"Just die." Sakuya said, slashing at Yumeko from behind, having just used her time-stop, knives in hand.
Yumeko swung her arm backwards, turning at the shoulder at angles it shouldn't be able to, a sword parrying both of Sakuya's blades, and knocking her backwards a little.
"Let me ask, who's dog are you?" Yumeko asked. "Maids are like their Master's dogs, they obey their every word, and are their best friends. They are loyal to the death, and serve their whole lives, but are looked after in return." Yumeko says, her arm returning to a normal position, as she turned around.
"Don't turn your back on me!" Byakuren said, rushing in again, only for Yumeko to dodge, and make a 'One moment' sign to Sakuya, turning to Byakuren.
"You are strong and fast, but unskilled. You rely on your power and speed, and that will not work on me, Hijiri. While being 'Byakuren Hijiri the Superhuman' may be enough against humans and youkai, it is not enough against me. "
Byakuren growled, and relaxed, as Yumeko turned back to Sakuya.
"So, who is your owner? Who's Dog are you?" she asked again, holding a sword towards Sakuya.
"Remilia Scarlet is my Mistress. The Scarlet Devil, a Vampire. I am known as the Devil's Dog, sometimes." Sakuya said.
Yumeko smirked. "Well, then you pale in comparison as a maid to me, for I am Shinki's maid, if you are the Devil's Dog, that makes me the God's Hound."
Sakuya smirked back. "Makai means 'Deamon World.'. Surely the 'God' of the 'Deamon World' is the Devil? We're both Devil's Dogs, the same breed."
The normally emotionless Yumeko laughed.
"Well then, I am simply of a higher pedigree! Shinki is many times above anything your mistress could be! Being the 'same breed' of maid, that explains a lot of the similarities between us!" Yumeko said, quickly regaining her emotionless composure.
"There's only one way to decide who's pedigree is higher." Sakuya said, before looking at Byakuren.
"Hijiri, you're good at magic that makes people stronger and faster, right?"
Byakuren nodded.
"You don't have the combat skill to handle Yumeko, it's clear. Use your magic on me instead. I'll take her on. Besides... this is for my honor as a maid." Sakuya said, her eyes turning blood-red instead of blue, wisps of dark blue coming from her body, before a light lotus formed around her for a moment, Byakuren's magic activating.
"Are you quite prepared? A mutt of a maid like you, even when made stronger, is still a mutt. Know your place." Yumeko said calmly, as Sakuya dashed towards Yumeko, almost as fast as to be a blurr, and began attacking with her blades.
Sakuya's knives and Yumeko's sword clashed many times in the span of just a few seconds, neither gaining any ground, but Sakuya not being overpowered anymore, Yumeko then jumped back, and a second sword appeared in her other hand, which she threw, and Sakuya elegantly dodged.
"Is that all you have, Yumeko?" Sakuya said, putting some of her hair back in position.
"No, I just wanted to show you something before you dash in again for your death. I wonder if you figured it out." Yumeko said.
"You're just bluffing, that's what you have..." Sakuya began, getting ready for another assult, before Byakuren shouted.
"She was only using one sword! She usually fights with two! She was holding back!"
Sakuya did not react to Byakuren's words, and just lunged in again, a knife in each hand. The clash of steel began anew, before Yumeko phased in a sword sword, slightly shorter than her other one.
"Checkmate." Yumeko said, thrusting with the blade, as Sakuya vanished, appearing only a couple of centimeters out of the sword's way.
"You're too slow with your powers!" Sakuya said, slashing Yumeko's side with her two knives, the blades entering all the way to the hilts.
Then they stopped moving.
Yumeko turned her head towards Sakuya, at least 120 degrees around. There was no blood. It did not feel like flesh that Sakuya had cut.
"Shinki will have to repair that." Yumeko said coldly. "This is the first time that this body has been damaged."
"... I knew something changed about her... about 150 years ago, but I never could tell what it was..." Byakuren said, stunned. "She's... a doll!"
Yumeko's arm moved unnaturally, and slowly, raising the sword above Sakuya, as Sakuya attempted to pull her knives out, but they were stuck.
"Die, mutt of a maid." Yumeko said, dropping her sword, causing Sakuya to abandon her knives and fly back, a slice across her skirt.
Sakuya did not speak, the blue wisps getting larger, before she threw multiple knives of Yumeko, which she deflected. She then threw more knives, some at Yumeko, some towards other surfaces, which bounced off, towards Yumeko, at many angles. The maid in red jst evaded and parried.
"You'll never stop me like this..." Yumeko said, as Sakuya appeared right in front of her.
"Maid Secret Skill: Killing Doll." Sakuya said, as a massive swathe of knives flew from her at point blank, causing Yumeko to fly to the ground, knives in her body.
Sakuya landed next to Yumeko, who stood up.
"A maid is not just like a dog. Not our breed. We are emotionless fighters for our masters. In combat, we become 'dolls'. We do not matter. We are disposable. Emotions get in the way." Sakuya said.
"Yes. This is why you cannot dream to be like me." Yumeko said. "I am God's Hound, Yumeko, the Doll of Misery. I have had enough of this fight, mutt. I shall show you one of my killing techniques, and put you in your place... a grave."
"You think that was my best? I'll embed you with so many knives you'll break into bits." Sakuya said, opening her pocketwatch.
"Time Stop..."
"Space Rip..."
"The World!"
"Gate of Arms!"
In a second, thousands of knives appeared and were thrown by Sakuya, time stopped so she could set it up. Yumeko phased in hundreds of swords, passing through small portals. At the same time, they launched, steel crashing against steel. Each sword easily overpowered a dagger, but there were more daggers.
However, Sakuya's skill was one barrage, all launched at once. Yumeko's barrage continued, and by the second second, hundreds of swords were flying past Sakuya, who was dodgeing to the best of her abilty. A sword clipped her left leg. Her right shoulder. Her right flank. Her left cheek. Then one struck in her gut, and she fell.
"It's over." Yumeko said, looking at Byakuren. "You are fortunate. I do not have time to deal with you anymore, I must reuturn to Shinki and get repaired before she returns."
With that, Yumeko vanished, and Byakuren rushed over to Sakuya.
The maid had pulled the sword out already. Luckily, it seemed the blade had not entered too far, Sakuya having stopped it, but the maid was still clearly in a bad way.
"B...bitch..." Sakuya said, looking at where Yumeko was.
"Sakuya! Stay still, I can heal you!" Byakuren said, before Sakuya collapsed, unable to move. The monk, rolled her over, and began her work, quickly noticing something with the wound.
"Oh my... I had better keep this to myself... if you wanted people to know, you'd have told them, after all." she said.
"You better... else I'll kill you..." Sakuya said weakly.
"Living a lie isn't good, Sakuya."
"It's my choice." she said.
"I know, but even Remilia?"
"She probobly has figured it out, but she doesn't care. I think a couple of others may have an inkling." Sakuya said. "I think most know I'm clearly not human, at least. No human has powers like mine, or would be in my situation."
Byakuren sighed. Taking on burdens of secrecy was no abnormal matter for her, often youkai confessed to her in secret, for advice. She just wasn't used to finding things out as she healed someone.
Byakuren grinned.
"Thank goodness you didn't lose so much blood you didn't need a donation, is all I can say."
"Shut... up."
[Yes, Yumeko's attack is supposed to be a reference to Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. It's also only *one* of her techniques. Yumeko is a *lot* stronger than Sakuya in this story, Sakuya was buffed up by Byakuren and still lost.]