The swirling winds were forcibly dispersed by the lagomorph within, revealing his full form to the Proxies that opposed him. His body was covered in an exquisite coat of white fur as a contrasting dark-brown colorization was seen around his face and trailed down to his waist. His tall and lithe upper-body only accentuated his larger, powerful lower-body as his legs were clad in a pair of puffy, woolen pants dyed a deep black.

A pair of scarlet, gilded scarves draped over his shoulders, trailing down to his lower-back with the ends of the fabrics flanking his soft, plush tail that curled into itself. His paws reached for the trio of sheathed swords that dangled over his right hip. Intricate rings carved from blackened wood coiled around each of his digits. The glimmer of the golden, swirling winds that was etched into the surface of each ring reflected off the filtered daylight.

His cold, dull, crimson gaze befell Razel and Cass. His long ears, pierced with twin, earrings that glimmered with his rings and scarves, stood proud from his head of fluffy fur. His short muzzle harboring an unchanging, melancholic frown.

"Otsu, Prince of the Four Winds," Cass reiterated in quiet amazement, staring down the lagomorph before him while he slipped on his aviator's coat. He recognized the being to hail from a rare card in the Fractured Stars Trading Card Game, a discontinued franchise that has been heralded as lost media by enthusiasts like himself.

The reason being stood before him. The summoning of Otsu was no Miracle. This was simply a possibility with the trading cards. While the effects can be observed, the process is a well-guarded secret only fanatics are knowledgeable of.

"Master Alfie has given me his wish," Otsu spoke, his voice teeming with thinly veiled longing. "Let us begin."

Without another second to think, Otsu's visage disappeared. The sound of a high-pitched, spine-chilling whistle filled the space he left behind. Razel felt strong winds rush her way, raising the saya of her nodachi to block the two swords that were slashed in a diagonal cut towards her torso. One of the swords was a saber with an elegantly curved blade and intricately decorated, gilded guard with matching etchings to his rings. The other was plain in comparison, a mere arming sword with no defining features that clashed with Otsu's exotic aesthetic with its simple looks.

Watching the two struggle in their bind, Cass moved to launch one of his yo-yo towards Otsu in a straight shot aimed for his flank. The lagomorph flicked his gaze at the golden yo-yo that he believed to be a mere toy, but Razel knew of the power it can produce, the power that Cass was capable of. She watched for Otsu's next move with giddy anticipation, expecting him to try to deflect the yo-yo that he underestimated.

But, Otsu's tall ears swiveled, picking up on the pressure the yo-yo caused as it barreled through the air, ripping it apart with its sheer mass and kinetic energy. Now cognizant of the danger, his visage disappeared once more. Another whistle rang out from Cass's right, provoking him to raise his arms in defense as the sleeves of his runeweave caught the rabbit's saber.

He felt the sharp edge rip through the thick sleeves of the jacket as the thin layer of Radiance the fabric siphoned from his body proved insufficient. Not that he should have expected it to do much.

His golden eyes looked past Otsu to see Razel sprinting over to blindside the rabbit, but he was quick. With a simple, powerful thrust, he punched through Cass's navel with the arming sword. The sword ripped clean through his body, pinning him to the tiled flooring like he was a mere memento to be thumbed on a pinboard.

"Alfie!!!" Razel called out in rage, unsheathing her nodachi to deliver a swift, horizontal cut. Otsu turned on his nimble feet to deflect it with his second saber, leaving the arming sword embedded within Cass.

"Ha! Serves you right, rodent!!!" the cloaked figure called back, pulling down his hood to reveal the pudgy face of a male Radiant, blanketed by brown hair that was tied into a loose ponytail. Freckles dotted the cheeks of his fair-skin as a maniacal smile pulled on the corners of his thin lips, his light-green eyes watching the action unfold before him as if it were mere entertainment. "Frankie told me to use whatever methods to capture Strafe, and I picked up a handful of new 'pets' to seek her out. The time is now, Otsu, finish her before she gets a chance to use that Miracle of hers! I need to prepare the Gateway to bring out my new collection!"

With his parting words, Alfie disappeared from his perch, leaving Otsu to fend off Razel on his lonesome. Her mind raced with indecisions, uncertainties of what to do next.

If she chased after Alfie, Otsu would just cut her off and she'd be leaving Cass to die.

If she fought Otsu here and now, Alfie would complete his summoning rite and have whatever creatures he has at his disposal go after Strafe.

Where was Oriol? Where was the other crocodile with the nails and the sniper Isles had spotted? Did they already catch up to Strafe?

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A lesser Proxy would give up here.

A weaker person would give up the love of their life and their only child if it meant to be the sole survivor.

Razel was neither. So there was only one option.

Persevere.

Razel saw Otsu bring his sabers to a downward cut aimed for her shoulders. With a quick side-step, she dodged the attack, bringing her empty saya close to the ground to let it drink upon the shadow she naturally casted until it was no longer there. She knew that her saya needed more darkness, more fuel, if she wanted to perform her signature iaidō while also catching him unaware.

Thus, the relentless dance began. Razel maneuvered around the plaza, collecting whatever motes of darkness and shadows she could from the environment while keeping Otsu at bay. She had to end this quickly. She had to protect Strafe and Vox, but her worries did not stop there as Cass's bleeding body still clung on.

Clinging on to that unyielding spirit within himself, the rebellious soul that denied his death at the warehouse, and now he will call for it again. His hands reached for the hilt of the sword, its length being made for a warrior akin to the average Radiant, not an Astral that barely stood over five feet. However, the curvature fit his hands perfectly, as if it were designed for them.

Through clenched teeth, he pulled the sword free from his body. His wavering, golden eyes looking down at the gnarled wound it left within him. His white shirt was stained red with his blood, coating his fur with his spilled vitality.

Then, he saw visions. Visions of the multiple hands that this sword were once wielded by. Hands of Radiants and the paws of Astrals. The hands of warriors and the hands of brigands.

Of kings. Of saints. Of beggars. And of devils.

Hundreds of iterations, all for it to lead into his own. His gaze befell the once plain, unassuming arming sword that had transformed into an immaculate relic once he pulled it free from his body. Breathlessly, Cass took in the beautiful craftsmanship of the weapon stained with his very blood.

The arming sword was crowned with a regal pommel and boasted a curved, two-pronged crossguard with the inner prong connecting to the fuller of the blade. The fuller was inscribed with Librish scripture, inciting him to read it aloud, "Yo soy la Tizona."

"Tizona..." he repeated to himself, standing up on his two, wobbly feet as he held the sword proudly by his side. The sight of him standing was enough to divert Otsu's attention towards him for a moment. And that moment was enough to lead to his downfall.

If the sight of Cass standing defiantly was enough to catch his attention, then the murderous intent he exuded was enough to freeze him in place. The golden, domineering glare of the rat-kin rewired the rabbit's brain, forcing him to submit.

All sound was muted. The environment itself, blurred. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered, the only thing that allowed itself to matter, was Cass and his will he exerted onto Otsu. A deep, burning pain crept along the rabbit's body, his crimson eyes slowly lowering upon the black line that streaked from his abdomen up to his neck.

"Duérmete, mi conejo," Cass spoke, his voice hushed and tranquil as he eased Otsu into a peaceful, eternal slumber. The black line then erupted, cleanly cleaving his body in two. With such a brutal execution, one would expect a visceral display of gore, but his body simply deteriorated into ash.

The only remaining trace of Otsu was a scabbard made from red leather and lined with green velvet. Cass stepped over to pick it up, much to Razel's disbelief as she rushed over to him while sheathing her nodachi.

"Yo, Cass, you alright?!" she said with a distressed tone, placing a supporting hand upon his shoulder. "You shouldn't be moving around, how are you even walking?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright," Cass said with an exhausted and pained smile, sheathing Tizona within the scabbard he picked up from Otsu's remains. A perfect fit. "I don't know why or how, but the Miracle Rye and Vox saw me awaken can stitch up my wounds."

To prove his point, he took off his bloodied shirt, revealing a series of thin, prismatic strings that sealed his injury shut. He then tied it around the wound to continue applying pressure and to offer some iota of protection. He continued to wear the aviator's jacket despite his distrust in it.

"Do you even know how to use a sword? It ain't like your yo-yos, you know," Razel questioned while Cass reeled in one of said yo-yos that had missed its mark prior.

"No, I don't," he admitted, tying the scabbard of his newfound weapon to his belt, letting it dangle over his right hip. "But I'm afraid those Tiger Guard...members won't allow me the time to learn swordsmanship."

He struggled to find the words to call the Proxies that they have been clashing with all day. They wanted him and the rest of his allies dead, this was true, but he could not bring himself to demean their existence as anything less than himself. He wanted to avoid needless bloodshed.

Nothing good would come of it, he thought. Gentler on the mind. Easier to convince himself he isn't stooping to their level.

"Just have to line up the sharp edge to the target, right? Shouldn't be that hard," he said with a weak laugh as Razel looked on with a doubtful frown.

But, seeing him stand nonetheless, lit a fire within her. The flickering flames of his defiant soul had rekindle her own. No more words needed to be said between them, silently nodding towards one another as they knew what must be done: put a stop to the Tiger's Guard and protect Strafe and Vox at all costs.

With resolution filling their hearts, the two pressed on. Razel gave his shoulder an encouraging pat as she led the charge along the still steps of the escalator to reach Alfie on the third story.

Cass paused for a moment upon receiving this gesture of comradery, feeling the pain wash away for a moment as adrenaline filled his body. The persevering fire that burned intensely within Razel transferring over to him, and with this revitalization he ran up along the broken escalator alongside her.

"Just hold on a little longer, Strafe, Vox, we'll all put an end to this nightmare."