Tadayoshi and Cessair continue to trade blows, each blocking their attacks until they push each other back from one of their clashes

Cessair: Willing to sacrifice yourself to save those pigs?! How much lower can you get?!

Tadayoshi: I'm already lower than you think

Soon Cessair exploded into motion, charging towards Tadayoshi with terrifying speed. Tadayoshi, seemingly unfazed, began to spin his spear and hurled the weapon towards Cessair. However, he sidestepped the spear and closed the gap between him and Tadayoshi, with his sickle leaning back. Tadayoshi starts to weave and dodges the relentless assault until he notices an opening to which he ducks under a wild swing, grabbing Cessair's arm and using Cessair's momentum against him, spinning behind him and slamming his elbow into the back of Cessair's head.

As Cessair stumbled to his knees, Tadayoshi reached his arm out and called back his spear, which he brought over his head and went for a strike. However, Cessair rips out of Tadayoshi's grasp and rolls away just as the spearhead slams into the floor. Cessair takes this chance to swing his sickles in a wide arc, but Tadayoshi blocks the attacks yet is forced back from the impact. Soon Cessair, regaining his footing, pushed himself up to a standing position

Cessair: Not bad...

Tadayoshi: Wasn't trying to impress you...

He leaps towards Cessair and their weapons clash again but Cessair uses his sickles to wrap around the spear and moves it aside and then head-butts Tadayoshi, who quickly regains balance and then head-butts back at Cessair's face. He stumbles back again but he regains himself and lunges forward with his sickles spinning and goes to strike at Tadayoshi's legs. However, Tadayoshi noticed this and hops back to maintain his distance as the sickles scraped against the stone floor, sending sparks scattering into the air but Cessair continues to charge in an attempt to strike a blow.

Tadayoshi: "He feels too easy to read, what is he trying to do?..."

Tadayoshi continues to block and dodge the attacks until Cessair swings his sickles down in a wide arc. Tadayoshi moves aside the attack and kicks him in the face. Cessair rolls for a second but rebounds but is met with a spear striking into his shoulder, lifting him and slamming him into the ground, head first.

Cessair: *Gurk*

As Cessair picks himself up, he is met with an uppercut to the jaw, making him stand back to his feet, and then is followed up with the spear smacked across the face, making the killer roll on the ground again. Cessair slowly stands back up with blood crawling down his toothy grin which he wipes away

Cessair: No wonder that witch has you for a fiancée... you're a lot skilled than I expected

Tadayoshi: Thought you didn't look down on "commoners"

Cessair: I don't... but it annoys me that your skills are wasted for a Royalty...

Tadayoshi: My skill is only used if necessary... though you are starting to give me doubts on using them against you... You're not really showing much skills...

Cessair: Disrespectful aren't you?... *chuckles*

Tadayoshi: What are you trying to pull?

Cessair: ... Glad to know you've noticed... I was just seeing what you can do... so I know what I'm going up against...

Tadayoshi: "He's doing the same tactics as I was doing..."

Cessair: Now that I've got what I needed, I can do this...

Suddenly Cessair's hair begins to glow bright green and disappears from Tadayoshi's sight. To his surprise, he scanned the room with his spear held defensively

Tadayoshi: So he does have Hue Saturation... didn't think he'd have one since he's almost a Forgotten...

His eyes darted around, trying to anticipate Cessair's next move. He lowered his stance, knowing that he had to react quickly. The air began to shimmer slightly, a barely perceptible distortion that hinted at incredible velocity. Suddenly a sickle flashed into existence, slamming against Tadayoshi's spear shaft with enough force to send vibrations shuddering up his arms. He barely managed to deflect the blow, the impact nearly dislodging the spear from his grip

Tadayoshi: "Shit! I-"

Suddenly he is cut from behind and he grunts in pain and turns around only to get his chest cut like an X mark but it didn't stop there as he was getting overwhelmed by the rapid cuts all around him that he couldn't see

Tadayoshi: "He's not giving me a chance to move!"

He tries to dodge or block the ongoing attack but couldn't find an opening escape until Cessair reappears in front of him with both his sickles stretched behind him

Cessair: Sickle Technique... Bloody Riot!

He rapidly swings both of his sickles, creating a close-range barrage of air-cuts that slice all over Tadayoshi's chest, pushing him back as he spits out some blood. Before Tadayoshi can recover, Cessair stabs him in the shoulder while passing by. Using his momentum, he spins and throws Tadayoshi into a wall. Tadayoshi stumbles to the ground from the impact, while Cessair shimmers back into existence a few feet away, his sickles dripping with crimson. He walks toward Tadayoshi, a predatory grin splitting his shadowed face as he looks down at him

Cessair: Shame really... we could've been partners...

Tadayoshi: As if I want to be partners with a psychopath...

Cessair: ... *chuckles* How harsh... but you fought well, I'll give you that...

He raises his sickle over his head while Tadayoshi stands up to his knees while gripping his spear, ready to block the attack

Cessair: But you're far too delusional to be convinced...

He swings down on Tadayoshi, who goes to block, but suddenly a loud gunshot is heard and something hits Cessair's shoulder, throwing him off and knocking him onto his back. Tadayoshi looks behind to see Rachel with her hair glowing, reloads her sniper rifle while approaching him

Tadayoshi: I told you to get out of here...

Rachel: You said if I want to prove I'm not like my mother, I'll help others. So I'm helping you!

Tadayoshi: I can handle this myself...

Rachel: Clearly you were handling him, considering the multiple stab wounds and the fact that you look like you were getting your ass kicked by a very angry sewing machine.

Tadayoshi: I know...

He pushes himself to his feet, wincing at the pain that lances through his shoulder and chest but brushes past it

Rachel: Well, either way, you're gonna need me cause you know he's not gonna give you time to think

Tadayoshi: You-

Soon Cessair, groaning, struggles to stand up, clutching his wounded shoulder. He glares at Rachel, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Cessair: Witch... quite foolish you came back... but I'm glad... now I can gut you!

Cessair disappears from Tadayoshi's sight again but Rachel quickly reacts and shoots again, hitting Cessair in the chest and knocking him into the wall

Tadayoshi: He's wearing a bulletproof vest so your shots won't be able to kill him...

Rachel: Figured, but I'll be your support so you have time to think and take him out

Tadayoshi: You're risking yourself here...

Rachel: Yeah, it's something I should've done with Cassie before... I won't repeat my mistake... so don't try to stop me...

Tadayoshi was hesitant at first but understands that he doesn't want this fight to go on for too long and Rachel's precision and quick reflexes could provide the openings he needed. He grips his spear tightly and turns to Cessair who gets back onto his feet again

Tadayoshi: ... Fine... just don't get yourself killed

Rachel: As long as you don't stand in the way of my shots

Cessair: You think this will make anything different... You're just adding the joy I'll have when I gut you both!

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Kiryu jumps back as Butcher continues to swing his giant meat cleaver around, smashing and cutting down walls as he attempts to cut Kiryu. Kiryu takes this chance to swing his katana across his chest but Butcher quickly manages to block the attack but is only pushed back

Butcher: For a lack of muscle, you do have some impressive strength

Kiryu: It's not strength I'm relying on here!

Kiryu charges in again and swings his blade overhead, but Butcher easily blocks the attack. Soon, they both begin to trade blows, but Kiryu can feel himself slowly getting overpowered as Butcher continues to put pressure on him

Butcher: You're gonna wish you had some if you wanna beat me!

Both Kiryu and Butcher charge and clash their weapons, trading blows with each other until Butcher quickly grabs him by the face, lifting him and throwing him to the ground, but Kiryu swings a sword-beam that cuts across Butcher's chest while recovering

Kiryu: I don't need strength when I can rely on my speed...

Butcher touches his chest to see blood leaking and he roared with laughter that echoed through the room

Butcher: Not bad... perhaps you can be some perfectly cut meat for my upcoming dish!

He licks the blood from his finger and takes a step forward, the cleaver whistling through the air as he swings it again. Kiryu barely managed to duck, the blade grazing his hair, sending strands of hair fluttering to the ground

Kiryu: Perfectly cut meat?

Suddenly Butcher lifts his cleaver again and tries to swing down but Kriyu jumps away as he knew he would be out-strengthened and the cleaver easily crushes the floor that Kiryu was on before

Butcher: I'm a culinary artist! I'm just trying to create the perfect dish! And you, my friend, could be a star ingredient of a perfect dish!

Butcher began to swing his cleaver faster as Kiryu continued to avoid the attacks instead of blocking, knowing that Butcher was putting in more strength than he could handle

Kiryu: You call it art? It's savagery! You're not a chef, you're a monster!

Butcher: Monster? Perhaps! But I have a vision! I see the potential in all things, the raw ingredients waiting to be transformed into something... delicious!

The mad butcher swung his giant cleaver down, but Kiryu couldn't move in time. He blocked the attack with his katana, feeling his arms shake from the impact

Butcher: Out of every meat I have cooked, none seemed to be satisfaction of a perfect dish... but human flesh... they're special...

Butcher swings down again, but Kiryu leaps away, dodging the impact. Seizing the opportunity, Kiryu unleashes another sword beam at Butcher. However, Butcher swings his cleaver at the beam, shattering it. He then slams his blade against the wall, scraping it and sending debris flying toward Kiryu

Butcher: The texture, the marbling... the tenderness! I've sampled from the fallen, the careless... human flesh as a significant kind of meat people are afraid to try! Which is why I want to collect as much Royalty meat in this party as I can. I believe Royalties has a much richer taste of meat!

Kiryu swiftly cuts through all the falling debris before it can hit him, but this creates an opening for Butcher. He suddenly appears in front of Kiryu and brings his cleaver down with great force. Kiryu manages to block the attack, but the impact forces him down to his knees, leaving him immobilized

Butcher: Don't worry... you'll probably work as a seasoning or a side dish. A few precise cuts, a bit of slow simmering... and you'll be immortalized in my masterpiece of a dish once the other are done your other friends...

Kiryu gritted his teeth against the immense pressure on his katana. Although he felt pain in his arm, he pushed it aside, focused instead on the thought of his friends falling victim to the killers, but what haunted him most were the words of a madman and his twisted mind of a chef

Kiryu: ... I've heard enough...

Suddenly, Kiryu's hair begins to glow bright green and disappear from Butcher's sight as his cleaver only strikes dimly to the ground

Butcher: Huh?

Before he could pull his cleaver out, Kiryu appears in front of him and swings downward across his chest again, however, the one swing felt like multiple slashes that send Butcher flying into the wall. Through the dust, he swung his cleaver to move the dust away with wide, uncomprehending eyes, only to see Kiryu in a stance as his hair and eyes are glowing and Butcher blood dripping from the blade

Kiryu: As a chef myself, I will not tolerate your... culinary abominations any longer!

Butcher: Hue Saturation... should've been obvious to me...

Kiryu: Your "art" is a perversion of the true spirit of cooking. It's about nourishment, about bringing joy. You twist it into something grotesque

Butcher: You think people share joy out of food?!... Their joy is fleeting! It's a moment, a taste—gone before they even know it! Royalties will always crave something deeper! The commoners are too busy surviving to appreciate the true art of cuisine. But I can offer them a taste of the extraordinary! Something that will make them crave more. That's the real joy of food, don't you see?

Suddenly Butcher's hair and eyes begin to glow bright dark red as he only gives a sinister smile and rests his cleaver over his shoulders

Butcher: You're a fool if you think you can stop me. I've tasted the essence of the royals, and I've seen the depths of their flavor. There's no going back now. I will create a culinary masterpiece that will be talked about for generations to come!

Kiryu: ... If you're set on this path of savagery, then I will be the one to carve the end of it! I won't let you harm anyone else anymore!

Both Kiryu and Butcher get into their fighting stance as their eyes and hair begin to glow, both determined to end this fight

Butcher: Try it! We'll see who is considered a real chef!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This story is interrupted by a chibi Knives using her knives to create a tragic shadow play for chibi Mara

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Rive swung his elongated blade arm with great force, but BeatBox deftly evaded the attack, causing the blade to crash violently against the wall before retracting swiftly. In that moment, BeatBox finally caught a clear glimpse of his opponent, who bore a striking resemblance to Frankenstein

BeatBox: Jesus you look like you came out of a train accident and somehow survived

Rive: ... Why?...

BeatBox: What?

Rive: Why do YOU have the voice... so beautiful and perfect...

BeatBox: ... I mean... don't assume that my voice, my helmet can change my voice so-

Rive: You don't deserve it! I want it... I need it!!

In a sudden twist, Rive tears off his remaining arms, unveiling a concealed machine gun that unleashes a barrage of fire towards BeatBox. Taken by surprise, BeatBox swiftly evades the onslaught, seeking refuge behind the corner of the hallway until the gunfire finally ceases

BeatBox: Woah! So you're like... a cyborg! That's fucking cool!

Rive: No!... I'm perfection...

BeatBox: Perfection?

Rive: I was never satisfied with how I looked and was jealous of people who had the best body parts... I wanted them... so I took them...

BeatBox peered cautiously around the corner, still aware of the unnerving calm that fell after the barrage of bullets as Rive slowly approached

BeatBox: That sounds kinda gross, dude! Taking bodies is one thing, but what about your own identity? Won't that conflict you?

Rive: Identity? I'm trying to become what I was always meant to be! Aren't you tired of looking at yourself in the mirror and feeling like you're not... yourself? Don't you want to be more?

BeatBox remains quiet, and with a gentle sigh, looks away, clearly feeling the weight of that response

BeatBox: I mean, yeah, I sometimes feel... insecure about my looks... maybe it's just a new haircut or some sick tattoos that I need! But... I don't think replacing my face will fix my insecurities... and besides I just want people to be happy for who I am and not my looks!

Rive: You're pathetic!... You think it's that easy? Just accept yourself? Look at me! I've taken what I want, molded myself into a masterpiece, yet here I am, in a dingy manor hallway, chasing after a voice I can't have

BeatBox: I mean there's therapy? I can set you an appointment for you so you can-

Rive: They don't understand the beauty of transformation! They think I'm sick, but I'm just... EVOLVING!

In a split second, Rive lunged around the corner, swinging his blade-arm that crushed the wall but the boxhead was nowhere to be seen

Rive: Huh?

BeatBox: Yahoo!

Rive looks down to see BeatBox crouching upside down, using his hands to stand up and boost himself up to not only uppercut Rive with his feet but to land back on his feet as Rive is knocked to his back

Rive: You-

As the killer springs back to his feet, BeatBox launches himself into the fray, unleashing a flurry of high-speed punches. Rive, on the defensive, expertly blocks each strike, determined to keep the relentless assault at bay and denying the killer any opportunity to counter

BeatBox: You know, man, evolution is more than just taking parts from others to feel whole. You just gotta find what makes you... you

Rive: You're really starting to annoy me... you have no right to talk about being "whole" when wearing a damn helmet

BeatBox: Yeah I get that a lot! But looks shouldn't matter to any of us but it's scary to me... but I'm not gonna let it get in my way from trying to make people be the best in themselves!

Rive: Enough of your nonsense!

He opens his mouth and some kind of gun pops out which the barrel begins to glow to BeatBox's surprise

BeatBox: Bro what?! How many weapons do you-

Before he could finish, a missile shot out, and BeatBox leapt back, barely dodging it. However, the explosion behind him sent him reeling from the shockwave, shaking the entire manor and igniting a massive fire. Seizing the moment, Rive swung his blade arm, wrapping it around BeatBox, and crashed him through the wall into a bedroom

BeatBox: Ow...

As BeatBox gets back onto his feet, he starts to hear a machine gun whirring to which BeatBox quickly takes cover as a rain of bullets is fired into the room filling the air with debris and dust. After a minute, Rive stops shooting and waits for the dust to settle to see if he got BeatBox, however, out of surprise, a shelf comes flying out of the dusty room to which Rive quickly catches with his blade arm

BeatBox: Surprise!

Suddenly BeatBox appears, leaping in the air and punching through the shelf and into Rives' face, knocking him back into the wall

BeatBox: Wow... I can't believe that works

Rive, recovering swiftly, opens his mouth again to launch another missile but BeatBox quickly grabs the gun in his mouth and uses his thumb to block the barrel

BeatBox: Oh no you don't!

He yanked the weapon as hard as he could, which not only ripped the weapon out of Rive's mouth but also snapped his neck, a sound BeatBox heard in shock

BeatBox: Oh shit! I killed him! Wait! I didn't think I yanked it that hard-

Rive: It's useless...

BeatBox: Wait what?

Suddenly, Rive slowly stands back up as he fixes his neck back but his mouth was drooling out blood from the weapon being ripped out

BeatBox: NOW A ZOMBIE?!

Rive: Idiot... I've told you... I am perfection... every part of me has been replaced with not only something better but with a machine... I can't feel any pain and have made myself almost immortal!  So don't think killing me will be easy!

BeatBox: ... Wait?... so you can't feel pain?

Rive: Yes... What-

Suddenly BeatBox appears in front of Rive's face and kicks him causing him to fly through multiple walls and tumble down into a burning room that Rive caused before

Rive: What... was that?!

Rive, out of surprise, slowly gets back up as he feels like his jaw is indented. Soon he sees BeatBox stepping into the flaming room while cracking his knuckles

BeatBox: Then if that's the case, you don't mind how hard I can hit you?

Rive: ... What?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cassie felt the entire bedroom tremble as the distant sound of an explosion echoed through the air. Nevertheless, she quickly redirected her attention to Mara, who relentlessly swung her dagger in an attempt to strike. Cassie deftly evaded the attacks, moving with agility and precision

Mara: Why are you running away? Where was that confidence you had? You didn't land a good blow on me for nothing, did you?

As Cassie continues to avoid the attacks, she could feel her heart hammering against her chest, she was afraid. This was her first time fighting someone and she knew she can't rely on anyone for help, not again

Cassie: I'm not running... I'm strategizing...

Mara: Strategizing? You can't even bother swinging at me for a while now? Such a native heart-

She punctuated the word with a renewed lunge, her dagger aimed for Cassie's exposed arm. But something shifted within Cassie. A memory of Tadayoshi when he helped teach her how to fight flooded her mind. As Mara closed in, Cassie abandoned her frantic retreat and instead, she planted her feet, took a deep breath, and moved. As Mara's dagger sliced through the air where she had been moments before, Cassie flowed around the attack, a clumsy but effective pirouette that carried her behind Mara as her mallet connects and slams the psycho against the wall. Mara stumbled, momentarily thrown off balance by the unexpected maneuver

Cassie: I did it... I did the move!... I wonder if he would be proud of me-

Mara lets out a simple chuckle as she stands back up with a sinister smile on her face to which Cassie quickly gets into a fight stance out of caution

Mara: Guess you still have that fight in you? Good!

Without hesitation, Mara leaps at Cassie and starts swinging a lot faster than before. The thrill of the hit was quickly replaced with fear again as she could barely keep up with blocking the attack and felt her arms and hands getting cut little by little. Soon enough, Mara manages to find an opening and grabs Cassie by the neck, pinning her against the wall

Mara: Impressive...for a beginner, but they always make the same mistakes... but I love when they make mistakes... adds so much tragedy to their eyes~

Mara's grip tightened, her nails digging into Cassie's skin. Cassie clawed at Mara's hand, her fingers fumbling, desperate for purchase as Mara slowly leaned closer to her ear and whispered

Mara: I want to kill you with a tragic look in your eyes... tell me... why do you fight me for?

Cassie gasped for air, struggling against the pressure constricting her windpipe. Each breath was a ragged, burning reminder of her impending doom. But amidst the desperation, a single word formed in her mind, solid and unyielding

Cassie: I fight... to save... Rachie!... from you guys!

Mara: ... You're not lying... but your eyes are telling me there's something for.... what is it?

Her eyes widened with concern as thoughts of the people she cherished filled her mind. Above all, Tadayoshi occupied her heart the most. She felt an intense desire to prove that she had improved—for him—and hoped to become someone more significant in his life. However, Mara was able to read her eyes and understood her reasoning to which she let out a sinister chuckle

Mara: Oh! You're in love! With who? Was it the one with the katana? The boombox? Or perhaps... the spear?

Cassie's eyes widened, a flicker of vulnerability betraying her carefully constructed facade of defiance. Mara's words landed like a physical blow,

Cassie: That...that's none of your business!

Mara: Oh, but it is, darling. Tragedy loves company, and a love story gone sour is the sweetest tragedy of all. Imagine, dying here, knowing he'll never know how you felt. Or worse... knowing he does know, but can't do a thing to save you~

Cassie's eyes widen from that response, the thought of Tadayoshi's despair if she were to die filled Cassie with horror. The idea of failing to make him smile, of not confessing her feelings, and the fate that awaited Rachel surged within her. Suddenly, her instincts kicked in, and her eyes shifted, unbeknownst to her

Cassie: No!

Suddenly, a surge of anger, fueled by fear and desperation, coursed through her veins. Cassie drove her knee upwards with all her remaining force, aiming for Mara's abdomen. The blow connected, and Mara gasped, momentarily loosening her grip. Cassie seized the opportunity to summon her hammer again and swings across the killer's head, sending her flying through the wall and into a room now filled with fire

Cassie: *huff* *huff* What was that feeling...

Soon her eyes changed back to normal as she touched her neck, taking this chance to finally get some air back. Suddenly through the hole in the wall, Cassie could see Mara slowly standing back up and let out a smile through the flames as she stepped back into the room

Mara: Impressive... you did something unexpected... You managed to break free and land a solid hit. Shame that I didn't kill you at that moment... it was a perfect tragic moment...

She brushed some soot from her face, her smile unwavering, as the flames started to grow within the room, flickering around them

Mara: But... the show is just getting started. Don't know why there's a fire going on... but a perfect setting... for the perfect tragedy. Trapped, alone, facing certain death by fire... and all because you wanted to save your little friend. A true hero's tragic fate...

Mara leaps towards Cassie with her blade pulled back over her shoulder and swings down on her, however in an instant, Cassie side-steps avoiding the blade, and then swings her hammer down, slamming Mara's entire body into the floor

Mara: What?...

Fueled by adrenaline and a newfound, almost terrifying determination, Cassie followed up with an uppercut that connected with Mara's jaw, forcing her to stagger back to her feet. As Mara attempted to swing at her once more, Cassie denied her the opportunity, using the butt of her hammer to deflect the blow, then uses barrel part of the hammer to hit Mara squarely in the face. Finally, she spun around, smacking Mara into the wall and stumbling to the ground once again

Cassie: The only tragedy is your face on the floor!

Mara, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, pulls her body out of the floor and looks up at Cassie, to see her standing tall with her weapon as the flames engulf them

Cassie: I will beat you and prove I'm stronger than before to them! And you starting this fight will be your biggest tragedy!

Mara: *tsk* Childish response...

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Art:

Tadayoshi and Amber