately rolled off her and helped her up. She smirked. "You're good, Rex. The best fight I've had in awhile."

The group dashed at her, ready to finish it, not caring to hear her words.

"However!", she called out.

Brighid leaped up behind her, her left hand grabbing her forearm as she held out an opened right hand. "Azure the Third: Soul Fire!"

A small fireball launched towards the group, ending with a massive explosion that was significantly more powerful than the ones Rex and Homura created. The group was forced back into garrison, with Tora riding on Hana who held him up as sparks flew off her back, grinding on the metal floor.

Nia and Dromarch tumbled back, each hit of the metal floor targeting a different part of their bodies and making it hurt greatly. Rex stabbed into the ground, halting himself as he held Homura closely with an arm held tightly around the side of her midriff.

"I was holding back!", she yelled, pouncing out from a wall of flames as she spiraled and struck Rex, his block making him lose his grip on Homura who took a tumble herself.

"Homura!", he called out, deflecting each strike. "How?!", he dodged a swipe from her two blades, spinning around to stop a double slash, sparks flying once again.

"I'm not as frail as I look!", she continued slashing, Rex still proficiently meeting her every move.

"You think I wasn't either?!", he yelled out, quickening his strikes to match her speed which Meleph was stunned by.

How can he wield such a large sword like that?!, she quickly tried to think of something.

When she slashed near that metal armband, she noticed how Rex was quick to meet those over all other strikes. Immediately taking note of that weakness, she one handed slashed towards it. He immediately tried to defend his weapon's Core Crystal that was embedded in it.

Taking the chance he gave, she slashed for his torso, however Rex instinctively blocked the slash with his right arm.

His unprotected right arm.

Blood did not spew out for the flames consumed a small section of his forearm and instantly cauterized his wound, the skin through the ripped sleeve donning a deep maroon. "Aaagh!", he let out a screech. She then kicked a foot forward, sending him backwards, Rex instantly keeping himself up with the sword as he gritted his teeth hard.

The downed Homura let out a pained scream too, grabbing that same right forearm. She couldn't focus on Rex, no matter how much she wanted to. This pain was too great.

Whatever burns Rex gave Meleph were nowhere near the level of wounding she just gave him in a single strike. He shook off the remaining flames.

"What's the matter? I thought you said you weren't holding back!", she spun a sword in her hand as she slowly stepped towards them, one by one. "Yet you fell for a simple trick, over a stupid armlet!"

Rex grabbed the swords with both hands, deflecting another slightly longer-ranged strike from Meleph and being pushed back yet again, but stumbling back and bearing the excruciating pain as he held on to it, realizing he couldn't use that hand anymore, taking it one-handed with his left instead. He shut his eyes, his right hand trembling and growing numb again.

Damn, she struck a vital nerve!

This was bad. On top of the nasty bruising, he got hit by something that actually pierced through the skin. But he didn't care anymore. He was going to win this fight somehow. He knew it. He had to, for Homura's sake.

"Give up already."

.

.

Y̸̡̨̛̗̬̪͎̤̹̯͉͓̞̪̭̱̫͗̀͠e̶͇̥̤͔̗͚̩̟̍͗͗͋͝s̸̡̼̬̱̗̟̫͔̰̱̿̑̔̑͊̎̌́͊̂̾̍̉̒́͂́͠͝.̶̢̨̡̛͖̣̫̰̼͚͓͈͓̠͚̑͆̎̈́͐͌̄̏̉͋͜͜ͅ ̷̪̼͚̫̹̬̮͛̏̌͑͆̌͋L̶͖̲͍̤̘̙͖̱̱͚͝ͅi̷̛͍̫͕͓̯͉̪̹̪̰̻̖̺̞̤͈̰̔̄̌̊̇́̈́̍͐͐̈͒͛̕ş̸̧̢̛̫͈̭̪̩͖̥͚͎͕̮̪̩̗͊͒̉̒̄̔͑́̅͘̕͜͠t̷̛̛͔͛̐̃̐͊̃̓̐͆̈́̀̌̿͘ȇ̸̠͇͉̖̓̓̓͝n̷̨̢̺̖̙̼͓̗̦̜͉̆̒̎̐͌̾́̕͘͠͝ͅ ̷̛̳͔̦̯̭͖̙̯͓͓͕̦͂͆́̏͂̇͒̂̉̾͆͘͠ẗ̴̨̛̗̺̗̮́̽̀͑́̓ȍ̴̢̨̰͇̥̠͕̯͔̲̦̯̪̏͜ ̶̢̥͎̹̪̙̬̠̝̮̥͖̲̳̖̊̾͑̇̇͗͜ͅh̴̡̩̺̮̼̗̞͋͒͝ê̷̢͙̙̫͖̯̣̝͎̹̤̤̘̒̃͂̓̈́͒͆̈͆̂̃̔̿̌̔̐͘̕r̸͚͍̺͚̳͇̙̫̻͔̬̟̝͔̥̩͔̆͋̉͒.̷͈̙̲̠̩͚͎̼̓̄́̾͌̍́̓̉̍̇͘͘

̶̰͓̿͜

̵̨͖̭̩͇̹̩̗̠̞̓̓͊̾̕̚͘͝G̴̢̫̣͕̮͚̻̗̭̫͖̠̣͎̈́͒̒̑͗i̵̡̡̨͕̗͖̼͈̘̬̯͙̺̝̘͐̍̊͋̏̇̄͑̅̆̍͌͐̐ͅv̸̨̛̯͕̬̟̗̪̱̪̼̤̻̟͍̠̞͉̟̲̋͒͋̈͗́̐̽̓̾̕e̷̥̲̠̥͚̹̮̦̖̰͌̕̚ ̵̢̢̼͕͍̣̮̭͓̣̼̯́̓̄͊̈̍̑̓͠u̵̲̻͕̫͕̮͚͔̭͈͕͍̩̭̙̬̮̣͗̓͌ͅp̶̨̨̟̟͍̯͍̪̜̯̲̹̲̲̜̳̠̃̑̉̉̓̆̎́̔̉͑̍̈́͘͜͝͝͝.̷̢̢̢̨̨̼̻͍͙̮̞͍̞͎̼̯̼͙̄̓̽̈͗̿̎͘ ̷̨͍͗̾̀͑͗̆̄̈͝Ļ̷͎̞̦͚̤̯̫̰̫̋̓̔̑͊̊͜ę̴̳̥͕̰͎̙͆͂͂̋̋̒͛̎̇̈́̄͑̐͊̈́̈́̿̕͠t̷̥̖̝͎̖̜̀̔͐͂͐͗̔͑͗̍̋͒̍͘͘͝͝ͅ ̸̢̧̛̙͙̹̼̬̱͔͍͈̻͉̼̬̣̈́̃͊̊͑͐̐͐̾͆́̔m̸̢̛̙͔̯̫̮̟̪̻͖̥͖̍̇̄̐̆̆̓͆e̵̛̮̲͇̺͉̰̬̠̱̯̹̙̣̹̰̰͕͔͒̎̀̈́̈́̄̽̈́̀̎͠ͅ ̸̡̢̫̥͍̞̣̗̱̱͙̗̖̦̮̿̒̀̑̊̏͌̓͛̍̑ͅi̶̺͈̞̪̤̺̣̣̩̪̫̥̣͆̊͘͠͠ṉ̶̢̞͇̻̻̱̼̣̬͙̩̽̉́̀͜͜.̶̨͔͈͉̭̻͓̰͎͈̞̟̰̻͎̰̬̇̀͑͐̃̔̉́̐̋̒͒̄͘͜

.

.

"No...never! I'm not finished yet!", Rex spoke in a low growl, one eye opening to reveal it had changed from its soft golden hue to a deep orange.

She could only narrow her eyes. "What the hell…", she breathed.

He shut his eyes once again, this time closing them harder as he panted. He opened them again to reveal they had returned.

.

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Ḋ̵̢͙͈͔̫̞̰͂̓̇͊͜Ą̶̢̨̡͔̩͍̙̣̘̟͓̪̜͚̺̤̬̞͚̪͓͛̃̍̒̒̆̔͂̽̔̕͜͠͝M̵̡̬̖͍͕̜̠̤̝̲͓̫̽̌̇͐̀̒̄̌̈́̿̔̀̅̕͘Ņ̷̭͙͓͔͔̗͍̗̤̪̦̠̀͊͒̂͋̀̈͊͂̑͆̄̕͜͝ ̵̧̗͇̗͓̣̐̂̍͆̀̄̂͊̏́͌͜Ý̶̡͔͓͕̐͜Ó̵͍̣̰̟̦̫̣͈̑͛͆͗̌̆̅̀̓̾̊̓̓͘͠Ư̸̢̙̖̼̱̯̪͕̭̿͆͑̌̈́͋͑͗̇̏̑̓͊̆̈́̑̊̇̊̈́̕̕͜ͅ!̵̛̛̥̙̞̭͇̤̯̝̊̂̈͋̇̽̂̊̐̏̇

I̵̺͍͎̘͓͂͗͑̌̏͜ͅ ̷̡͕͈͙̤͇͚̯̣̣̗̝̗̯͆̅̑̌̍̃͒͗͋̂͝W̷̮̬̟͍͎̺̤̙͈̖͉͎̼̣̑͌͋̑̀̐̂̌̓̌̊͘͘͠͝I̸̞̲̍̅̈́L̷̢̃̐̀͆͆͐͜͠L̷̢̨̟̩̘͓̳̙̖̥̫̜̮̞̍̆̀͆́̿̎́̒͋ͅ ̸̻͖̩͚̻͔͎̟̠͚̎͊̓̚͘B̷̨̧̞̫̮̞̺͆̐̍̒̂͒̾̾͐̊̀͠R̵̦̝̔̒̈́̆͗̽̆̚͜E̴̡̼̭̼̜͆̅̊̔̇͑̈̆̔̆̌̽̔͝Ą̴̗̦̟͍͉̝̠̤̟͑̈́͜K̴̡̛̟͎͔̳͈̘͖̤̂́̒̑ ̷̡̩̙̙̖͎̘͈͉̦̏T̴̟̟͎̬͐̐̒͂̈́̌̂͝H̷̭͔̺̥͚̰̤̫͍͔̤̩̥̪̽̋̎̑͊̚͜A̴̪͂̔͐̕T̸̢̪͕͎̻͊͛͜ ̴͔̗͈̗̗͔̼̩͖̾̎̒̈̾͛̅̓͝͠͝Ḯ̵̭̹̹͔̝̦̿̑̓̒̿̀̃̍̄̚̕R̵̢̨̦̭͔͖͓̹̳̥̈́̀́͑̔͆͌̃̈́̾͗̈́̃͝Ò̴̑͑͊̃̅͠͝ͅN̴̥͎̙͓͍̘͙͙̰̼̦̬̿̆͘͜ ̵̨̢͎̯̝̅̋̋́̈́͑̏̽̀͛ͅW̶̨̢͙͖̔̊̄̓̅̑̈̈́̌̒̎̓̕͝͠Į̵̠͖̯̻̗̲͈͇̗̺̯͙͚͂ͅL̶̨̺̻̗͖̭̰̬̞͊̏͋͑̈̈̊Ĺ̵̡̨͇̥̞͉̻͓̟̄̄̓͋́̀̇̿͒͗͂ ̶̧̛̼̙͕͈͙̞̦̭̟͖̥͙̜̄́O̷̧̢̧̟͉̲̲̘͕̜̝̟̗̅̏̈́̎̈́̏̀͋́͂̆̚͘͜͝N̵̲̞͋̒͂̂́͒͒̐̅͒̆E̶̛̲̪̔̀̈̓͆͜͝ ̸͉̪̹̭̟͖̥̪̳̋͋̃́͝Ḑ̸̬̦̱͖̻̱̩̩̮̭̽̑̂̏̋̀̎͑̈́̈́͆̅̒͋̆A̵̤͎̰̎́̅̅̅̿̃͂͆̊̎̿̽̽̚Y̸̡͎̭͈̺͔̙͎̰͔̍͌̀̀͑̆̎̅́͂͒̈́͜͝ͅ.̶̨̡͙̮̣͝

.

.

"I said I wouldn't give her up, and I meant it!", he talked in a much brighter tone. He slammed the sword in the ground, using his good left hand to assist Homura in getting up. She took his hand tenderly, getting up to a stand.

"She has somewhere to go, and I'm taking her there.", he pulled the sword, flipping it across the back of his hand and into his left palm, a golden glow surrounding him once more. "And you won't stop me! Now get out of my way!"

Holding up the sword, the flames grew much more intense than his battle with Dughall. He threw a large blast of flame, which was deflected by Meleph with ease, Homura's bright oranges disappearing as Brighid's blue ones burned on. "Wasted potential...both of them…", she too was now covered in the golden glow.

"Be careful, Lady Meleph!", Brighid stepped closer to her, hand held out. "I sense an overwhelming amount of Ether coming from them!"

She nodded. "I assumed those flames were hiding something deeper. They're not as strong as yours."

"No! Not just her!"

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "What?!"

Meanwhile, the others recovered enough to get up. "You guys alright?!", Rex turned to them.

"Somehow.", Nia rose up, Dromarch taking a protective stance.

"Those two too strong!", Tora complained, Hana lurching up and placing him down. "Can't fight much longer…"

He turned around and looked at her, then up to a metal water tower. "Don't worry. I got a plan."

"Will this be like your plan to disguise yourself?", Dromarch asked.

"Shut up and get ready to run!", he whispered, noticing that Meleph was currently distracted by Brighid in deep conversation. "Now, c'mon!"

Him and the group took off towards the gate, exiting out and heading right towards the nearby farms. Thankfully, the people that were there got out as soon as they could. Rex hated to do this to this village, but it was necessary for the sake of his group's survival. For Homura's survival. For his survival.

Hearing the sounds of footsteps, their talk ended quickly as Meleph slashed away the remaining flames which blocked her view. They weren't there. But she did spot them just as they were getting out of the docks.

"They're getting away!", she ran after them, Brighid in tow.

"Homura! You still good for another blast?!", Rex panted as he was running.

"Yes! About one or two!"

"One's all I need!"

They came to a sliding halt like Rex when he noticed she was just in position, flanking them with the water tower at her back. Even more perfect, Brighid's flames were burning brighter, just like that time in the alleyway. Rex let out a war cry as the golden flow of Ether returned, getting ready to aim another blast.

"Honestly, do you think that will work again?!"

He said nothing as he sent yet another flame blast one handed at her. Or was it? It angled just off her right as she was about to reflect it off yet again, the flames drenching a metal water tower behind her, the metal creaking as it melted to a hot orange and was about to give, evident from the fact that it was bending forwards under the girth of its own weight.

This, combined with the fact that the back beams were not as heated as the front, but still very heated, gave an ample opportunity to tip it off.

Without a second's notice, Rex shot his grappling at the tower, and pulled it with all the might his one arm and adrenaline could provide. In the meantime, Hana provided support by bashing in the beams with her fist while jetting off, making them break off from the steel.

By the time Meleph and Brighid turned around and noticed it, it was already too late. The water tower was just about fully tipped over, a bit of the water inside peaking out. The two scoffed as they were then absolutely soaking wet down to the deep puddle in their boots. This immediately quelled all of Brighid's flames minus the one on her buns once more.

The whipped around, but were once again two late. Homura and Rex were in the air, each of their right hand on the sword.

"Aw shit.", was all Meleph could muster in response.

"Burning Sword!"

An explosion of fire and steam from the resulting water boomed out, this one even bigger than what Brighid produced, the force of it knocking the two into a nearby fence which broke as a result of stopping them. Steam dispersed everywhere in the surrounding area, this time much thicker than before.

What little strength they had left in order to give chase did not matter, the thick fog of the steam masked them. As far as the two were concerned, they completely got away.

"Damn…", she cursed under her ragged breath. "I feel slighted."

Brighid groaned as she grabbed her side midriff which collided with the now-broken fence. "Ngh...why's that?"

She let go of the sword-whips, letting them drop to the mud below. A deep breath. "They held back."

"What do you mean?"

The raven turned her head towards the sky as the steam cleared up. "Didn't you tell me? That massive well of Ether. And that final move...he definitely could've killed me right here. Yet...he didn't. He missed on purpose."

She nodded, following her train of thought. "Yes. I'm sure he saw right through your bluff, ma'am.", she focused on her Driver's absolutely tattered clothes, taking it in her fingers. "His instinct too...he picks things up quickly.", she released the clothing. "I wish the tailor was that fast."

Meleph smiled. The frown came again though when she thought back to not only the words he spoke to her, but especially that moment where his eye color changed. "No...never! I'm not finished yet!"

That voice was definitely not his. And what was up with the eye thing too, anyhow? Because of her link with Brighid, she felt that the second Burning Sword had so much more Ether than the last. Again, he probably could've easily killed her, or at least mortally wound her. Yet he didn't.

Despite all the oddities about him she had to deal with lately...there was oddly a sense of peace within her.

"I think the Holy Grail is fine with that boy...I'll let him roam free for now."

"Are you sure about that, ma'am?"

She nodded. "Yes. I am. I bet he'll rein her in. But…"

"But?", Brighid asked.

"...I can't help but feel there is a deep darkness in that boy."

"I see.", she bowed her head. "I feel there's a lot about the both of them we don't know."

"And we won't...until we meet again."

"...You wanna know what I think?"

Meleph turned her red eyes to the Blade. "Yea?"

Brighid...smiled? "I have a feeling those two will balance each other out soon. And when we meet them again…"

Meleph joined in, smirking. "We'll see the true them."

"You read my mind, ma'am."