Ashen hair reached the woman's shoulders, flustered by the gale that came after. Her piercing blue eyes narrowed and composed, leering in contact. Ears sharp with skin as pale as an elf, smooth to the touch. The traditional plate armour hid the great strength lied underneath. 

  Whistling a melody, Styril condensed the sound waves within his palm and blasted a sonic boom. Producing a strong force to propel himself away from the woman. 

  With a flip, he lands smoothly back on the road. Finding himself distanced from the Empress once again as he gazed at the tall newcomer, "Enyo… I merely wanted some tea time with your Empress. So please, if you may step aside."

  No response, only silence. Enyo slides her blade in between her palm, washing off the metal bits of her long sword with no fear of cutting herself. Brandishing her sword a few times before taking an offensive stance. Adorned by her martial arts and cold stone allure. 

  He sighed once again, she is who he remembers. Less talk, more action like in the previous timeline. But now, both of them stood on different sides. The shade against the bright. 

  Former allies, he knew there would be clashes with them. Sooner than he thought, and prediction is often different than experiencing it head-on. It may be difficult and risky, but it was for a greater cause. For so he could move on— deeper into the abyss. 

  "Well then, do your worst. I welcome you whenever, wherever!" Styril claimed, widening his arm 

  Enyo turned her blade, closing her eyes as she relaxed her body. A breeze picked up before a gale of wind gushed through the street. Fragile objects broke upon the sudden storm.

  Her figure blurs upon sight, moving fast at the limit of which the eyes can perceive. As if she was teleporting from one place to another. Creating a long arc swiftly along with the distance. 

  Facing the strong gale, Styril could barely stand upright. From the corner of his eyes, he could see metal glistening, emitting danger. With his only arm up, he narrowly blocked the incoming slash accompanied by a loud crackle— his barrier cracked. 

  Chances ahead, Enyo twisted and brandished her blade smoothly. Giving Styril no chance to recover his barrier, she drew her weapon once more. Left, right, diagonal, she sliced from all directions with maximum output as efficient as she could. All under a second. 

  The barrier broke and dispersed under her relentless assault. Leaving Styril with little means to defend himself. 

  Eyebrows wrinkled, Styril took a step away from her, but she was faster. Locking the distance between, he had no choice but to use her tactic against her. Letting his body relax, he used her wind to guide his movement. 

  Enyo frowned, noticing him moving more fluid than ever, "My wind, only I know the flow of it. How could you-" 

  Despite her small voice, Styril could hear her crystal clear as he is the expert on sounds, "Your wind produced sounds, so I can detect its flow. Easy as that."

  Constantly dodging, he avoided her slashes continuously left and right, above and below while walking backwards in fashion— moonwalking. 

 

  "Hmm, you need more practice," Stepping up the game, Styril whistled and formed a translucent stick in his palm. Ducking with a roundhouse kick, his foot connected to the dull side of Enyo's blade. Staggered her assault at one moment and gave him space. 

  Wasting no time, he playfully hit the sides of her body right below the armpits— sensitive muscles. Surprised, ticklish, and slightly painful, Enyo flinched at each contact, "Wha- What are you doing!"

  "Stiff! Too stiff! Loosen the tension in your body, the art of the blade must be smooth like the river!" 

  The situation was reversed, Styril now walking forward as Enyo tried her best to endure from flinching and giggling while moving backwards. 

  "Your shoulders are too stiff as well!" He exclaimed before hitting her shoulders. Repeatedly but in a rhythm, he alternates it between parts of her body. 

 

  "Your legs are rigid! Work them out now!" 

  "Why you- Wait, stop-!" She gasped, as the back of her legs were smacked. Never did she know those spots were sensitive like the previous ones. 

  With a smack to the face, Styril knocked her away into a distance with a blast of sound waves. Leaving a red mark on her cheek like a slap, drawing bits of blood. 

  "Getting beaten by a stick…" 

  "I like to call myself a professional on that topic," Styril chuckled as he dropped his translucent stick onto the road. Kicking Enyo's long blade into the air towards her. 

  With a spin, Enyo quickly grabbed her blade and stood up. Humiliated but cool, her eyes narrowed further— cold and fierce. But then, her expression changed. 

  She gazes down at her body, specifically at the one where she got hit. Moving her arms and legs slightly, she noticed it was lighter than before, "What did you do to me?"

  "Nothing, literally nothing. Believe me or not, I was just enjoying beating you with a stick, you might as well be a training dummy. Never mind, perhaps this would interest you more-" Reaching underneath his attire, he pulled out a surprise— the Empress's crown. 

  

  "When did you-" Enyo took a side glance and found that they were at the same spot earlier, near the Empress's antique vehicle. Looking through the window, the crown was no longer on Empress's head. 

  "I have a proposition, though obviously, you don't get to have any say in this or I crush this crown into bits. So, I will hold the crown freely, and if you're able to cut my left arm before I retract it in under 1 second, you get this crown back. Otherwise, winners keepers." 

  "Hands down, Enos!" She shouted while pointing the edge of the blade towards him. 

  "Are you ready?" Ignoring her shout, Styril applied pressure to the crown. The luxury alloy slightly bent under his thumb. Leaving Enyo no choice but to comply. 

  Sheathing her blade, she widens her foothold while arching her body forward. One of her hands suspended above the handle, the other holding the sheath. Her eyes no longer tensed nor narrowed, only serene. Reflecting images despite the darkened rainy sky. Taking a deep breath, a breeze gathered, as the ends of her hair danced softly to the hums of the wind. 

  "Go!"

  Pushing the blade with her thumb, it glints as a blue hue enveloped her weapon. Gripping to the handle, she drew her sword faster than the speed of sound. Surpassing the bounds of her old capabilities, reaching beyond the limits of swordsmanship. She blurs above comprehension, slicing forward creating a crescent. 

  

  Eyes widened, Styril managed to raise a barrier in time, except for his arm. Gazing at his shoulder, his left arm was no more. Eyeing above, it was falling from the sky and landed with the crown splattered with blood. 

  "Got you, fool," Enyo sheathed her blade while breathing heavily. Visibly experiencing a backlash as she was holding her torso. 

  Screaming, Styril got down to one of his knees. His pained expression masked by his helmet except for his holler. Resonating throughout the streets as he stood back up, facing Enyo's back. 

  "My arm! Its-" He pushed his torso forward, seeming to be struggling with something under his attire. Suddenly, a masculine arm probes out of his left shoulder— his real arm. 

  "-still there!" Opening and closing his palm, he laughed while wiping off his tears. 

  Surprised once, twice, there was no end to this unpredictable man. He acts as if everything was dancing within his palm, and all the little details were entertainment to him, at least to most who have met him. But, there is more than meets the eye. 

  "Your performance was spectacular, and that, I'm satisfied. So please, excuse me, I have a lovely meeting to attend to," He huffed in relief, fixing his torn clothes with sound waves. 

  "No, you're staying. Whether you like it or not but the law demands it," Holding her blade, she rushed forward. Her body riddled with pain, so she was not as fast as her newfound strength, but it was sufficient. 

  Eye contact, Styril kicked the stick from before into a nearby store and broke its glasses. He holds his body in a very shy manner, bending his body forward and spun, "Don't follow me you creep! my body is mine to play with!"

  "I don't want your body, what the fu-," Successfully distracted, Enyo was unaware that he had ignited several fireworks with the stick within the store. Located right beside her. 

  Several fireworks flew through the broken glasses, before exploding into bright colours and clouds of smoke. Temporarily blocking Enyo's view while she was busy avoiding each one of it. 

  "He escaped… what a weird villain," She commented while breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Not knowing where he went, she could not pursue him any further. 

  "At least I have the crown back-" The crown disintegrates upon her touch— a fake. Turning into bits of sound waves while letting out a soft melody. 

  She looked at the crown with dull eyes, iris darkened. Upon a particular recent event, the edges of her lips slightly curved, "Enos huh, at least it would be more interesting from now on."