A/N: This chapter was fun to write, but man was it hard. Hopefully I did well with the action. To be honest I'm a little nervous because I wanted to make this a grand bout, but I can't help but worry I didn't do it the justice it deserved. Fights are hard dammit! Anyways let me know your thoughts in the reviews or feel free to send me a pm. Thank you all for reading.

Esdeath's blood boiled in anticipation for her upcoming rematch with that man. Of course she knew this entire arrangement was bait to drag her away from her newly formed task force, but she couldn't help but bite onto it. She was presented with two targets, but trying to compare them would be the same as comparing an appetizer to a well-prepared filet; one was obviously much more appetizing than the other. Night Raid might have been the Empire's priority target for years, but after her defeat… That priority shifted to the enigma known as Shirou Kotomine.

The mere thought of her loss almost caused her to pierce the palms of her hands with her nails, but the possibility that she would need every bit of her life's blood for the upcoming bout barely managed to convince her to relax her grip. The man was a completely mystery. None of the Empire's sources were able to discover anything pertaining to his origins, and it made that fool Honest into an even more exhausting mess to deal with than he was normally. She almost decided to use that fat, round face of his as her new sheath when he dared chastise her after she recovered from her wounds.

The only thing that stopped her was Budou's presence. Fighting the man, though enticing, wasn't worth it to her at that moment in time. All of her thoughts were honed in on one result: the utter slaughter of Shirou Kotomine.

When an invitation from both Night Raid and Shirou emerged, she knew she had to go for the man who defeated her, to prove to him that he was not stronger than her, although that meant she had to leave the Jaegers to deal with Night Raid. She's not so heartless that she wouldn't worry about her new subordinates, but they were all strong in their own right and Run would be commanding in her stead. He had a good head on his shoulders and would try his hardest to obtain victory, or at the very least, ensure the Jaegers survival. If Night Raid underestimated them just because of her absence, then they were in for a very bloody wake up call.

That left her to deal with the Empire's newest top priority target. The only way this situation would be better for her would be if this pest that kept following her around would head back to the palace.

"I could feel your aggression, Esdeath, so save it for the enemy. If you were competent enough to beat him, then I would be back defending His Majesty instead of having to follow you into this canyon."

Esdeath paid him no mind, Budou's presence, although annoying, wasn't anything she could deal with currently, and at the very least, she could potentially use him during her fight with Shirou. Oh, the mere thought of crossing blades with that young man once more caused her to salivate, and she could feel her nerves itching to spring forth the closer she got to her destination. She could taste his energy in the air, and sure enough, the moment she stepped foot into the base of the canyon, there he stood. That red shroud of his, bellowing in the wind with the sun shining over him, made him look as if he was some 'holier than thou' figure.

It infuriated her. The ground caved under her feet as she sped forth, leaving Budou in the dust.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!"

The moment I entered Esdeath's sight, my reinforced vision was able to see her lips curl up into a predatory snarl as she screamed my name into the heavens. It was a testament to her character that she could still adopt the mentality of a predator after our last encounter.

I couldn't help but respect that tenacity from her. She would reach me in less than three seconds at the pace she was moving, Budou appeared to be in no rush after her.

"Shatter."

The moment the words left my mouth, a slew of magic circles formed on the ground and the cliff face around Esdeath. She paid the sudden change in her surroundings no mind, even when they exploded. Chunks of stone sped towards her at incredible speed, but without a word, pillars of ice emerged around her even faster than the solid projectiles trying to leave her as nothing more than a stain on the ground. They succeeded in protecting her from my trap, but that was fine.

I didn't expect it to actually work, it was just a way for me to gauge any sort of growth in my opponent. It was plain to see she's improved a lot in a remarkably short amount of time. In our last encounter, that trap would have at least damaged her constructs of ice, especially at the speed they were travelling at, but there was not even a scratch present.

I immediately grabbed a handful of Black Keys and used them to parry Esdeath's thrust. It seemed my estimation of her speed was slightly off as well. She reached me a full second sooner than I anticipated. How much has she truly improved since our first bout?

The exchange lasted less than five seconds, but in that time, we traded over thirty blows. Every movement was an attack meant to end the other, but we both knew that they weren't going to land. They also served to probe each other. The two of us were feeling each other out with blows meant to end this fight as soon as possible. Esdeath wasn't playing any games. The tip of her rapier slipped a mere centimeter by my face, and my Black Keys barely managed to miss her jugular.

I wasn't playing any games either. The reason Esdeath wasn't dead right now was because I wanted her to feel the loss of hope that she has instilled into countless others, but this time, there would be none of that. She's taken that defeat and used it as her ultimate source of motivation.

She went for a slash at my right wrist, but her feint was as clear as day to me. The combined powers of my Noble Phantasms blessed me with the equivalents of both versions of the 'Eye of the Mind' skill. It was a how a Servant with average stats such as myself was able to stay ahead, and eventually defeat all of my opponents when I fought for the Einzberns in the Third Holy Grail War so long ago. It was truly an ability that could almost be counted as cheating.

So, when Esdeath used the momentum of her swing to drop low and sweep a slender leg in an attempt to trip me, I simply performed a small hop into the air. Then used my full strength in a downward slash. Esdeath's senses were sharp, because without even looking up, she lifted up her own blade and supported it with both hands in a hasty guard.

The ground cratered under us. I could see the muscles in Esdeath's body straining against my strength, even under her clothes the faint outlines of her veins were showing. A single bead of sweat rolled down her brow. I was about to try and push my Reinforcement even more to potentially dangerous levels so I could crush her below me, but the sudden chill around me convinced me otherwise. The moment my body pushed away from Esdeath, I could see the storm of ice which surrounded me. Her use of her Teigu has improved drastically, and not only that, but her physical skill has improved by leap and bounds as well.

Esdeath flashed me a toothy grin as she brought a hand down, and the storm of deadly ice rained upon me. If I wasn't sure of her improvement, I would have simply tried to charge through them; the worst that would have happened would have been my clothes getting slightly shredded and maybe some small cuts upon myself, but I couldn't perform such an action this time. Something told me that purposely taking hits this time would end in a much more debilitating injury. So, I did the only thing I could do at that moment.

When the first of the deadly projectiles reached me, my Black Keys met them. Some of the projectiles shattered, while others were simply thrown of course. That moment provided me the time I needed to fit three more Black Keys in my other hand. As prepared as I could be at that moment, I faced the onslaught. My body twisted and contorted in ways I haven't had to make it do in a very long time as I weaved between the blades of ice that my Black Keys weren't able to find.

The proper words were being fetched for me by the Almighty Key, but until then, I needed to hold out in this storm of ice. A spear of ice emerged out of the ground to my left, and I instantly kicked out towards it, shattering the offending stalagmite, but the shattered pieces righted themselves in mid-air and sped towards me. Both of my hands were already busy, my left leg was still in the air, and if I jumped, I would have no way to change my momentum at that moment. As the ice closed in on my chest, the words I needed formed in my mind.

"Έκρηξη."

Blue flames surrounded my vision as they emerged from my arms and covered me like a protective blanket, before expanding out, disintegrating the hail of ice that was assaulting me. It was nothing like the flames that Karna was able to produce with his own special form of Mana Burst, but it would have been impossible for me to achieve something of that level. His particular brand was tied to him being the son of the Sun God Surya, and since I held no affinity for such powers not even dangerously experimenting with myself would be able to grant me that level of power.

However, this served me well enough.

All six Black Keys I held left my hand simultaneously and flew towards Esdeath. The blades themselves were battered and broken due to having to constantly deflect the ice which rained down on me, but the goal wasn't to deal harm to her.

Esdeath swatted away the blades easily enough, but her concentration shifted from offense to defense, and that was all I needed to move from my previously precarious situation and close the distance between us in one short burst of speed. No weapons were in my hands, but my opponent was already well aware of how dangerous my fists could be.

Her movements held their own grace to them as she focused on evading my own offensive. Those blue eyes of hers scrutinized each of my movements, in search of any form of opening to try and exploit but she would find none, I was making sure of it. I would rain blow after blow, fist after fist, surging forward because eventually she would slip. If she couldn't force some sort of reprieve, her chances of making a fatal error would continue to increase. The same could have been said for me if I didn't break through her storm of ice earlier.

This time, there was no shift in temperature that I was able to detect, but what saved me was the experience granted to me by my Noble Phantasms. My left hand shot behind me and grabbed the flat side of a blade of ice, and in one fluid motion, I spun and brought the blade towards Esdeath's neck. She didn't move to dodge, and the moment the blade should have severed her head from her body, the blade no longer existed in my hands.

Just like she could create ice out of nothing more than just the air around her, it shouldn't have surprised me that she could make them disappear just as easily. The lack of resistance caused my swing to go wide, and Esdeath used that moment to try and gut me. Luckily, the only casualty was the front of my garb which now had a long diagonal cut through it, but my body itself was left unharmed.

"You've gotten better," I offhandedly mentioned as I jumped back, putting some distance between the two of us again.

"And you've stayed stagnant."

What a biting comeback, but if that's what she thought, then I wouldn't expend the energy to refute her through my words. I raised my right hand, my palm facing towards Esdeath. A dark mass of energy with a slight purple hue surrounded my open palm. When my eyes made contact with hers, she knew something was up, five walls of ice erupted from the ground in front of her, each of them being at least four feet thick.

It wouldn't be enough. The dark mass I shot towards her exploded on contact, devastating the wall she erected. But I didn't shoot only one attack, the second followed closely behind the first and Esdeath didn't have the time to defend herself nor evade. She could only hope the mass of mana that was fired off from my right hand didn't decimate her body.

A bolt of lightning struck my second attack, mere millimeters away from Esdeath's chest. The issuing explosion sent her rocketing backwards, her uniform in tatters, and small burns littered her body. My eyes shot forth to the offending party in frustration. Budou had finally decided to join the fight, and he couldn't have picked a more inopportune time to do so.

"Hmmm... I see this man didn't defeat you out of your own weakness, Esdeath. He truly is a formidable adversary." The man hovered in the air, sparks of blue electricity arcing around his muscled body. "I was content with letting you fight your own battles, but after seeing his strength for myself, it can not be denied that this Shirou Kotomine could truly be a threat to our Emperor."

His feet touched the ground and he took several gaudy steps forward, each foot managed to crumble the earth below him. "I have decided that fighting with you would be necessary to best succeed in this endeavor." His eyes scrutinized, me and unlike Esdeath there was no thrill for the fight in him, he was a man with a mission; a truly loyal soul that was going to do all he could to stop the threat before him. The Empire really did have some gems within them.

"Prepare yourself."

I didn't expect a man of his size to be able to move with such speed. My arms crossed over my head to block the two arms which aimed to split open my skull. The way his Teigu covered his arms made my arms throb in minor irritation, and my teeth grit in exertion as I could slowly feel myself losing the feeling in my arms.

Electricity raced around Budou's arms, and I knew prolonged contact would be dangerous. My feet planted themselves in the ground, and with a quick tensing of my muscles, I was able to force Budou's arms away from me. My fists returned to my waist and shot forward before the General could physically move.

Static assaulted my arms even more violently than before, and when my fists buried themselves into Budou's stomach, it was with less force than there should have been. He still staggered back and I could see the discomfort that marred his face, but the blow should have managed to do much more than merely forcing him back a few feet.

I had very little time to ponder over how his defense worked because Esdeath was already on me. Her rapier came at me, and I pulled out more of my Black Keys to meet her own weapon. I was hoping her injuries would provide me some more time to figure out how Budou operated in battle, but I should have known that was wishful thinking. She had a manic grin, and although I knew she was taking this battle with the utmost seriousness, she was still deriving pleasure from the conflict we were in.

I was impressed when I saw Esdeath form a second saber made of ice in her off-hand to match my own duel wielding. I never knew she was proficient at using two weapons at once, but it really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise. Someone with her skill and thirst for battle had probably immersed herself in multiple different styles of combat.

Budou came at my side while I was still engaged with Esdeath, and I was barely able to arch my back in a manner to avoid his fist, a bolt of lightning was released afterwards which struck one of the canyon walls. The issuing explosion sent chunks of rock flying. The raw power that Budou possessed was astounding, his physical strength rivalled, if not slightly surpassed, my own. Adding to that, his Teigu made him someone to be worried about. He was the calm, overwhelming power, while Esdeath possessed more raw skill and savagery. Together, they were slowly but surely pushing me back into a corner.

I poured mana into the blades of my Black Keys, making the blades grow in thickness and strength. I was able to use the newly-enlarged blades to shatter Esdeath's second weapon, pushing her away from me with one well-placed swing. I already knew Budou wouldn't give me a chance to pursue after her, the two worked surprisingly well with each other despite no records showing any form of collaboration between them. An orb of lightning was already in front of his fist and he thrust it full force towards me. Both of my hands lifted their blades in defense, but the moment my Black Keys made contact with Budou's attack, they shattered.

No matter. My left hand glowed white and met Budou's second attack which I knew would follow soon afterward. His eyes lit up in surprise, before he was the one that got sent barreling back beside Esdeath. His right hand which was met with my left was cut up, but the injuries themself were superficial. He just looked surprised that I was able to overpower the lightning granted to him by his Teigu.

He and Esdeath didn't immediately re-engage me like they had every other time there was a break in combat; instead, they took this time to study me. There was no fear, but just a modicum of caution present in their gaze. I've been forced to use some of my other techniques, and they didn't know if I had anything else up my sleeve. The fact that I had several moves in my repertoire which could compete with Aldramelech's raw power was probably their biggest note of concern.

Budou's Teigu possessed the largest raw power out of any Teigu I've seen thus far, and could definitely inflict serious harm upon me if I was hit directly. Luckily, it was more straightforward in its application than Esdeath's Demon's Extract or even Mizuko's Black Marlin. Aldramelech had a clear source of generation, which meant that predicting where the attacks would come from was easier.

The crack of thunder roared through the air, which made me take a cautionary look up to the sky. The previously clear skies have been slowly becoming darker and more volatile. There wasn't supposed to be any storms today… Another ability of Budou's Teigu, perhaps? That could be problematic.

The longer I waited, the more storm clouds would accumulate and I would rather not give my opponents more favorable conditions. Four Black Keys flew forward in an instant. Esdeath immediately intercepted them with lances of ice, the weapons of the church flying off their target.

"Set."

Once the blades were behind my targets, magic circles appeared at their handles, righting them in mid-air and shot them towards their backs.

I was a tad too late in my trap. The moment Budou looked up, I knew something had changed within the flow of the battle. Lightning rained around him everywhere, some came close to even electrocuting Esdeath who stood beside him. My Reinforced vision was able to catch how some of her hairs stood on end. The sudden rain of lightning demolished my Black Keys before they could reach their mark.

"Lightning Crash."

The moment those words rang in the air, multiple alarms rang throughout my body. The amassed power in my right arm transferred to my hand, and I released it above my head as fast as I possibly could manage. The moment I did, a bolt of lightning slammed into the position I was standing at, and the force of the clash from the two attacks rained upon me, my knees buckled slightly under the sheer force that slammed against my frame.

"Oh? Your instincts are spectacular. I didn't think you'd be able to do anything about that attack." Budou took several steps forward. "No matter, the battlefield is now mine to rule; your time shall come soon."

"You keep him on his toes, Old Man! I'm going to drench my blade in his blood!" Esdeath said as she passed the Great General. Without waiting for a reply, she dashed forward. Ice surrounded her wrists and ankles; they almost looked like feathers.

Wait… was she levitating?

Her speed increased tremendously and I couldn't fathom how this remotely made any sense. Simply surrounding your wrists and ankles with ice shaped in feathers shouldn't allow Esdeath the ability to float above the ground! I met her charge with a flurry of a gandr, but her own barrage of ice was able to match the ferocity of my Magecraft.

Before I could try anything else, I was forced to abandon my position as bolts of lightning begun to rain down atop my head. They lacked the power of Budou's previous attacks, but he was able to now rain strikes of lightning one after another, and even if they were weaker, there was no doubt in my mind that each one could cause me great harm.

Esdeath intercepted me in my dash away from the constant storm; her speed could have made Achilles proud. Budou's lightning was indiscriminatory. I was always the target, but if Esdeath was close to me when he decided to attack, the force of nature would strike regardless. It was as if he was telling her that if she got struck, then it was her fault and they were both okay with that.

A quick stab to my kidney would be avoided, and then Esdeath and I both jumped back to keep us from getting fried. We would then immediately clash once more, dust blocking our vision but our instincts would lead us to each other time and time again.

I stopped counting how many times this process would repeat itself after the twentieth time. The worst part of it all was I was starting to enjoy myself. During my life, I never sought pleasure in conflict. I was a man who strove for peace and salvation; it just always so happened that conflict was the path my journey took me. The Shimabara Rebellion, the Third Holy Grail War, the Great Holy Grail War, and even now with this rebellion in this new world... I was a man whom always found himself in conflict.

"I never knew you could make such a face! Are you finally feeling the thrill of the fight, Shirou Kotomine?"

Esdeath's words made me realize something. I was smiling from ear to ear, and the thought of it infuriated me. She was trying to tell me that we weren't so different, after all. Her body covered in small cuts, her clothes in tatters, and minor burns marred her pale skin, but she was enjoying every second of this, her eyes hungered for more.

What was it that she saw when she looked at me now? Parts of my garb were shredded, my multitude of scars probably showed the deeds of all the battles I have taken part in. Shallow cuts were present on my own skin due to several close calls, but I was worried that if I saw myself in her eyes, I would have that same pleasure-seeking look that she wore.

The blades of my last Black Keys dissolved and I dropped their handles. My left hand glowed white once more, and Esdeath's rapier was suddenly less than half its original weight, my hand having shaved through her weapon of choice with minimal resistance. To her credit, Esdeath abandoned the crippled weapon without hesitation, both hands pushed forward as a shield of ice emerged in front of her to stop my follow up.

Her shield was easily pierced, but it bought her the milliseconds she needed to withdraw. I refused to let her go so easily. It shamed me to admit it, but I was upset, mad, angered. Being compared as similar to such a battle-hungry individual who just wanted to see the blood of her enemies drench the ground around her feet welled up emotions I haven't felt since that homunculus and Ruler ruined what I worked so hard for.

I gave chase, even with the storms of Adramelech raining lightning down on me. The lances of Ice were cut through by my left hand, pillars of ice that emerged beneath my feet were crushed under my use of bajiquan.

Finally, I caught up to her. She summoned two sabers of ice to meet my charge, but they also could not stand before my fury. The blades broke upon contact, just like everything else. The broken halves flew in the air and I knew Esdeath wouldn't have time to retreat. She committed to a retaliatory attack and it failed her, and now my hand would meet her chest and she would know justice.

So why was she smiling?

My eyes widened in realization, but I didn't have time to perform a counter. Just like Esdeath did, I over-committed to my own attack and I couldn't shift my momentum so easily. Pain erupted from the back of my left shoulder and my attack went off target. Instead of piercing through her chest and ending her life, my hand sliced along the side of her left arm, and although I could see her severed muscles and even the white of her bones, I knew she considered this trade her victory.

My right shoulder ached from the place her broken saber stabbed into me. I could feel her cold energy trying to freeze me from the inside, but one cycle of prana was enough to prevent that from happening.

"It seems we both ended up missing the fatal strike… How upsetting." Her words, although soft spoken, held this satisfied hunger to them. Her blood flew freely from her wound, staining my pant legs a sickly red.

I refused to respond, my right leg shot out only to meet the ever-so-familiar resistance Esdeath's ice presented. It still served its purpose, I no longer had to hear her cackle in my ear like a craved beast. She hobbled her way over to Budou, laughing all the while, and I could see ice forming over the wound I gave her, stemming the heavy flow of blood it gushed earlier.

My right hand itched to incinerate her, but the mana cost was higher than I was comfortable spending. Not to mention Budou was standing beside her and his attacks could counter my own, which would just be a waste of mana on my part.

I removed the shards of ice which were lodged in my left shoulder, and her broken weapon from my right. Unlike Esdeath, I let my blood to continue flowing. Technically, I could use the Almighty Key to browse for some restorative Magecraft, but I didn't have the time for that. It was more due to my average skill and talent in Magecraft, and any spells I found would be too long to chant. In any case, the Noble Phantasm in my left arm would accelerate my natural healing prowess. Overall, the wounds weren't anything that would make a difference in this battle. They would slow me down if I were to engage in close combat again but…

Something told me the following exchange with them would be the last.

"You did well to injure him in such a manner. I would have preferred it if you got his legs, though. His agility is troublesome," Budou told his fellow General.

Esdeath let out a small chuckle, "You can't always get what you want. I narrowly avoided death in that last exchange just to apply those injuries."

"Hmmm... very well. I'm going to finish this now. Stand back."

"Oh? So that's why you suddenly stopped. I can't remember the last time I've seen your trump card. This should be a treat."

The moment Esdeath moved her way farther behind Budou, I could see that he was building up a massive amount of electricity. Just by the words 'trump card', I knew his goal was my complete annihilation, and the following attack would be on another level from before. The amount of energy now has reached the level of a Servant preparing their Noble Phantasm, amazing me with the sheer size of it.

It was along the lines of Frankenstein's Blasted Tree: Lightning Tree of Crucifixion. My Noble Phantasm, Right Hand: Evil Eater, wouldn't be of use either because his attack was fuelled out of duty and honor.

Tsk, I was going to have to resort to that, wasn't I? However, even during the Great Holy Grail War, I wasn't comfortable with the thought of using it. It took too much mana and I was barely able to perform it even when I was connected to the Greater Grail. This world might have more ambient mana, but would it be enough to allow what I might have to do without self-destructing?

Pebbles began to float off the ground as Budou prepared to unleash his Trump Card. I was out of time. Thinking about the 'what ifs' wouldn't save me, only action would. My gaze shifted towards Esdeath. There's always the chance that this could end her as well.

Being presented with the chance to eliminate two of my greatest obstacles reaffirmed my decision. Esdeath noticed something when I looked at her; whether it was how my rapd calculations shifted my expression to a surprising calm, or just my sheer determination, I don't know, but concern flashed momentarily within those icy orbs.

"Budou! He's going to try something, you're going to have to do this now!" Esdeath barked at her fellow General.

To Budou's credit, he didn't hesitate. His body immediately lifted off the ground as he started to climb higher into the air.

He wasn't the only one. I also began my own ascent. Mana began to circulate through my arms at an accelerated rate. My Magic Circuits were rampaging and it felt as if my arms could explode any moment. While Budou's climb stopped a little bit above the halfway mark of the canyon walls, a good twenty feet in the air, I didn't stop until I reached the apex of the canyon. I refused to be looked down upon by them.

"Let Heaven and Hell converge."

A pristine orb of white shined with the radiance of humanity's infinite potential in my left hand.

Black lightning circled around Budou, but it didn't matter what attack he released. The end result was already inevitable by this point.

"An end to all things…"

A sickly black orb which held the sins that humanity was fully capable of achieving sat in my right.

"I don't know what sort of last ditch attack you're planning, but it ends here. None can stand before this strike. Resolve yourself to the abyss of death, Shirou Kotomine. Solid Shooter!"

Black lightning shot forth like a beam of dark concentrated plasma. It was an attack fully capable of killing a Servant, and would at the very least be ranked as a B+ Noble Phantasm.

It wouldn't be enough.

"Dual Arm - Zero Order Convergence!"

Both orbs left my arms at incredible speeds, rotating around each other before colliding with each other and Budou's trump card.

Budou's ultimate attack stood no chance.

This was the ultimate technique granted to me. It took from the source of my Noble Phantasms strength and forced it into a frenzied state, the raw magical energy made its way into a solid form which rested in the palms of my hands before being released. The two orbs were always destined to meet, and when they do, all that could be said was utter destruction followed as pseudo-black matter began to consume everything into the void it created.

Budou's attack was eaten by my Noble Phantasm with no resistance, the Great General couldn't move from his position due to himself being the source of his attacks strength. He didn't even have time to roar in frustration before he was devoured by the void. Not even a drop of blood remained. He was simply erased from existence.

My body began to fall. I couldn't support it anymore and the depletion of all my mana and od left me in a state of utter exhaustion. I could feel my internal organs try their hardest to keep functioning, but my ragged breaths weren't getting the proper amount of oxygen to my brain. My vision started to fail me, and I could feel a wet substance dribble out of my mouth, filling what remained of my sense of taste with the bitter tang of copper.

As I fell through the sky, I could barely see the hazy form of Esdeath about to be consumed by my ultimate technique. A brief hint of panic in her eyes before she brought what I believed to be her hands close together in front of her.

"Mahapadma!"

Something felt wrong. A sudden chill overtook me for less than a nanosecond, but suddenly Esdeath wasn't in the path of my Noble Phantasm, nor was she anywhere in the surrounding area. It should have been impossible for her to escape its range. It was an Anti-Army technique, and it expanded too fast for her to simply evade, before even factoring in the vacuum effect it created.

My back hit the ground, and all thoughts of Esdeath escaped me as the hands of unconsciousness claimed me in its dark embrace.