"A Therion…?" Weisz stared at Blair under his helmet. That wasn't a term he was familiar with, but he could tell that the woman in front of him was incredibly dangerous despite that. "I have no idea what the hell that is…but it doesn't matter! Any villain that stands against Arsenal will be defeated, no question asked!"

"You're still keeping up this super hero bullshit?" Blair tilted her head. "Whatever. I wonder how that suit tastes. It has Ether Coating, right? So it'll probably taste good."

"What the hell is with this chick?" Weisz was sweating under his helmet. More importantly, however…

"Arsenal power supply: 50%."

"Ah shit…" That wasn't good. Only half power left? Weisz was going to have to finish this quickly before he ran out of juice. Arsenal's mileage improved greatly over the years, but the hero of justice was still trigger happy. But now he needed to be more careful against Blair.

Blair wasn't waiting around. She started sprinting towards Weisz and she was much faster than before. "I'll finish you off quickly!"

"Weisz, look out!" Pino warned.

"Don't worry, I see it!" Weisz crouched down, wings expanding from his armor's shoulder blades. "High Speed Attack: Wing Blade!" Weisz then flew forward, meeting Blair halfway and slammed his left wing into her sternum. "This attack is based off of fellow super hero: Acid Ace!" It was a rather strong hit too, but Blair held her ground despite the impact.

"You're not a damn superhero! So cut that out already!" Blair yelled as she brought her Therion arm forward, ripping off that wing with no issues at all. Sparks flew from Arsenal and Weisz was forced to jump back, watching in horror as Blair clenched her hand into a fist, consuming the part of Arsenal that she ripped off.

"Holy shit…" Watching in action with his own eyes sent a chill down Weisz's spine.

"She can eat metal….?" Pino was a little fearful herself.

"Warning. Arsenal power supply now 35%."

"What?!" Weisz stared at his wrist. "I just had 50% not even 10 seconds ago!?"

"Weren't you paying attention? I can eat Ether." Blair's brows furrowed. "Yours has a very oily taste and I don't think I like it. But I'm hungry, so I'm not about to complain."

"She consumes Ether at an alarming rate; please proceed with caution, Weisz!" Pino said. "I don't think my EMP can stop her…"

"Looks like I gotta think outside the box." Weisz said. He was placed on an even stricter timer thanks to Blair's abilities. He was going to run out of power at this rate. "But when a hero's back is against the wall, that is when his true power shines!" He held his hands out and two discs appeared within his grip. "Air Hockey!"

"Air what?" Blair blinked.

Weisz struck a heroic pose before throwing the two disc forward through the air. Blair was easily able to dodge them…but she didn't expect them to violently ricochet off the walls behind her. "What?" Blair turned and noticed how the hockey discs were increasing in speed. They were in an enclosed space, which left little options to evade. The discs rebounded off the wall, slamming into Blair from numerous angles.

"There were go!" Weisz said, watching carefully as bruises appeared along Blair's body.

Blair growled before lunging forward, grabbing the two discs midflight and crushed them within both hands. This action surprised Weisz and he immediately went on the defensive. Blair's sword surrounded itself in wind, which then spread to her Therion arm. She then slipped past Weisz in a crouched position. "Rush Strafe!"

"Huh?" Weisz didn't feel anything at first. Then, a cyclone of wind surrounded him, numerous blades of wind cutting into his armor. His Ether coating didn't help him at all in surprising turn of events, and numerous parts of his armor were sliced off in the process. "GAAAH!?" Not only that, but Weisz felt more pain than ever from Blair's attack as he hit the ground. "W-What the hell!?"

"Weisz, are you okay!?" Pino asked, but she realized Blair was standing in front of her. "…!"

Blair stared down at Pino, before lifting her leg and…kicking her off to the side. There wasn't a lot of force in it, but Pino wasn't exactly durable so that still hurt. "Ow…"

"This…doesn't make any sense…" Weisz's helmet was broken off from the attack. The left side of it came off, so Blair could see the shocked look in his eye.

"My attacks may be ether based from this arm, but ether coating doesn't really protect people from them." Blair explained. "Tearing through ether coating, or any type of protective gear, is like tearing through flesh for me."

.

.

"Weisz is in trouble…!" Rebecca turned to Hermit. "Have you found the code yet?"

"Not yet…" Hermit was focusing. She was aware of the severity of the situation Weisz was in. He was up the creek and losing the paddle.

"Man…I really like that chick." Sister was naturally aware of the severity of the situation, but she couldn't help how she felt about Blair.

"Can you worry about Weisz first!?" Rebecca exclaimed comically.

"It's not over for him yet, you should know that. He's smart. This chick is dangerous, but Weisz isn't out of it. At least, he better not be." Sister had her feet up on the table, narrowing her eyes while watching Weisz and Blair duke it out.

.

.

Weisz picked himself up. There were some cuts and bruises visibly on his body and he was panting softly. Blair didn't look like she was slowing down…only getting faster and stronger. That was an issue for him, but he had an idea on how to put her down. "Vice Cannon!" He pointed his arm forward and shot numerous bullets towards Blair once again.

Blair's actions were different. Even though she ran forward, she didn't put up much defense this time, despite still slicing through the bullets. She was gunning straight for Weisz while lifting her Therion arm up. "Discord!" She swung that arm down while letting out a visceral cry, five vertical lines of black and green ether slicing through the air towards Weisz.

Weisz had no time to dodge and crossed his arms. While he did try to defend against Blair's attack, the ferocity slammed into his armored limbs. With a grunt of pain he slid backwards and winced, blood dripping from his arms. "Come on…is that it!?" Weisz forced a smirk on his lips and his hair started to turn blue, along with ether lines appearing along his body. He activated his Overdrive. "I'm just getting started…!"

"What…?" Blair was taken aback by this. "You can do it too…?" She knew Homura was capable of it, but she didn't know anyone else on the Eden's Zero could do it as well.

"Don't underestimate the power of a superhero whose back is against the wall!" Weisz said while crouching down to a knee. He only had 20% power left, and Overdrive was going to burn through the rest of it…so he had to make it count. Weisz focused the remainder of his power into the boosters and his right arm, and rocketed forward at incredible speeds. Flames appeared on his right arm, modifying the Vice Cannon into a flamethrower and… "Taste the flames of justice! HEAT UPPER!"

Weisz reached Blair faster than she could react. The superhero caught her by surprising, and his rising, blazing fist slammed into her chin. "Guh…!" Blair's eyes widened from the impact and she felt her feet leave the ground. She was thrown backwards and tumbled, but she was able to catch herself and landed in a crouched position. There was a bruise on her chin, coupled with the other bruises and marks on her body. She wasn't happy. "Damn you…why don't you just lie down and die already! I'm hungry as hell and I'm going to devour you!" She lunged towards Weisz. He attempted to dodge, but Blair was able to keep pace with him and she swung one leg into his chest, causing him to double over. "Twin Whip!" She spun around, slamming her heel into Weisz's face to knock him backwards. She wasn't going to relent either and pursued Weisz, but he used his boosters to put Blair on a wild goose chase. "You can't run forever!"

"I don't need to!" Weisz stated. He could tell that Blair was reaching the limits of her patience. He eventually calm to a halt in front of Pino, right where he started, while Blair was planning to rush him down.

"If you're just going to stand there, I'll…!" Blair then stopped. Her body fell sluggish and heavy and she nearly fell over in that instant. "…? W-What…?" She felt tired and she staggered. The maid placed a hand against her head, using her therion arm to steady herself against the wall. "Why…?"

"I gotta say, maid…you're really scary. Remember those bullets I just shot you with? The ones you let hit you out of offensive momentum?" Weisz held a smirk. "Those were tranquilizer darts. Each one is strong enough to put down an elephant, yet I had to pump who knows how many into you just to slow you down. I just had to make sure you were moving enough so they could start to take effect."

That's why those bullets barely hurt. It wasn't because she was ignoring them, they were never meant to cause pain to begin with! She was outsmarted! "D-Damn you…!" Blair felt her eyes grow heavy. The incredible sensation of drowsiness was starting to eclipse her hunger. "I'm still…so hungry…I need to eat…"

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not on the menu." Weisz said while pointing his thumb at himself victoriously. "Now, villainous maid! Take a nice nap while my crew routs the rest of yours! This battle is only beginning, and victory belongs to Arsenal of the Eden's Zero! Are ya watching, Jigan!? Your crew doesn't stand a chance!"

"You're still as annoyingly clever as always, Weisz…" Jigan admitted. He was scowling at this turn of events, but only Homura, the one who was with him, could see that.

"Good job, Weisz! I detect she'll fall into slumber in a matter of seconds." Pino smiled.

"No…" Blair grit her teeth. She remained standing, though her body threatened to fall limp at any moment. "I'm not finished…" Even though her body was littered with wounds, Blair clenched her therion arm into a fist and brought it to her side, making sure the clawed fingertips dug deep into her own skin. And then…she clawed her own body violently, making sure to cut deep. She wasn't immune to the effects of her own hand, and it showed with the violent cry of pain that passed her lips. Pain that was enough to overpower the drowsiness, at the cost of blood dripping from her body. "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU BEAT ME! I HAVE TOO MUCH I HAVE TO DO!"

Weisz and Pino gasped loudly. Blair's determination shocked the both of them to the core. "WHAT?!"

.

.

"That chick is insane!" Couchpo dropped the burger in her hand when she saw Blair injure herself so severely to stay conscious.

"I. Love. Her." Sister's eyes were sparkling at Blair's tenacity. "This chick is metal as hell!" Blair also had her attention for a few more reasons, but that wasn't something she could indulge at the moment. Not when Blair was an enemy.

"She's the enemy!" Rebecca waved her hands. "But…what's with her…" She was in shock that Blair injured herself that severely just to keep fighting. "Hermit…!"

"I think I'm getting close! I'm on the right track." Hermit replied, working even faster as the situation continued to spiral.

.

.

Blair was panting heavily for a number of reasons. The big gaping injury on her side was just one of them. "I'm not…finished yet…"

Blair's tenacity was frightening. Weisz grit his teeth…only 5% power left. Blair managed to fight through his surprise attack with her determination. "Only one thing left to do…" Weisz focused the remainder of his power into his right arm, the limb enlarging into a gigantic fist that doubled his own body. "When the chips are down, you can only settle this with a single punch!"

Blair let out a soft scoff. Despite that, she reared her therion arm backwards as well. "I'm not treating this like a game. I'm putting you down here and now, and then I'm gonna feed on you….and then I'll eat the rest of your crew too. Maybe then this hunger will finally die down…!"

"Like I'm going to let that happen." Weisz then threw his fist forward. "Metallica Explosion!"

"Haaaaaah!" Blair and Weisz clashed. It was a good thing their enclosed space was so sturdy, because the shockwave that emanated from the clash was extremely potent. It was a fierce stalemate, but Blair held a menacing look. "Did you forget? I already ate through your armor before…so this is nothing!" And that clash didn't last long, as Blair's Therion arm began to consume and break through Weisz's armor, leaving him open to a strike to the chest.

"Gaaaaaah…!" It all happened in slow motion. Weisz was thrown backwards onto the ground, landing harshly on his back.

"WEISZ!" Pino, Rebecca, Happy, and Hermit yelled.

Blair's chest heaved up and down as she panted heavily. The battle was finally over. She slowly approached Weisz, looking down on him as his hair started to return to normal. "You were pain in the ass, but it's finally over now." She raised her Therion arm up while staring down at him. She had the look of a predator about to sink its fangs into its prey. "Any last words?"

Weisz opened his eyes slowly, staring up at Blair. Despite his situation, he was able to smirk. That alone took Blair by surprise. "Just two…Million Bullets." In that next instant, numerous turrets started to appear on the floor, walls, and the ceiling of the connecting tube, all of them pointing directly at Blair.

Blair's eyes went wide as she realized what was happening. In an instant, she was surrounded and outgunned. "H-Huh?! When did…how did…!?"

"I told you, didn't I? Not to underestimate the Eden's Zero." Weisz replied with a pained chuckle. When he crouched down earlier, before engaging Blair in the wild goose chase, he diverted some power to modify the connecting tube. Plan A was to tranquillize Blair and put her to sleep, but that fell through due to her determination. Plan B was always his ace in the hole, though. "FIRE!" On that command, numerous ether bullets and tranquilizers began to fire upon Blair.

"Shit!" Blair tried to swing her arm and swords to cut through the bullets, but there were simply too many.

"You can eat Ether all you want, but even you can't handle an assault like this! From all angles, exhausted as you are, it's checkmate, Blair!" Weisz said victoriously.

"No…! Shit! Damn it!" Blair cursed over and over as her body was pelted with ether bullets and tranquilizers. This made her slow down immensely until she couldn't take it anymore. Her Therion arm reverted back to normal and her eyes grew too heavy. The maid tipped over and fell unconscious. "I…I can't lose…here…." But it was too late. Blair Elfin was defeated by Arsenal.

Weisz stood up and lifted a fist into the air. "And that is how the hero conquers justice!" Blair didn't make that easy. For a maid she packed a punch and he immediately fell back onto his rear, gasping for air. "But damn….that was too close…"

"You did it, Weisz!" Pino held her tiny hand out, and Weisz did give her a high five.

.

.

"He did it!" Rebecca felt so relieved.

"I knew he wasn't out yet." Sister said with a haughty smile. "We should probably bring that chick on board, just in case…I don't feel right leaving someone with that kind of power out on her own."

"I agree." Hermit said. "I just found out the combination too. I just need a second to unlock the door."

.

.

"Damn it!" Jigan's anger was clear in his tone.

"What's the matter, Jigan? Didn't think I'd win against your trap?" Weisz said cockily. "The years dull your brain, too? Just remember that you picked a fight with us."

"Tch…if she wakes up now, it'll be hell for everyone. Fine, I'll cut this loss and be rid of you both." Jigan said.

"W-What are you saying!?" Homura's voice could be heard through the communication. "No! Stop!"

"Homura!? What's he doing!?" Weisz asked. He then felt the connecting tube tremble violently. "Hey!? Hello!?" Had he any power left, he could have hacked into the doors and opened them, but they were on emergency lockdown. Not even Hermit could open them now. "What's happening!?"

"The system's aren't responding!" Pino said. "My EMP isn't charged either, I can't open the doors!"

"Goodbye Weisz. I was hoping Blair could finish you off so sate her hunger, but if she lost to you, then I can't afford to have her go berserk!" As Jigan said this, the tube connecting the Eden's Zero and the Fiertia just…broke off and fell into space, with Blair, Weisz, and Pino it in it. It was going to explode.

.

.

"No! No!" Hermit felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Weisz! Pino!"

"Shit…! He abandoned her to die!?" Sister couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Rebecca's jaw dropped…but she quickly snapped out of it and turned to Hermit. "Hermit! What was the code!?"

"I-It was 5027…!" Hermit choked out.

"Okay!" That's all Rebecca needed to knock. Without wasting another second, she activated Cat Leaper!

[Rewind.]

Rebecca rewound time a few minutes prior: while it looked like Weisz was about to be defeated by Blair. That should've been all the time she needed. She immediately turned to Hermit, who was still in the process of figuring out the code to unlock the doors. "It's 5027!" Rebecca suddenly shouted, catching everyone by surprise.

"Huh?" Couchpo blinked in confusion.

"You know the code…?" Sister looked towards Rebecca.

"I had to rewind! Jigan's gonna drop the tube with all three of them inside of it!" Rebecca quickly explained. As she said this, Weisz's Million Bullets finished off Blair.

"I got it!" Hermit put in the code, and quickly went to work on opening the doors. "The lock on the doors is broken!"

With that done, Rebecca had to warn Weisz and Pino. "Weisz! Pino! Grab Blair and get out! Trust me!"

.

.

Weisz had no idea what Rebecca was talking about. Grab the woman that just tried to kill him!? It had to have been for a reason, and Weisz was going to trust that. So he picked up Pino with one hand, and quickly slung the unconscious Blair over his shoulder and jumped through the open door back into the Eden's Zero with whatever energy he had left. It was a close call, because as soon as he was back in the ship, he saw the connecting tube drop into space and explode underneath them. "What the hell!? Jigan was gonna drop us!?" Is that why Rebecca told him to grab Blair? It would've felt wrong if he left her in there…

"…Does Jigan really think his own crewmates are expendable…?" Pino asked with a frown.

Weisz narrowed his eyes. "…He's always been that kind of person. But he seemed afraid of Blair for whatever reason…" Luckily for them, Blair was going to be unconscious for a little while, so they wouldn't have to worry. But there was more to that woman than meet's the eye…

.

.

Jigan slammed his hand into a table in anger. "Damn it! How did they manage to escape that trap in time!?"

"Rebecca…" Homura said this aloud. She didn't realize it, but Jigan heard her.

"…Rebecca, huh?" Jigan turned to Homura, who now realized her mistake. He stood up and walked towards the swordswoman. "So that blonde chick has an ace up her sleeve? Hah…I see how it is now. That's fine, then. Blair may have lost, but the wheels of our assault continue to turn. She was a suitable opening act. Weavel…you're up next."

.

.

Within the halls of the Eden's Zero, the cloaked figure from Jigan's crew quietly made his way through them. The man known as Weavel was making his way towards one location: the Engine Room. "Roger that, Jigan."