The presence of two apex warriors waved aside all notions of gunfire and peace. The Knight and the Mercenary, two dishonourable Contract-Breakers.

"How ironic…"

This was not a fight to be decided by a single bolt. The Imperial Knight knew what to do, how to disarm and to close distance…

The Contract-Breaker knew he had to work off the slim opportunities a bolt could be thrown - either way.

There were many trumps and aces up Kazuki's sleeves, but none may be able to match the power of a Hazard Shard. Lady Antiar curled each finger together, into one fist. The Shard's amber glow emanated from her power glove's knuckledusters.

Each step Kazuki took down the stairs echoed more dread into his body. His hand started to shake again... Kazuki grabbed hold of it, stopping it from quivering. His face held nothing but unbridled rage and anger.

"Move," Kazuki demanded, glaring at Antiar. His head was tilted slightly, golden eyes stabbing right into Antiar's blazing soul.

"You want to get that checked out?" asked Lady Antiar. She nodded at his hand, with one hand at her side. The other was placed on the hilt of her sword.

"Later. After I kill you," Kazuki stated. "Why?"

'ARBITER!' Nihara shouted down at him. "We have drones coming down the central hallways!"

Gunfire started in the hallways above, connecting to the living room. Lady Antiar kept still. Kazuki glanced up ever so slightly.

'Archius.' Kazuki wanted an answer.

The spymaster answered, 'It's their reserves, re-routing back to you guys, the front's hunkered down into a slog, Obadiah's detail have machine guns.'

'Hold back the drones. Buy me time.'

'Understood!' Václavos replied.

He could hear the two rush away into the conjoining halls, as returning fire halted the drone's advance. They'll have to hold out against an onslaught… It's up to Kazuki now.

Lady Antiar shook her head, sighing. "Triarch Coin," she said. "I pledged to honour all my vows. Contract-Breaker... I do not yield so easily."

How stubborn, Kazuki thought. "Honour? Where's that?"

"Far up above wherever your rests," she replied. She drew a blade and pistol. "I'm no noble. But nobility comes with its own dishonours."

No going back. The only way was forward. Kazuki stepped off the stairs, placing one hand on his sheathe.

Kazuki said, "I can say the same of you." He made it obvious he was looking her up and down. A mocking gesture to this so-called 'honourable' woman.

Lady Antiar grimaced in anticipation. "Kazuki. I am not your enemy."

"Eh-uh," Kazuki snorted. "Is Eliza behind that door?"

Lady Antiar turned to the sealed door, before looking back at him. She nodded. "Why are you here… you only made things worse."

Kazuki rubbed his hands together. The question had stumped him. Why? Why everything? Kazuki glared before his golden bulbs glanced down. "I have my reasons," he said.

Eliza annulled the contract – it's been discharged. Long been discharged, Kazuki thought. So why was he here? In a single moment, Kazuki was stuck, frozen in place. Isolated, Kazuki could only debate that thought.

Why? Why was he here? For himself? No… For Eliza? Yes? Kazuki found unease in the question. Just what was he doing here? Who is he here? Did the Prince arrive… or did the bloodthirsty Contract-Breaker come. Seeking revenge or not, Kazuki could not answer the question.

Lady Antiar broke Kazuki's chain of thought. "Listen to me." Lady Antiar placed a hand out as if to stop Kazuki from taking a step forward. He took a step forward just to piss her off. "We both want the same thing, I can help you… But not directly."

"You call me Contract-Breaker," Kazuki snarled. "And now you think you can help me? When you stand between me and my ward?!" His voice rose with frustration.

Eliza… Kazuki's mind stung with Noah's words. He fights for her, not for her, but for Victoria, Kazuki reminded himself. Contract-Breaker only cares for the Contracts. Nothing else mattered.

His eyes faltered for a moment, before rising in a golden glare, constricted by his rigid exoskeletal frame.

Slowly placing her hand down, Lady Antiar shook her head. "I am no longer asking."

Gold and Amber gazes focused in on each other. Their sights zeroed in for the killing blow.

This was it. Kazuki must complete his Contract.

Kazuki had enough of this charade. "Contract-Breaker," Kazuki scoffed at Lady Antiar, raising a finger with one hand. Then, with the other, Kazuki drew his railgun.

A blast of gold and amber ignited the room into a blaze of light.

An explosive flurry was expelled from Lady Antiar's scabbard. Air and sparks rushed forward as her blade parried away the projectile, but not before the railgun slab had torn her body shield to electron fragments. Its force still made its impact, as she was shoved backwards.

Her boots dragged deep into the floor. Sparks sang around her hair. She countered with a running slash forward, directly aimed at the gaps in Kazuki's vest-plate.

Twisting his hand, Kazuki drew his blade before he could even open fire. Lady Antiar was fast! Kazuki barely blocked the attack, exploding his exospine into a blue rush of energy.

This fight must be kept short. He cannot last the war of attrition... He had to reach that Goldilocks zone between energy usage and his mind's analysis of her movements.

With that in mind, Kazuki noted her movements. His mind and eyes understood it instantly.

Kazuki curled his wrist, shoving it forward and bellowing out plasma. It crashed onto Lady Antiar's armour and shield, knocking her back - only for Kazuki to fill in, swiping smoke aside.

A moment of patience fell on Lady Antiar. Hmm?

Doesn't matter. Kazuki jolted forward. Another pump of his exospine gave away his intent. No attrition. Just a simple, fast and messy brawl.

Reaching just within striking range, Lady Antiar thrust her hand forward. It wasn't a punch. It was a grapple. Kazuki jolted his exospine once again, ducking and weaving out of the grab.

Falling to the ground, he saw a cluster of sparks and ignitions shoot out directly where he used to be.

She tried to fight quickly. Tried to match his own capabilities. Lady Antiar had consistency. Kazuki had blimps of speed… She wanted to end him. To match him move for move. It didn't work.

A fusillade of small jabs and cuts and bolts flicked off his armour and shield. Then, Kazuki's eyes took in her attacks all at once. Perfectly throwing his arm in the way, Kazuki ignited his WRIST-SHOT, parrying her barrage - before Lady Antiar rippled a small explosion across Kazuki's energy shield.

The blast disorientated Kazuki, and the force of the shield bashed into Kazuki's gas mask, uncovering the golden hate as it shot off onto the ground. Another blunder... All the while, Antiar maintained her pacing. Lady Antiar wasn't even sweating.

Does Lady Antiar know?! Did she predict his own predictions?

She looked down at the Contract-Breaker. Lady Antiar, Knight of the Criminals, yanked herself backwards. She narrowly avoided an ankle cut.

Lady Antiar's body shield flickered back to life. It sliced through the air, as Lady Antiar raised her pistol, firing several shots at Kazuki.

Kazuki trudged up, igniting his shield to withstand the bolts. They flickered off, with gunfire raging all around.

"Surrender," Kazuki demanded from her. Sliding upwards, Kazuki broke off into a sprint to the side.

He returned her bolts with own own.

The crack of gunfire slammed into her armour and shield, as the two were in a stalemate. Bright bolts and trails blazed across the air, both dodging and weathering each other's assaults.

She was fighting conservatively. Kazuki was haemorrhaging all he had into the first ten minutes.

It was a blur, either of them. Death loomed over their heads. Misstep is death. All actions were precise, nothing was left out of the calculations, even as Kazuki's golden eyes glanced to take in every detail across the large suite. As Kazuki ran out of bullets in his magazine, he lobbed his gun forward in a desperate gamble to disorientate her. She slapped the weapon to the side.

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His form exploded into a frame of blue, white and green. His ANCHOR burst with energy, sending Kazuki forward.

He slammed into Lady Antiar, bringing his blade up to slash at her. She recovered quickly, slamming her blade forward to block the quick strikes he sent. Lady Antiar unleashed another explosion. However, it flickered directly off Kazuki's shield.

Both combatants flung to opposing sides of the room. Kazuki landed, digging his blade into a wall to stop him from moving.

Lady Antiar crashed up into a high wall. But then, molten flames spewed forth from it. The Champion's Blade dug into the wall, softening Lady Antiar's fall to the ground.

She scoffed, rushing forward beneath an exchange of bolts. Gunfire rippled the counters, the furniture and the walls. Couches, tables and lamps flung as she crashed into Kazuki.

Another explosion echoed in his exospine, another burst of adrenaline and energy. He needed more. In accordance, he demanded such.

Blades crashed with steely screams. Each blow from either side was powerful. Lethal. No quarter was given. Mistakes mean death.

Every misstep was capitalised, and another misstep swung the balance from one side to the other.

Kazuki's WRIST-SHOT scorched the air around Lady Antiar. Lady Antiar's blade dug deep into Kazuki's shield. It faintly penetrated through, cindering Kazuki's arm, before the shield rebounded against her move.

More and more must be invested into this; all or nothing. Lady Antiar is the enemy, and whatever plans she has is not one he will allow to be seen through.

Risks are too high. The worth of it all will be decided now. Who was better? Mercenary or Criminal? Contract-Breaker or Champion Knight?

Sending a strike downwards, Kazuki intended to slash at her face. Only then did Lady Antiar regain her footing. She postured herself and ignited into a second wind of attacks. Twisting her arms, she parried the attack, as a dance of blades ensued.

Each attack was perfection. Kazuki's memory kept memorising and kept countering - placing pressure with each lethal strike. Lady Antiar had to keep herself active. Despite her height over him, Kazuki dominated the grind of blades.

Her technique kept changing, however… Not only that, each attack Kazuki landed felt like it was hitting a brick wall. Yet Kazuki's moves lacked discipline. His mind wasn't in the fight at all!

Beneath the guise of a jab, Lady Antiar drew her pistol and sent a dozen bolts hurdling into Kazuki's body. He felt bolts echo through his arms and legs, his sides and one skimming his neck. He was bleeding. That was normal. Biting through the pain, Kazuki ignited a smoke bomb, before covering himself once more. A shroud of plasma shattered across the room, splattering and cracking the glass windows.

"CONTRACT-BREAKER!" she shouted, her body shield taking the brunt of the damage. "OUR RULES ARE SACROSANT. I WILL NOT BREAK THEM!"

"And here you are!" Kazuki shouted. "Breaking them!"

"Surrender!" Lady Antiar continued. "Do as I say and this situation can be resolved!"

Resolved? No. Lady Antiar is probably playing a third game to Obadiah's tricks. But he cannot bring himself to trust Lady Antiar. The stakes were simply too high.

And that… was simply a shame.

As intended, Kazuki brought the blade down within the cloak, slicing her pistol in two. Slash to slash, she must break under the pressure. Long-range contact is no longer possible.

Her goading also worked. Each of Kazuki's moves was made with more vigour. He will not break his Contract. This Contract… was all that he had left.

Kazuki defended it, even as several blades and objects flew across the living room. Kazuki rushed into the breach of the moment, flourishing and battering away at Antiar's shield.

All the while, she kept her guard up, only giving mere parries and light counterattacks... A battle of attrition. Worst type of battle, Kazuki thought, realising Antiar's strategy.

If she draws him out long, he'll run out of energy... Just like his fight with Svenn.

The loyal Contract-Breaker bit off all that he could chew. And more… More. More energy crackled through his bloodstream.

Eliza has forsaken him. But he doesn't care! To hell with all that! The Contract was all that mattered now, nothing else… Madness and insanity bled from the Contract-Breaker's golden glare.

Lady Antiar was far better in the melee than Kazuki. No. Kazuki saw her moves. Faster. Pristine. Elegant – she was better than him in almost every way. Her experience in combat was far greater than Kazuki's.

No matter what, he couldn't get a good read. She feinted too much and changed her style on a whim. Kazuki's perfect memory mismatched sections. He blundered badly, as Antiar cut a gash across both his arms.

Blood. But Kazuki can't give up… He had to win… But why? His contract is essentially null–discharged. Gone.

Why was Kazuki doing this? The question gnawed at Kazuki's mind, unable to find an answer.

Tossing the question away, Kazuki allowed his brain to be seared. Victory. He can deal with his insubordinate thoughts later.

All his tools must be utilised, even if he wished not to unleash them. Within his pocket, the stone Kazuki held onto started to heat up…

He could feel its seams and dust come to life, slowly.

Knocked on the backfoot again, Lady Antiar erupted a second shockwave of energy in front of her, sending Kazuki hurdling away from the Hazard's raw potential energy. The kinetic force sent furniture rushing into the wall, leaving dents.

Antiar took in a deep breath, pacing each move and motion of her hand and blade with lethal precision.

Kazuki felt his clothes and hair singe with heat, ever so slightly. Energy levels had dropped from the searing damage. He ignored it, as his armour and skin took the brunt of the damage. Blood covered both combatants.

But to make things worse, Kazuki noted that the gunfire above was getting louder… Nihara and Václavos were being pushed back. He could differentiate the precise sniper bolts from Nihara's frantic mag-dumps. But to call it a mag-dump would imply she was missing.

Lady Antiar rushed forward, the two slamming through one of the maintenance doors. Kazuki kept back peddling – did Antiar think his stamina was low? He felt the heat permeate across his armour. It dampened the blow. The Living Room interior gave way to an exterior…

Distance was bought between the two, now the two. "Protecting Triarch Slavers… So honourable," Kazuki scoffed. The necklaces along her head jingled as a blast of energy ruptured Kazuki out of an emergency maintenance door, onto a large walkway...

The two stood outside the Station's outer hull, on catwalks suspended by anti-gravity lifts. Both could see and feel the thick atmospheric membrane surrounding the station. Beams of radiation bounced off the station's shielding.

Each step back on the catwalk heralds the freezing abyss' call louder.

Lady Antiar paused. She knew what she was doing was wrong. But she's a slave to whatever ideas of honour and sacrality she holds onto so dearly. For someone so inclined to protect the innocent and uphold her contracts and vows, she's a fool. Now: her two main goals are separate…

And Lady Antiar is trapped in the middle, unable to side with anyone… If Kazuki loses… Lady Antiar might use him to destroy Obadiah… But that was a risk Kazuki could not accept.

Either side, she will be a Contract-Breaker like him. But Lady Antiar chose her path.

"Then it's... a mighty shame," Lady Antiar bit off. There was conflict in her eyes. She didn't want to do this. Either way, she lunged forward, drawing a small parrying dagger out. "I..."

"You have chosen wrong." Kazuki instantly ripped himself into a new burst of energy. His exospine's charge was running out quickly, but he'd have her head soon enough.

Honour… Was Kazuki doing this for honour? No. Honour died on the battlefield. Honour ceased to be a long time ago… Wrong time. Wrong galaxy.

If not that, then what? No contract. No honour. Yet Kazuki still found himself sacrificing his blood for an objective.

Those this objective even want him?

The two interlocked into a furious furball, slicing and dicing away at each other. Each blow was fatal, blocked or parried by the other.

Kazuki ducked backwards, throwing a Sawlink grenade forward. It erupted, lashing out with steel. The fragmentation blast of a grenade was centralised in strategic angles…

Lady Antiar weaved from the blast radius. The grenade cut the section of the walkway to pieces, slashing at it. It gave a small lull between the two combatants.

Neither wanted to push their luck against the fusillade of steel.

Parts of the walkway were sliced to pieces, sending it barrelling downwards, freezing in an abyss beyond the membrane.

More explosions rattled the walkways. The very moment the grenade's slashes came to a halt, Lady Antiar dove forward. Kazuki ducked and weaved across collapsing steel, only to get a face full of heat… Still, Kazuki retreated calmly.

Should Kazuki bring out Pi? A Phoenix would help… But Kazuki didn't want to risk Pi. Yuki would be sad if Pi was injured… Fuck! Why does he care for her opinion?! No. He can't…

Kazuki placed a hand to his face. Fresh blood. Tch. He wiped it clean off.

Kazuki will risk himself, but not others… Not unless the optimal time can be reached.

The smaller, insignificant wounds got through. Cuts littered Kazuki's suit. Blotches of blood splattered out of Lady Antiar's skin, onto her clothes.

It was turning into a battle of attrition. Lady Antiar remained idle in this, eyes filled with contempt for who Kazuki was. That's right... Those eyes… all the same, even Eliza holds them now…

Kazuki burst forth a cocktail of drugs to send him forward, directly into Lady Antiar's field of fire.

Kazuki's golden eyes blurred with a blue hue. He took in a single strike on his armour. Its vibrations and vector were analysed.

In under a moment, Kazuki blasted away several similar attacks. Lady Antiar was slowing. Kazuki kept pressing his advantage. Each slash of his was faster - predicting and feinting against Lady Antiar.

Lady Antiar shoved herself forward, slamming Kazuki away before taking a small leap back.

She readied herself to ignite another explosion across the field of battle, only for Kazuki to ANCHOR behind her. His brain overflowed with calculations. Antiar kicked backwards, but Kazuki rushed forward. Both sides drew, blasting each other's armour at close range…

Bolts dug into both combatant's armour, but the effect was insignificant. A constant shifting tide of plasma pings, armour dings and gunshots screened their advance.

Amidst the trade, Kazuki was winning. His moves were adapting to Lady Antiar's defensive posturing. "After dealing with you, I'll vent Obadiah into space," Kazuki calmly asserted.

Dragging inwards, Kazuki drew his dagger. An aimed stab was interrupted by the Knight. She sent another deafening shockwave across the catwalks, shaking the hover-lifts.

"You have no idea what you're doing… do you, little Prince?" Lady Antiar snarled back. Now it was no longer about honour… that died on the first blow. No, this was about pride. Ego. Nothing more, Kazuki thought.

Injectors along Kazuki's exospine sent more stimulants through his blood.

The explosion completely destabilised the walkway. Both sides saw portions of its hover lifts deactivate. It was just a matter of time before the walkway would fall into the abyss.

'FUCK." Nihara shouted across the uplink.

'Berserker's been hit!' Václavos reported.

Through the glass windows, Kaz could see her and Václavos retreating to the upstairs sections of the suite.

Václavos, meanwhile, started to choke on the situation. 'SHIT! Arbiter!'

'FOCUS, Sharpie, just hold them.' Kazuki snapped. He lobbed a throwing knife at Lady Antiar.

Her arms instinctively deflected the knife, before she launched she steadied her posturing. Sparks had already singed her clothes and cloak, cindering all that she was.

In the hellfire of chaos, the two fighters paused… Both had their blades drawn. Low munitions meant no more screening. No more probing. Lady Antiar held her guard up in a long boar's tooth… This Knight's blade was pointed downwards, ready and primed to defend from Kazuki's relentless assault…

Meanwhile, Kazuki held his sword high. Upper-level. All to ensure maximum posture and reach.

"So then, what will it be?" the Lady Antiar asked.

Kazuki's reply should not shock anyone. He spoke in Trasian, "To the death."

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