Disclaimer: Same as always. But you knew that.

AN: Did you miss me?

Chap. 10

I backed away from the Clod's charge. But the armored soldier only floated in place, showing no indication that it was going to attack.

Nephtis however, was another story...

"Time to die, Jehuty!"

Nephtis charged in a dizzying array of bladed strikes, causing me to back off against the wall. She then charged again, more fiercely. I reacted just in time to push myself off the wall and away from her. As she slashed the wall, I rebounded and slashed back. But my blade instead encountered her energy field.

'Damn, not this again.'

This was bad. But on the bright side, she would now be more vulnerable to Gauntlet here. I began to summon the burst when she suddenly flew away and disappear around the corridor. That's strange. She never ran away from a fight before. Either way, I had to stop her. And blasted down the corridor to find her, but I was suddenly going...backward? Turning around, I saw one of the Clod's reel me in with some kind of tractor energy. 'I can't...' Before I knew it, the Clod's whip-like hands held onto me. As it held me, I struggled to escape, but before I could, Nephtis came back around the corner. With an evil grin, she summoned her power and flew straight at me with lightning speed. I was helpless as she hit me dead on. Both I and the Clod exploded and I was hurled down through one of the lower gates. As I struggled to rise, I winced. Sufficient to say, I was in really bad shape. Much of my armor was either shredded or burned. At least I was in better condition than that Clod, who was completely destroyed. I guess it shouldn't be any surprise that she wouldn't care about her minions, so long as I was toast. But enough about that. I was no shape to fight a demon like her like this.

But it seemed like fortune smiled upon me, as unlikely as that seemed. A short distance away, I saw a trace of Metatron. It wasn't much, but enough to heal. And I'm in no mood to complain. I hovered in the air and began the move toward it. But my movements were a bit sluggish. 'Come on. I've got to reach it before...'

Before I could finish that thought, the gate smashed right above me and the fiery demoness hovered before me.

"Playtime isn't over yet."

'Damn! I was so close.' She stood right between me and the Metatron. I had to get past her to get it, which is the major problem. With another crackle, she lunged at me again. I raised my shield to block, but she pressed on, attacking even more. Her body then shimmered again and the bladed flower on her back encircled her and spun rapidly like a saw. I quickly jetted back, despite the pain it caused me. I had to get by her and there's only one way I think I could do it.

'Aw, well. Sink or swim.'

That seemed apt right now. Nepthis's flower retracted and she came at me again. Closer... Her arm arched back and the blades encircled them. Closer... She went into a burst of extra speed and I could see the evil grin of finality on her face.

"Now! Gauntlet!"

The spark of energy formed and I hurled it. The look of surprise on her face was priceless as she was suddenly slammed by the bolt and into the wall. 'Go, go, go!' As she lay there recovering, I quickly dashed toward the Metatron. She must have one heck of a recovery system because just as suddenly, she was on my tail. I didn't have time to turn around to look at her. She was obviously pissed off by what I did. But I couldn't worry about that now. I had to reach it. Come on, come on! I heard her blade rise and...miss me by a mere inch. But even better, I reached the Metatron and instantly regenerated. My injuries faded into nothing and I was re-energized. I turned to look at Nephtis, who was getting up after her attack.

"Let's try this again."

Summoning Gauntlet, I hurled the bolt at her. Quickly, she dodged the bolt and I fired another, to which she dodged too. Swiftly, she flew up back to the mid-level. I followed, but she flew down the corridor again. 'This again.' I saw another Clod coming at me and try to pull me in. But rather than fight, I went toward it, appearing to be sucked in. At the same time, Nephtis came back around the corner and began to flare again. Without hesitating, she charged again.

"Not this time."

Suddenly, I shot off to the right, escaping the beam totally and circled around the Clod. Still moving, I grabbed its back and held it in front of me and toward Nephtis. Nephtis was still in flight by the time she reached us and she smashed straight into us. The Clod was totaled, but it had done its job. The extra armor had shielded me from her attack and caused her to spin away dazed. Even better, her shield was down once again. My blade extended and I charged with the same fury as her.

"DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

My blade impaled right through her and she gasped. I held her briefly before I pulled back slightly and slashed upward, right across her body. A Metatron spray spat out of her body and she flew straight into the wall. Her black mask shattered, revealing her face and she plummeted straight into the floor-gate and lied still. I looked close to examine her. She wasn't healing as before. Which meant… that she was truly dead. But I couldn't help, but feel a bit of sorrow and regret. Sorrow, because she was the persona of Dingo's former comrade. And regret because I had killed her. I just realized that I've never really killed before. In my past battles, I had fought and brought my opponent only to defeat. Their runners, I always left alive. They are the persona of the warrior, so therefore they still live on. But Nephtis didn't have that. Her previous incarnation had it, but that was gone a long time ago...

Flashback...

"No!"

KABBOOOMMMMM!!!!!!

"Neith! Hmm."

"Don't even think about it. I will kill you if you even try."

"But..."

"I am defeated. Useless. So now...I will die."

"That's...not true."

"Silence! Save your pity for one who deserves it. I have destroyed many. The trail of blood I have created is long. But you...you are the only one who has ever defeated me! A power that surpasses my skills. But...in a way, this is what I was looking for. Release. And now I have it."

"........"

"Jehuty. Answer me this. Was...I strong?"

"I...still can't believe I'm alive at all."

"Heh. Thank you. Time...to...sleep...now...Time...to...rest...Finally rest."

"Farewell, Frame Warrior Neith."

Flashback end...

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?"

I blinked and turned to the sound of the voice. It was T. I didn't believe it.

"You're alive!"

T however raised his rifle and aimed it at me. 'What was he doing?'

"What did you mean, 'you're sorry'? Was she a comrade of yours? Did you silence her to stay close to us? Answer me!"

'What the heck was he talking about?' I examined him. He was seriously injured and battered. 'He must be delirious.'

"Calm down. I can explain."

T cocked the trigger. "Explain what? How you manipulated me? How your b**ch killed off my friends, my comrades? How you would then turn on your own kind? Go ahead. Explain."

"Jehuty, there you are."

We both turned to the new voice. It emanated from the snow-white form of Ardjet. She hovered past T and toward me. T struggled with the rifle, but Ardjet paid him no heed.

"It seems you had a little trouble." She then looked down and the body of Nephtis. "Correction. Big trouble. I knew Nephtis. She was...high tempered to put it mildly."

That wasn't even close to mild. Try using words like violent, vicious, blood-seeking, and recklessly destructive. Behind her, T's eyes were darting at both of us.

"So I was right. This was all a set up!"

Both I and Ardjet turned to him. Ardjet calmly put her hands up.

"Please lower the weapon. You're hurt and not thinking straight. You need help."

T growled and winced, "I don't need your kind of help."

"Please, just calm down. We're not going to...ahhhhhHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

My head shot to her and I saw that she was being struck with volts of energy. 'But where...' Looking down, I saw the source. The bloodied hand of Nephtis was raised up and releasing the energy onto Ardjet. Ardjet screamed even more as T watched and then made his escape. The energy stopped and Nephtis's arm fell lifeless.

"Ardjet. Ardjet, are you alright?"

She looked up briefly, "No...Something is....guuuaaahhhhhh!!!!" Her hands lurched up to her head as she moaned loudly. Then just as suddenly, her hands shot off to the side, summoning her Wisp technique. 'What is she doing?' Her hands shot forward and the fireball projectiles came straight at me. I quickly raised my shield to block.

"Ardjet, what are you doing?"

She looked at me and then gave a sinister laugh. A very familiar laugh. 'What the...no way.'

"I'm not done with you yet, Jehuty."

'That...that's Nephtis's voice. But how did she...?' Somehow, she possessed Ardjet's body and took control. As I thought this, she began to dance around with her new body.

"This will be more than..." Her voice then cut off and she spoke again. "Jehuty. Help m..." Again she was cut off and Nephtis voice returned, "Time to die."

That last voice. It was Ardjet's. Which means she was still alive in there. Perhaps I can break through and revive her. But how could I do that when it was obvious that Nephtis was in control? I had to try. I just had to be careful.

" Nephtis. Neith. Either way, this must end now!"