Hey, everyone. (laughs nervously) Sorry about the wait, but I lost my flash drive, which I keep all my stories on, and I only just found it today. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I don't know if it's my best work, but I honestly tried.

-o-

The battle between the Goddess of Love and Beauty and Lust the Lascivious raged on, the goddess not letting up at all, and the Sin's nails extended into long, narrow claws that could slice through stone.

Lust slashed with her claws at the goddess, who jumped to the side and countered with her own slash, narrowly missing the Sin's neck. Lust didn't seem at all fazed by this. In fact, she still wore an amused grin on her visage. It was as though she wasn't taking anything seriously. She was practically treating this as a game. This only served to make Aphrodite even angrier at the female Sin.

Lust charged in with a sweep kick, and the goddess leaped to avoid the attack. Lust smirked, having planned for that, and swung another kick. Aphrodite didn't have time to dodge, and was struck in the stomach by the blow. The attack sent her flying backwards into a nearby wall, which her body drilled clean through. She slid painfully against the grounds outside of the Kuchiki Clan's compound.

"Ow…" she groaned as she lay sprawled out on the ground. "That stung a bit." She sat up with her hand in her now-messy blond hair. This soured her mood even further. It'll take her forever to comb her hair straight again, and resetting her three braided ponytails will take even longer. That is, if she makes it through this battle against Lust in one piece.

"You're certainly stubborn, Aph," Lust said as she stepped through the large hole in the wall, an evil grin on her face. "Just like old times, isn't it? You never did know when to back off."

Aphrodite glared at Lust as she stood up again. "Maybe. But what does that matter when time prefers my looks over yours?" Lust's eyes narrowed at the goddess's words. "You're nothing but a pompous little wannabe. You can't stand the fact that someone's prettier than you, can you?"

"Tsk. I don't know whether you're lucky or cursed to be immortal. Just for that, I'll make sure your suffering lasts as long as I do!" She charged at the goddess, eyes apparently changing so that her pupils were slit like a snake's. She swung her claw-like nails madly, a blood-thirsty glint in her eyes. Aphrodite ducked and weaved by every strike, if narrowly.

Byakuya headed for the huge hole in the wall where his wife and the Sin went through. He had to at least be there for Aphrodite, even if she didn't want him jumping in and interfering. He climbed through the hole and continued to observe the battle. He couldn't help but notice that Lust's fighting style to be slowly… devolving. Her attacks before were coordinated and planned out. But now… she seemed to be fighting without much thought at all, as though her mind was slowly becoming more and more feral.

"Such a peculiar woman, is she not?" asked a man's voice from out of nowhere. Byakuya turned to his right, his hand instinctively at the hilt of his zanpakuto. Before him stood a middle-aged man in a militaristic uniform. He had a calm, passive look on his face, as though nothing could bother him. "Lust hates to admit it, but when in combat, she begins to slowly degrade into little more than a beast in the form of a woman."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the man. "Who are you?"

Without sparing the Soul Reaper so much as a glance, the man answered, "I am Pride the Arrogant of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"You are with that woman?"

"Unfortunately. Such bestial actions as hers are beneath me. I only came so that she would not lose her mind here."

"What do you mean?"

Pride didn't reply. Instead, his attention remained on the two women fighting before them. Byakuya faced them as well. He would have to wait and see what happened.

Aphrodite back-flipped over Lust's lunge, landing several feet away and never letting her eyes leave the Sin's position. The dark-haired woman's movements had slowly become more reminiscent of a wild animal striking ferociously at its intended prey. This happened the first time they fought thousands of years ago, when they had both first come into existence at the same time. She had to finish this quickly, before things got out of hand.

"I'll end you, Aphrodite!" Lust screamed in a tone that was clearly craving divine blood. "I'll skin you alive!" Lust's claw-like nails began to curve, and her canines lengthened into fangs. Her dark eyes became blood-red with slit pupils.

Too late to stop that, Aphrodite thought with a frustrated grunt. She had only seen this once before, during their first battle. She could never forget it.

Lust's back suddenly exploded with blood, large, skeletal wings forming and growing flesh so that they resembled the wings of a large bat, giving her a ten-foot wingspan. Her eyes glowed not just with blood-thirst, but with bloodlust. "I can't wait to tear you apart limb from limb!"

Aphrodite braced herself for an attack, but was suddenly caught by a hand right on her face. Lust's wings flapped forcefully, creating gales as the Sin flew forward, pushing the goddess along before shoving her into the ground. The ground erupted into a shower of rock and dirt as they soared by at near supersonic speeds. Soon, the Sin stopped, raised both her hands, and then slammed her fists down into Aphrodite's stomach. The attack forced the goddess to cough out blood, quite feat when one considers the fact that she was an immortal with far greater endurance than any human.

The goddess's blood splatted across the Sin's face. She didn't seem offended by this at all. In fact, her expression was that of sheer bliss. "Yesssss…" she hissed giddily. "I want your blood all over me!" At that, she began to ruthlessly maul Aphrodite's form, letting the blood splatter all over her body. She relished in it.

"No!" Byakuya shouted as he saw this. He drew his sword and about to charge in when, out of nowhere, there was a massive explosion of divine golden light. He shielded his eyes from the blast as gale-force winds forced him back several feet. Soon, the light faded. Lust had been blown back several yards, but was otherwise unharmed. As for Aphrodite…

The Goddess of Love and Beauty literally glowed with an unearthly radiance. Her hair had become a sparkling ethereal mass, and her eyes were practically crystals that shone brilliantly. Her dress flowed in the wind with an air of mysterious elegance. "Lust the Lascivious," she said in a voice that was more beautiful than the greatest songbird. "You claim to be a creature of beauty. But all I see before me is a beast of hideous disgust. Lust truly is an ugly thing."

"Y-you don't know what you're talking about!" Lust retorted angrily. "I am elegance personified! I am the very definition of what it is to be beautiful!"

"You are a revolting demon that deserves to be erased," Aphrodite said with a menacing tone that Byakuya had never heard from her before. The light of her true godly form brightened further, and a sword of golden energy formed in her hand. "Prepare yourself, Sin. This is your last day." And with that, it was over in an instant. The golden sword was plunged into Lust's chest, right through her heart.