"Finally," Fader growled. The shadows that connected the remains of his shield to form wings on his back pumped once to keep him aloft as his eyes tracked the still flying Gi. It was rare when Fader was in a position where he needed to use this Skill, but he'd trained with it as much as possible as he knew that he'd be here in this moment.

The glistening golden furred otter had changed a lot since he'd first seen him. The unclothed scarred otter without a working arm would have seemed pathetic if he hadn't been protecting those noble brats. Aberrant or not.

The second time, he and his clan now wore robes and Gi had realized his Unique Constitution, giving him silver fur. As Fader had leveled and trained and cultivated, Gi had been thrown into the blender of the monster's world. In a way, it was admirable that he survived at all.

Like a leaf caught in a hurricane.

But it ended here. Fader would protect the Prince. He'd protect the Prince's kingdom. Fader's determination would not fail.

With barely a hint of movement, Fader's wings shot him forward, trailing shadows that drifted through the fragments of his broken armor. Gi movements were slow by comparison and he could see the otter's eyes widen at his approach.

Fader's Core thrummed as he executed Campfire's Fodder from his (Blazing Hands) [Fighting Style.] The horizontal slash covered the distance more quickly than Gi could dodge and it forced his foe to block with his good arm.

Fader's blow collided with his arm like a weight dropped onto concrete. Even with his Demon Steel Robes, a crack echoed through their star-filled stage and reverberated off of the glass pillars. Gi cried out as he tumbled through the air, losing altitude as he sailed back towards his own Knot pillars.

His foe cradled his arm into his chest, but it didn't appear to be truly broken. Still from their connection, Fader could tell it would cause him agony. Despite the fact that [Armor Break] was burning through his Aether at an alarming rate, Fader took the time to smile. He'd waited a long time for this.

"Let's try that one more time."

Fader launched himself towards his foe, but he didn't seem ready to give up. Still from his position on the ground, he summoned two otters who immediately opened their mouths wide and a huge overlapping cone of water slammed into him. It hurt, but with his Strength and Agility, it wouldn't stop his attack.

His sword cut through the wall of water and slashed downward, expecting monster flesh to be hit. Instead, it cracked into the glass floor. Not even half a hand to the side, Gi cried out from the pain of his attack hitting his soul, but he'd managed to use the water as a screen to block his vision.

Fader raised up his sword to strike again, but the momentum was against him even with Gi being slowed by the pain. Before he could strike or the otter could move further, Fader felt a spike of pain with his own soul. A glance behind showed him one of Gi's summons had peeled off to blast light into the onyx representation of his soul.

The damage was minimal, but the pain was distracting. In the brief second, it took him to ignore the ongoing pain to his soul. Gi had recovered. He darted away from him, but with [Armor Break], it was a foolish move.

As soon as Fader kicked off towards Gi, the otter immediately changed directions.

Directly towards him.

Caught by surprise, Fader attempted to perform a Crossblaze Strike, a horizontal slash that was more like a punch after switching up his grip. Even as quick as he was, it wasn't quite enough. Gi got inside of his guard and slapped one hand against his chest.

[Divine Ire] exploded outward. The light invaded the cracks in his armor, cutting into his flesh. Blood seeped out, dripping over his shattered armor, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Fader slashed forward with his sword and again, Gi darted inside.

This time it didn't stop him.

Fader let go of his sword, its blade crashing into the glass floor of Gi's Soul. The otter only grit his teeth as he continued his attack, but now Fader's hands were free and his [Fighting Style] wasn't called (Blazing Hands) without reason.

Three quick jabs launched out before Gi could even reach his body. All three struck him in the face and he stumbled backwards, blood dribbling down his chin from some cut beneath his fur. Gi's attack still went off, but it barely grazed his shoulder.

Fader smirked at him. "Is that the best you've got?"

"Maybe," Gi said, as he darted back in," but you've played all your cards now. I know what I have to beat."

Fader snorted. (Blazing Hands) was a combat style that focused on quick jabs to halt an opponents rhythm. When an opening appeared, he followed through with a heavy cross to end it. Fader would probably beat Gi on any random day in the training yard, seeing as Gi only had an (Unnamed) [Fighting Style].

With his Strength and Agility advantages? He'd have this over well before his Aether ran out. Fader spun under a palm attack from Gi and blasted him with an Inferno Uppercut. No actual flames erupted from the attack, of course, but the blow struck right onto Gi's stomach, lifting the otter into the air as spittle flew out of his mouth.

To his foe's credit, he shot off a [Divine Ire] to make sure that Fader couldn't follow up on the attack, but for the next few exchanges Gi had to keep entirely on the defensive as he recovered from the blow. With only one good arm, he couldn't stop a few strikes from sneaking in on his weak side.

After throwing one of the hooks to Gi's weak side, Fader let loose Blazing Jab that was the signature of his style. Gi tried to deflect the attack, but he was far too slow, and it struck him hard in the shoulder, opening up another cut beneath his fur.

Strangely, he released the most pathetic light attack from his palm that Fader had ever seen. A flickering candle would have more strength to it. Was he running out of Aether?

He turned his attention to their connection, but he still had more than Fader did. After his initial bombardment, his Aether had stayed fairly steady. So what was he doing? The look in Gi's eyes wasn't angry or pained or frustrated.

His eyes had a glazed over look and he stared directly at Fader's chest.

Fader let out a flurry of jabs, no longer aiming simply for Gi's face. Gi continued trying to dodge or block them, but he only managed one in three. The others beat away at his flesh opening up new cuts across his body, but that strange look of concentration never went away.

"What are you doing?" Fader growled, unable to stop the words from bubbling to his lips as their connection told him nothing.

His eyes never lost that misted focus. "Winning."

Anger coursed through him. This monster had caused him to falter at every major step in the Dungeon. His actions had made him functionally a slave. His actions had almost killed the Prince. Whatever this bastard was doing, he was going to end it.

Fader whipped his fist out and immediately Gi readied his hand to deflect it, but Fader didn't commit. Instead, he halted his feint and brought a powerful hook arcing towards Gi's side.

With satisfaction, Fader felt his fist strike fur and a triumphant grin spread on his face, but it faltered as he looked in Gi's eyes. Why wasn't there any pain?

A summoned otter had blocked his attack with both hands. It surprised him, but Gi's [Archbishop] was weaker than even he was. Fader continued with the follow through of his hook expecting the summon to turn to Aether.

It didn't happen.

The summon wasn't actually blocking his attack. It was attempting to deflect it. Its Strength wasn't high enough to actually achieve it... so why? A weak [Divine Ire] popped out of the [Archbishop]'s paws and the force was just enough to send his hook wide.

This time the summon did disappear, only for Gi's palm strike to pierce through the dispersing Aether and land on Fader's stomach. Another [Divine Ire] this one at full blast shot through him.

A wound had opened in Fader's stomach, joining the damage that had already piled onto his chest. The wound would have killed an ordinary human, but Fader should be able to ignore it for the rest of this fight.

Fader started to dive back into the fight when a broad smile on Gi's face stopped him. The otter was bleeding from half a dozen wounds that together had to be worse than the two on Fader and yet he smiled. His eyes caught Fader's and the grin only broadened.

"I see."

Fader's fist clenched. "You arrogant-" He didn't even finish the thought. [Burning Descent] activated and brought him crashing into his foe. Fire blazed across Gi's front, scorching him and Gi stumbled backwards even as Fader released a flurry of attacks. Two summons appeared, one launching that same weak version of [Divine Ire] and the other shoving Gi out of range.

Gi darted back in and three summons surrounded Fader on all sides, but he wasn't going to dance to Gi's tune. He bullrushed forward. Surprise caught Gi's eyes for the first time as Fader slammed him into the ground and his own body smacked into his soul.

Two summons appeared in front of him, both ready to blast out another [Divine Ire] and Fader tore them apart, but that small delay was enough for Gi to take his feet. His smile had left and his eyes returned to Fader's chest.

"Two is the best I can do for now...," Gi mumbled.

This time, Gi closed in and Fader used a jab to stop his advance. A summon appeared just off to the right and slapped his attack away with another weak [Divine Ire]. It wasn't enough to throw Fader off so he followed up with a cross.

Another summon appeared on the other side and deflected his attack away. This one had a slight bit more juice behind the light attack, giving Gi plenty of room to duck under it and send a palm attack directly at his underarm. The blow wrenched his shoulder backwards, cutting into his torso.

"That's it. I've got it...," Gi said.

Fader's anger spiked and he lunged forward. The two of them exchanged blows like two peasants at a dance. Straining his Core, he drew as much strength as he could into those blows, trying to prevent Gi from having any more openings.

The otter continued to summon and dismiss two of his [Archbishop]s and even Fader could tell it provided a steady drain on his Aether with the speed in which he did it. Even as his Domain, he was pushing the Skill hard to get it to activate that quickly. Unfortunately, it was still nothing compared to the drain of [Armor Break].

Fader had to end it.

As the two of them fought, Fader waited for any type of opening. His Aether continued to drain down precipitously, but still he waited.

"END IT!" Fader roared, and for a half second, Gi's eyes met his.

That was the opening.

With all the strength he could muster, Fader launched a Meteoric Cross. As expected, Gi summoned an [Archbishop] to deflect his attack, but Fader wasn't finished. He activated [Unblockable Blade] and for a moment, his arm faded to shadow.

The summons hands went through his arm and vented light out on the other side. Gi's eyes widened. As committed as he was, he wouldn't be able to block or dodge it. The otter did the only thing he could do and turned so his left side would take the blow.

Fader's fist struck.

A crack sounded as bones shattered and Gi was flung backwards. A bloody streak marred the glass as flew, only stopped by one of the pillars. Gi groaned as he climbed back to his feet. His entire left side had been crushed. His already broken arm, hung limp like it was boneless and blood ran freely from his shoulder down to his feet.

Even with his Vitality, that wasn't a wound that could be ignored.

Fader was already rushing forward. Thinking back to the first Dungeon, he expected Gi to dart towards the water now that he was injured and attempt to stall Fader until his Aether ran out. With his stores practically empty, it wasn't a bad idea, but he'd have enough to end this.

Fader's steps faltered as he realized that Gi wasn't rushing for the river. Instead, he glared at him through a blood soaked face. He laughed as he sped up towards Gi.

"If you want to die so badly, I'll grant that wish!"

Gi didn't hesitate at the sprinting Fader. "I died running away once. Never again."

Fader sent another Meteoric Cross as soon as he was within range and Gi practically collapsed to his knees. The Cross blazed over his head cracking the Sapphire Pillar to an obvious groan from Gi.

An [Archbishop] shoved Gi back to his feet before disappearing and another deflected Fader's follow up jab with a burst of light. Another jab followed the first and a different summon appeared out of nowhere and launched his fist away, providing a small opening.

Gi kicked forward and tapped his palm against Fader's chest. With his wounds, he wasn't able to put any real strength behind the blow. A [Divine Ire] tore through the gaps in his armor and Fader gritted his teeth as more blood started to pour from him, joining Gi's own on the floor.

He'd expected it though and steadied his footing enough to stop him from getting blown backwards. He followed up with jab rocketing towards Gi's head and he saw his eyes widen again.

It wasn't the eyes of someone surprised to find themselves dead. He'd reached some sort of epiphany. Fader could feel it in their connection. Another summon appeared and shoved upwards on Fader's attack. It still scuffed Gi's head, but the otter rolled with it and then suddenly Fader was on the backfoot.

Even as wounded as he was, his speed hadn't dropped much. The otter kept sending out these almost lazy attacks without any sterngth, but his summons continued to flicker in and out. One would thrust towards him and force Fader to block, but it was a feint opening up a [Divine Ire] from the side. All Fader could do was take it as Gi had launched himself forward.

Fader activated a point-blank [Reflect] that wasn't as strong without his shield, but Gi responded with his [King's Guard], turning to light and attacking him from the other side. A [Shadow Charge] gave Fader a brief respite, but Gi swam backwards with the blow, limiting its impact to just tendrils of shadow. They still raked across Gi's openly bleeding wounds, but it just piled onto the pain that he was already in and his eyes never wavered.

Fader's Aether started to flicker as all the dregs were being dried up to and he felt his very Soul try to wring out the last drops. Across from him, Gi panted heavily, holding his arm up in what was supposed to be his fighting pose.

Fader had more Agility and more Strength. How had it come to this?

It took only the briefest glimpse into their connection to find the answer. Gi's [Fighting Style] had evolved. It was no longer unnamed.

(Five Hands Firefly)[Fighting Style].

While Fader had just been trying to end Gi's life, the monster had been learning. Memories of Gi sparring with a Giant Crab for days upon days came to him. At the time, the monster had vastly outclassed Gi in Speed, Strength, and Skill.

Gi had taken that lesson in learning a [Fighting Style] against a superior foe and had used it here. The risky act had left him bloody and broken, but it had worked. It bridged the gap in their stats with Skill even his own [Fighting Style] couldn't keep up with one that incorporated a Domain.

It wasn't learned completely from scratch as Gi had created the building blocks throughout his many fights before here, but even in this dire state, he'd managed to force an epiphany.

"I fucking hate you...," Fader muttered. His spirit seemed to flicker along with his Aether, but he mustered enough for one last charge. Unsteadily, Gi prepared himself to receive his final attack.

Unfortunately, Fader himself wasn't ready.

The Aether that had been controlling his [Armor Break] technique sputtered and died. His Demon Steel Armor snapped back to his body and his shield clanged loudly against the glass of Gi's Soul.

Fader stumbled during his charge as his Agility suddenly dropped and his attack was little more than a wild swing when he suddenly reached Gi.

Gi ducked under the attack, losing his balance, but the back of an [Archbishop] was there to catch him. Another joined and all five hands pressed against Fader's chest before a barrage of light exploded from it.

Even without his Aether, Fader still had his raw stats, but [Armor Break] was a Berserker technique and it had chipped away at his future strength to give him an edge while it lasted. He could barely move in the heavy Demon Steel Armor.

Gi stumbled over and more of his summons appeared. Fader couldn't even try to struggle as they pinned down his arms and removed his helmet. Sweat matted his hair and poured down his face, mixing with blood that had somehow made its way to his cheek.

Fader stared up into the dark sky that showed countless universes and galaxies with stars spread wide across the sky. Somewhere up there, he imagined the Prince was there as well, fighting his own battle in the Dungeon and he hoped it had gone better than his own. He'd failed him for the last time.

"I'm sorry, my Prince..."