But rather than converting Phee’s body into a bloody fireball, it was deflected by a glowing barrier that appeared as it was struck, inches away from Phee’s shoulder. It was a magical ward, much like one Sophia had worn during the battle. Phee’s enchanted earrings produced an uncomfortable heat, a side-effect of the ward’s activity.

Phee took aim at the weaker, connective line running through the joints of Lucina’s weapon. She stabbed at it with the tip of her rapier. It caught.

Phee widened her stance, preparing to yank the Bloodfire Blade from Lucina’s grasp. But before the Bloodstone’s clever counterattack could meet fruition, Lucina retracted her blade, drawing it away from her enemy.

Phee hissed in frustration as the Bloodfire Blade escaped her clutches. She had been so close to disarming the Empress and gaining the upper hand.

The Bloodfire Blade returned to its sword form. Lucina played with its weight in her hand, checking that no major damage had been done.

This one is trouble. The Empress decided.

Chimaera S-11’s equipment was formidable. Her sword somehow resisted the Aegis-scorn technology in Lucina’s own weapon, negating its ability to cut through anything. She had a personal shield, that Lucina realised would need a flurry of blows to break through. Phee’s daggers allowed her to switch places with them, making her movement and positioning unpredictable. And, Lucina had still yet to see what the unknown Chimaera’s unique, idiosyncratic power was. Worse of all, the girl was clever and quick-witted.

The two combatants circled each other for a moment, each caught up in their own thoughts. Each looking for an opening.

“Surrender, girl. I will personally pardon your crimes. You will know peace.” Lucina said, trying to tempt her opponent. Phee’s unstable emotional state was her greatest weakness right now. Introducing doubt or distraction to her mind was only to Lucina’s advantage.

“But not justice.” Phee snapped back without flinching. Her gaze was steady, and her breathing, though ragged with emotion, was still focused.

Phee’s plan was simple. She needed to get in close to strike at Lucina with Veracity, but getting past the large area covered by the Bloodfire Blade’s effective range was challenging. To that end, Phee needed to discourage the Empress from using the whip-form of her weapon.

It came down to a fine balance between aggression and defence. In this situation, even Phee’s enchanted ward earrings were a resource to be spent for either. The barrier they created could survive one, maybe two hits of Lucina’s weapon in a short time frame, so long as they were given time to cool off after activating.

If the ward broke, then it would take just the slightest scratch from Lucina’s destructive weapon to end Phee’s life.

But Phee was ready for that possibility.

Phee danced around the edge of Lucina’s area of control, baiting a reaction from the Empress who watched carefully for an opening.

Lucina swung her glowing sword straight for Phee’s throat, swinging again even before the blade had reached its target.

The whip sword flailed around unpredictably. Phee could only manage to parry it aside to defend herself, prompting Lucina to retract the blade once again.

Phee lunged forwards, breaking into a run.

Lucina sent her blade forth yet again, reversing her current course of action.

Phee parried the hasty blow aside easily before the attack could make contact with her ward, sending the Bloodfire Blade tumbling towards the ground. Phee stomped on the flat of the blade, trying to catch it in place. But once again, Lucina yanked her weapon free before Phee could skewer it to the floor.

Phee continued to sprint forward, now seizing the opportunity to close the distance between them as soon as possible.

Lucina struck again, propagating a wave down the long length of her weapon. The tip of the whip-sword was now behind Phee, so she would be unable to defend herself easily.

Rather than attempt to parry a simultaneous attack from in front and behind, Phee vanished.

Lucina whirled around and sure enough, Phee was there behind her, quickly gaining ground once more. But, Lucina had been expecting such a possibility, the Bloodfire Blade was already retracting to its normal length.

A wing sprouted from Lucina’s armour, buffeting the air in front of the Empress and sending her backwards, buying herself precious time.

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The wind tossed up Phee’s fiery hair, and she disappeared into white light once again.

Lucina found Phee just in time as the smaller woman closed the gap between them, lunging at Lucina with Veracity’s needle-like tip.

Lucina’s weapon finished reforming just in time for her to bat Phee’s stab aside. Striking hard at Phee in return.

With her rapier deflected, Phee could not raise it in time to block the Empress’ strike, Lucina’s blade was bent aside by Phee’s ward. Dangerous heat spread from Phee’s earlobes.

With renewed determination, Phee redoubled her efforts. I have her right where I want her!

The two of them exchanged a flurry of blows, each seeking an opening in the other’s defence.

The balance of power teetered back and forth between them.

The repetitive ringing of metal blades striking each other over and over rang out over Al Dherjza as dawn’s rays grew ever brighter.

Both duelists were being pushed to their limits. Lucina knew that Phee’s weapon was capable of puncturing her rune-enhanced armour like it was made of wet paper, and so the Empress struggled to keep Phee’s lightning-quick blows at bay. And just as Phee would find an edge over her formidable adversary, it would be taken away. Lucina’s morphic metal acted prophylactically, striking unpredictably at Phee’s weak points with needle-like protrusions.

Exhilarating seconds became an exhausting minute.

The uncomfortable, burning heat from Phee’s earrings grew and grew despite her best efforts.

Slowly but surely, the Incandestine ruler was finding the upper hand.

And eventually, the difference in ability between the two swordswomen was too great. With sweat dripping down her brow, Lucina saw her opportunity and raised her weapon high. Phee’s stance did not have the angle to defend her. Lucina’s strike would burst through the Bloodstone’s ward and end the duel then and there.

But the defiant light did not leave Phee’s eyes even as Lucina’s blow smashed through the magical ward defending her.

Phee disappeared in a pillar of white light.

A piercing pain blossomed in Lucina’s left knee. An uncomfortable crunch and pop could be heard as it was run through, a golden needle sticking through it.

Phee lay on the ground at Lucina’s side, drenched in sweat. At the last moment, the younger girl had managed put one of her daggers there as she exchanged blows with the Empress.

Lucina collapsed, brought onto her knees. But even as she fell, she struck at the prone Phee with a whip-like expansion of her weapon.

In the barest nick of time, Phee disappeared into a pillar of white light once again.

Whirling around, Lucina saw nothing. Phee had already disappeared.

“You will pay for that.” The Empress declared through gritted teeth, the pain of her injury already numbing as her advanced technology began to heal her once again.

Phee couldn’t let this opportunity slip by. She needed to end things now before Lucina was able to stand and fight properly once again.

But with no ward, the slightest mistake could cost Phee her life. So, she teleported rapidly all over the rooftop, trying to find a gap in Lucina’s now crippled guard. She would only need to strike once to mulch the Empress’ brain with the tip of her rapier.

Lucina spotted Phee out of the corner of her eye, but the instant Lucina subconsciously reacted to the young woman’s presence, Phee had already disappeared once more. It was impossible to track her opponent. Realising Phee’s plan, Lucina let loose with everything she had, turning her immediate surroundings into a storm of orange metal. There was no place to hide, and Phee would run out of daggers and magical reagents to power her teleportation.

There was no sound of Phee’s explosive, fiery demise. No gut-tearing popping sound of skin tearing as blood boiled and expanded from within.

And yet Phee was nowhere to be seen on the rooftop.

The Empress made a snap decision based purely on her intuition. Her morphic armour reacted at the speed of thought, and a single wing sprouted from her back, drawing its protection away from the rest of her body.

The thick, heavy metal mass unfurled with great speed, up into the air at her blind spot.

There was a heavy thud and the sound of crunching bone.

The small figure fell heavily to the ground behind The Empress. The right hand carrying her golden rapier was bent at an unnatural angle; her wrist had been broken by Lucina’s unexpected attack.

The young bloodstone struggled to get up, but a heavy metal foot fell onto her left arm, pinning it in painfully in place. Ragged breaths heaved through Phee’s overworked lungs. The tip of the sword-shaped Bloodfire Blade rested barely a centimetre from her nose.

“I’ve figured out your cheap tricks.” Said the Empress.

Phee looked up at Lucina, blinking and squinting against the morning sun’s light.

“I guess Rolynd was right, after all. I’m no match for you.”

Lucina pressed down on her foot. A painful crack rang out as Phee’s forearm snapped.

Phee groaned and cringed in agony, a sheen of sudden sweat covered her face… but she didn’t yell or cry out. She was determined not to give her most hated enemy the raw satisfaction.

“Where is the Aegis-Scorn? Tell me and I may spare you.” The Empress declared.

Phee paused for breath, gathering herself. Buying more time.

“Just go ahead and kill me,” Phee said defiantly.

Lucina rubbed the toe of her boot into Phee’s broken arm. Phee squealed as the shards of broken bone tore at her own flesh from within.

“I can give life, or I can take it,” Lucina said matter-of-factly. Her cold eyes stared straight into Phee’s own, which brimmed with silent tears.

But Phee was unyielding until the bitter end.

“Compared to Sophia, I’m expendable,” she replied. “The fact that you’re still talking to me now just means that you’ll always be a pawn on the board of Rolynd’s plans.”

Lucina’s armour angrily formed a bladed gauntlet. She swung at Phee’s shoulder, intending to torture the young girl further.

But before the blow could land, Phee disappeared yet again, reappearing just a few steps away.

“See you soon.” Said the Bloodstone, performing a deep bow, both of her mangled arms hung down grotesquely as she did so.

The Empress swung the Bloodfire Blade, releasing it to its full length. No matter how she felt, she could not allow her enemy to escape.

With a smile on her face, Phee didn’t even try to dodge the fatal blow.

Lucina was utterly shocked by how little the girl seemed to value self-preservation.

The tip of the whip-sword plunged straight through the unbreakable thread of Phee’s tunic, and the young girl grotesquely burst into flames. She left behind only her clothes and weapon, crumpled onto the floor. A cloud of ashes drifted from where she had stood, carried away by the wind…