<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

Igris pivoted as the catalysts flew back toward Miko, eyes tracking the mana threads Yugi had woven around their hilts. The greatsword in his grip shifted—blade sweeping in a tight, horizontal arc to intercept the incoming weapons. The crimson edge met the catalysts mid-flight with a sharp ring of metal on crystal, deflecting them just enough to send them spinning off course and clattering across the stone floor away from both Players. The Megiddo lances rained down in the same instant. Light beams struck the ground around him, searing the stone and forcing Igris to raise his armored arm in defense. The spectral veil flared once more, absorbing the brunt of the barrage, though several beams scorched the edges of his cape and left faint black marks on his armor. He did not stagger, but the impact pushed him half a step back. The knight lowered his arm. His crimson mane settled as he turned fully toward Yugi. The greatsword rose in a smooth, deliberate motion, point leveled at the Player's chest again. Igris took one heavy step forward, then another—closing the distance with measured strides. The runes on his armor pulsed brighter, the air around him growing heavier. He lunged. The greatsword chopped downward in a brutal overhead strike aimed to cleave Yugi in two, the blade trailing crimson light that left scorch marks on the floor as it descended. The force behind it was enough to crack the stone beneath if it met no resistance. Igris did not speak. He pressed the assault, silent and relentless, forcing Yugi to meet the blade or move.

By now, Yugi had two tomoe rotating around the pupil of each Sharingan. He could see fully the moves of Igris just before they were completed, and sometimes... he could even evade them. Evading happened to be his only option now, as the Knight's Bastion he cast for Miko's sake left him without the ability to cast his own at the time. He'd be dodging Igris's downward slash for the second time today, this time inward to avoid any outward sweeping follow-ups specifically. The catalysts had been knocked from his hand, but... it had also been fifteen seconds since the last time he and Igris were this close to each other. What would happen then? "Gotcha bitch! GET'CHO PAPER UP!" Yugi shouted as another Black Flash uppercut was aimed at Igris's abdomen with full follow-through, as though Yugi intended to wear down that singular point. This Black Flash, however, was joined by his own lightning magic. Igris had a habit of taking hits without flinching, it seemed. Yugi could only wonder how he'd take an electric Black Flash enhancing physical and magical damage alike.

[Apollymi]

Once again a combo so perfectly timed and executed was being disrupted. Blood-Red Commander Igris was a force unto himself. A unit, as Yugi had been calling him this entire time. Miko had tried for various follow-ups and help defense, and had only managed to get a few heals off and to start her major attack with mediocre results at best. The most recent barrage from Megiddo hadn't even properly found its target, and even the shots that did, never seemed to even hinder the armored knight. "This wouldn't even be so bad, if he was't walking us down every three seconds!" Miko griped. Every time she thought they had hope, it was dashed with silent and flamboyant menace.

No matter, it was time once again, for a Black Flash from Yugi and he was close enough to defend himself even without use of his own defensive capaiblities. Miko's mana thread would have time, to snatch up his chokuto and send it flying towards his grip around the time, that the Black Flash's lightening attack finished. At the same time, she was glaring at the Blood-Red Commander Igris, the skill Bloodlust activating once more, to keep him at a lowered status as much as possible. If it wasn't working oh well... but if it was, she'd hate to see him at full power. After Yugi's attack she had approximately 8 seconds. In that time, she'd create another opening for offense and defense, "Megiddo♪!~" another barrage of light lances were aimed on Igris, trying to concentrate the damage and keep his movements at an absolute minimum. If she could slip into the same position as Yugi, in a few seconds, she could also do her best to keep up the damage on that one spot to keep them in line to further the damage against this monster of a Knight.

[Bloodedge]

Igris absorbed the second Black Flash without retreating. The uppercut slammed into his abdomen with a crack of thunder and dark energy, lightning arcing across his armor in crackling black lines. The impact rang through the chamber, runes flaring violently as the blow drove him back one full step, boots scraping deep furrows in the stone floor. A sharper crack appeared in the crimson plating over his stomach, the armor denting inward, but he did not stagger or falter. The crimson mane whipped as he twisted his torso with deliberate force. His greatsword swept upward in a tight, vicious counter-arc, the crimson edge aimed to catch Yugi mid-recovery and cleave across his chest. The blade moved with unyielding power, trailing sparks of dark mana, the strike intended to force Yugi to parry or leap back. At the same instant, Igris's left hand snapped outward. Rulers Authority surged from his palm in a dark, invisible wave. The telekinetic grip seized the chokuto before Yugi could fully lift it, wrenching it from his grasp and hurling it toward the far wall with a sharp clang as it embedded point-first in the stone.

The Megiddo lances rained down again. Light beams struck the ground around Igris, searing stone and scorching the edges of his cape and pauldrons. Several beams found their mark on his armor, leaving black scorch marks and faint cracks in the crimson plating. He lowered his arm slowly, crimson eyes shifting from Yugi to Miko—unblinking, assessing. Igris advanced two steps, boots thudding heavily. The greatsword rose into a high guard, point leveled at Yugi's chest once more. The crimson mane settled as he stopped three paces away. He did not press immediately. He waited, stance wide, blade steady, the chamber's silence broken only by the faint crackle of residual lightning and the drip of Yugi's blood on the stone. He had taken the hit. He had not yielded. The Blood-Red Commander stood ready for whatever came next.

Yugi had been left with a choice of parrying or retreating. The Chivalry armor bonus demanded that he not dodge, but who was Yugi to listen to such things? He'd hopped back, a series of backflips clearing Igris's greatsword and sending Yugi closer to his launched chokuto ─ which he'd also apply a web to, bringing it into his hand again. "Oh right. I said I was gonna skull fuck the next thing I saw if this was a boss room, didn't I?" he said, speaking through a groan as wounds half-healed were only reopened by his recent maneuver. There were quite a few faults in the commander's armor after Black Flash, a lightning Black Flash, and some successful Megiddo strikes. Yugi counted his lucky stars that this didn't seem to be a self-healing sort of boss. However... he found Igris's moments of stillness more concerning than anything. "You know, I think I prefer being walked down to having something way stronger than me just stand there... menacingly!" he complained to counter Miko's point. "But I've got an idea. Let's group," he suggested.

[Apollymi]

The Blood-Red Commander Igris was nothing if not some kind of monster. He took multiple Black Flashes without showing any real signs of damage. He also was capable of reacting to well choreographed attacks. Miko and Yugi had great pacing, excellent teamwork and an ability to match their attack patterns to each other as well as make up things to do to fill time. Even so... both were finding themselves to be run down quite a bit. "Force powers, built like a tank, thinking like a strategists and ridiculous attack speed!!" Miko was uttering words of observation that likely sounded like praise. Well, if nothing else, Igris was definitely the most terrifying opponent they'd come across so far, challenging their teamwork, their current strength and even their brains and strategy. In any other situation, the upgrades they'd managed over the past hour or two, would have enabled them a way less stressful victory guaranteed. This one still felt like it was up in the air, like at any minute they'd be completely overwhelmed and every second of activity felt like the pressure of a full scale battle.

Miko watched as Yugi dodged, a few acrobatic movements getting him back to his lost weapon. She'd pulled it in to have it knocked away by Igris, he really was too clever an opponent. "Careful, Daddy... those wounds need a bit more attention..." Miko murmured. She'd planned to use Healing Pulse through her catalyst and speed along his recovery as much as possible a bit ago, but interruptions had halted that particular plan and once again it seemed Igris was staring Yugi down. "You did say that..." Miko uttered about skull fucking something. If one had to choose a weakpoint eyes were usually always on the list. Given how sturdy Igris's armor seemed to be, they'd make less headway than they'd like trying to bash it apart. "It's definitely menacing, part of the ambiance I think..." Miko said seriously. But there was an idea, they'd group and she'd find out what it was. "Alright, heading over..." Miko said as she kept her eyes on Igris and began shifting towards Yugi. Her guard on it's maximum until she reached his side or he reached hers, whichever happened first.

[Bloodedge]

Igris watched the two regroup without haste. His eyes tracked Yugi's acrobatic retreat and the retrieval of the chokuto, then shifted to Miko's cautious advance. The greatsword remained low, point resting against the stone, both gauntleted hands steady on the hilt. As Miko drew closer to Yugi, Igris took one deliberate step forward. The bootfall echoed in the chamber, heavy and measured. He raised the greatsword in a slow, rising arc. The blade cut through the air with a low hum, crimson light trailing from the edge as he brought it into a high guard once more. His stance widened, shoulders squared, cape settling behind him.

Igris advanced two steps. The greatsword descended in a powerful overhead chop aimed at the space between Yugi and Miko—not to strike either directly, but to force them apart or force a block. The force behind the blow cracked the stone beneath where the blade would land if unopposed, sending a shockwave rippling outward.
He followed the chop with a swift forward lunge, blade sweeping in a low horizontal cut toward Yugi's legs—intended to sweep him off his feet or force him to leap. The crimson eyes remained fixed on both, unblinking, the knight's silence unbroken. He pressed, relentless but controlled, giving them no room to breathe or regroup freely.

With his chokuto at the ready, Yugi had a plan quickly forming. He wanted to regroup with Miko to get things started properly, but it seemed Igris wasn't having any of that. The commander swung his blade just before they met properly, and though Yugi hopped aside to clear the swing, that shockwave was powerful enough to send him tumbling into a support pillar, barely keeping hold of his sword as his back crashed into the structure, cracking stone. "Gah! Goddamnit!" Yugi screeched. It wasn't over for him either. No, Igris appeared hellbent on attacking the male again ─ something Yugi's already pinned body could only react to by lifting his legs quickly. If he hadn't already been inside an indentation in that pillar, he wouldn't have made it... but there was another problem. Igris's slash couldn't cut Yugi's legs, but it could─and did─ slice cleanly through the pillar and caused its inevitable crumbling. "Can we stop targeting me so fucking hard?!" he complained loudly, even while falling to the ground with stone chunks landing on and around his body. That was going to hurt later... and now.

[Apollymi]

Miko began her cautious advance towards Yugi. She didn't trust the silence, she didn't trust Blood-Red Commander Igris to do anything but choose a target and attack relentlessly. She'd seen him do so repeatedly, defending against a magic she was sure should have been capable of penetrating even magical armor. "The walk is back..." Miko uttered as that first step forward shook her soul. Still that downward strike stopped Miko before she could properly reach Yugi's side. She wouldn't move closer while sword swings with magical pressure applied were so freely being delivered. Yet she also knew that Yugi actually needed a legitimate amount of healing. With him being the primary focus she decided the risk was worthwhile so long as he actually got up. She couldn't waste Black Flash in case it was part of the plan, but she could heal him, even from a distance, even without her catalyst, she'd realized this earlier... she only had to actually sing the incantation of her Pulse Healing for it to gain distance, which would also draw attention to her. "Didn't give the details of that plan," miko mentioned loudly enough to be heard, but knowing she could hear, even if he was grumbling about it under his breath. Even so, she found Yugi's gripe to be fair, he'd been taking the brunt of the damage for the longest part of this particular battle, she could draw a little aggro properly to herself now.

" Kyo♪~ dake♫~ wa♪~ (Just for today)
Ikaru♫~ na♪~ (Do not anger)
Shinpai♫~ suna♫~ (Do not worry)
Kansha♫~ shite♫~ (Be grateful)
Gyo♪~ o♪~ hage♫~ me♪~ (Work with diligence)
Hito♪~ ni♪~ shinsetsu♫~ ni♪~ (Be kind to others). "

Much like Megiddo, it was multiple lines of incantation, unlike that one, each line was its own pulse of healing. Even with Yugi crushed under rubble, he'd feel his bones vibrating. His muscles and tissues reknitting, his skin closing up... blood flow returning. While Miko sang she took a guarded stance, readying herself for being tossed again, or even potentialy stabbed? Well.. definitely tossed, he'd not actually swung his sword her way since she'd lost hold of her catalysts. Perhaps that was part of the knight leaning, as well? Time would tell what kind of uppance Miko would be dealing with if she were to be retaliated against, but it was worth it to get Yugi back into fighting form.

[Bloodedge]

Igris stood motionless as the Pulse Healing reached Yugi beneath the rubble, the faint vibration of Miko's incantation echoing through the chamber. The knight's gaze shifted from the fallen Player to the singer, noting the guarded stance, the careful distance she kept. He did not wait for them to fully regroup. Igris advanced in two powerful strides, boots thudding against the stone. The greatsword rose in a swift, rising arc—blade whistling through the air as he closed on Miko. The crimson mane flowed behind him like blood in motion. He brought the sword down in a diagonal chop aimed to force her to dodge or parry, the edge trailing faint sparks of dark mana, the force behind it enough to split stone if it met no resistance. The strike was not wild; it was precise, calculated to test her reflexes and draw her out of position. He followed the chop with a forward step, blade sweeping low in a horizontal cut toward her legs—intended to sweep her off her feet or force her to leap back. Igris did not speak. He pressed the assault, silent and relentless, forcing Miko to react while Yugi rose from the debris. The crimson eyes remained fixed on her, unblinking, the knight's presence filling the chamber like an unyielding storm.

With Igris finally targeting Miko and splitting his attention once more, Yugi could recover beneath the debris. Little passed his lips apart from grumbles, but... Miko did have supernatural hearing. He was sure the silent knight Igris could understand their speech, so he mixed words between grumbles, just low enough for Miko's sharp ears to pick up on them. "Plan... inventory cheat. Eye. Stab. You distract," he muttered in a way Igris couldn't possibly interpret unless he, for some reason, had ears as ridiculous as Miko's. Yugi kept most of his focus currently on freeing himself from the rubble. In doing so, he banished his chokuto back to the Players' Inventory, making it seem as if he'd lost it beneath the crumbled pillar on his way out.

[Apollymi]

The Blood-Red Commander initially stood motionless as Miko began singing. She expected such a thing, figured he might take a moment to decide what to do. She got through a couple of lines before the first interruption came. Miko had kept that careful distance, and been prepared to move for the sake of defending herself one way or another. Though it wasn't nearly as perfect as her observations of other people, she did have some understanding of Igris's attack patterns, she could at least... not step on his toes while dancing with him. That first whistling arc, she spun in a little arc to the left, seeming to want to close the distance, instead of putting more space between them. "WAAAH♫~" a quick note escaped her aimed directly at the Knight with nothing but vibrational power, as a diagonal chop had her hopping backward and slightly to the left to avoid follow-up pressure. All of his attacks always came with an offbeat note, an accent which was crushing and terrifying, as long as she kept track of it... she could technically evade. Even though that chop had put space between them, Igris stepped forward and Miko found herself hopping to clear a low sweep, "MEGIDDO♪!~" she sang that word and another spray of light lances aimed to pierce that armor, beat down on him...

Why then? Well... she'd heard the grumblings of Yugi as she danced around Igris. Though she'd only barely kept herself ahead of him, she could hear between heavy footsteps, and falling stone, a plan. It was simple, a bit rough and definitely didn't count as chivalrous but... with it being a them or Igris situation, they had no choice but to choose Igris. 'I really wish this wasn't the knightly type, I feel like I could distract most things with my tits at this point. Oh well...' Her movements had her in front of one of the other pillars still standing with quite a bit of distance to make another move. Her next move would have her coming in this time with the lances of light from above as cover she was coming in with one of those stomach based uppercuts and if it felt right, she'd apply Black Flash if she could clear his greatsword the moment.

[Bloodedge]

Igris met Miko's evasion with unrelenting precision. As she spun left to avoid the diagonal chop, he followed through without hesitation, the greatsword's momentum carrying it into a swift, low sweep toward her legs. The crimson blade cut the air with a low hum, forcing her to hop backward. The Megiddo lances descended in their rhythmic barrage. Light beams struck the stone around him, searing the floor and scorching the edges of his cape. Several found their mark on his armor, leaving black scorch marks and faint cracks in the crimson plating over his shoulders and chest. The knight raised his armored arm in a brief guard, the runes flaring brighter to absorb the worst of the impacts, but he did not slow. He advanced through the light storm, boots thudding heavily. The greatsword rose in a high arc once more. As Miko closed in with her uppercut, Black Flash crackling along her fist, Igris twisted his torso with deliberate force. The blade descended in a vertical chop timed to meet her strike head-on—edge aimed to clash against her fist or force her to divert. The force behind the blow cracked the stone beneath where the blades would meet if unopposed, sending a shockwave rippling outward. Igris did not retreat. He pressed forward, silent and unyielding, the crimson mane flowing behind him as he sought to drive her back or force her to commit to the exchange. His eyes remained fixed on her, unblinking, the knight's presence filling the chamber like an unyielding storm.

It was good that Igris remained so focused on Miko. As a result, he'd given Yugi plenty of time to free himself from the rubble and reach a point of healing decent enough to move about with... relative ease. By the time Igris was holding his left arm up, Yugi was leaping above the knight. He descended in that blind spot alongside Megiddo's beams, appearing only when Igris's guard fell during an attempted clash with Miko. "Interrupting!" he yelled. Miko didn't have to connect that Black Flash attempt, but not because of Igris's counter. Yugi released multiple mana webs aimed to tether the commander's greatsword to the scorched stone floor. He'd aimed the tether point a bit to the right, aiming to force Igris to leave his torso fully exposed or release his sword entirely. With that contingency in place, Yugi finished throwing himself between Miko and Igris, aiming at the latter's face with a right hand shrouded in lightning ─ seemingly aiming to strike his face.

Igris shifted his weight as Yugi descended from above, the greatsword still raised in its defensive arc. The mana webs struck true, latching onto the blade and yanking it downward toward the scorched stone floor with surprising force. The crimson edge embedded itself in the ground for a brief instant, the knight's grip tightening instinctively to hold it in place. The tether held just long enough—long enough for Yugi to slip between him and Miko, the lightning-shrouded fist hurtling toward Igris's face. The knight's eyes narrowed fractionally beneath the helmet. He released the hilt with his right hand in a single, fluid motion, the greatsword remaining pinned by the webs while his left gauntlet snapped up to meet the incoming strike. The armored forearm intercepted Yugi's fist with a sharp crack of lightning against steel, the impact sending a shockwave rippling outward that cracked the stone beneath their feet. Igris did not flinch; the crimson mane barely stirred as he absorbed the blow, the runes on his gauntlet flaring briefly to disperse the electrical charge. In the same breath, he twisted his body and drove his right knee upward in a brutal counter, aimed at Yugi's midsection with the force of a battering ram. The strike was swift, precise, and merciless—intended to drive the air from Yugi's lungs and force him back. Igris's left hand remained locked against Yugi's fist, the gauntlet clamping down like a vice to pin the arm momentarily, while the pinned greatsword began to strain against the webs, the crimson blade glowing as dark mana pulsed along its length in preparation to break free. He did not speak. He acted. The Blood-Red Commander met the assault with silent, unyielding force.

The commander thought he had Yugi pinned. In truth, he was falling right into the plan. Igris's left arm was occupied with Yugi's right. Igris's right arm had yet to free the greatsword from webbing, and it didn't seem he was willing to just let it go. Yugi still had another hand. He couldn't reach Igris's face or body with it from his current position, but he could hold it out... and scoff mockingly at the knight. "Check~" he taunted. Yugi's chokuto suddenly spawned in his left hand, its position perfect for the blade to go right through Igris's right eye.

Igris's crimson eyes widened fractionally beneath the helmet as Yugi's chokuto materialized in his left hand and thrust forward. The blade pierced clean through the right eye slit of the helm, the tip sinking deep into the socket with a wet crunch. Dark ichor sprayed from the wound, staining the crimson plating and dripping down the side of the helmet in thick rivulets. The knight did not flinch or cry out. His body stiffened for only a heartbeat. Then, slowly, his head tilted downward, the greatsword still pinned by the webs, his left gauntlet still locked around Yugi's right arm in a vice grip. Igris did not release his hold. He did not stagger. He simply stood there, the crimson mane hanging limp, the single remaining eye burning with unyielding focus as the blade protruded from his helm. The chamber fell silent, save for the faint drip of ichor on stone. "GET SOME, BITCH! IKOU!" Yugi exclaimed to break the moment of silence.

[Apollymi]

Miko would have been use of Black Flash wasted on a clash, but instead it was completely disrupted saving her a cooldown in the process. With Yugi backing her up she was less concerned about the physical danger but still that save felt closer than it needed to, "Ahtataha!" she vocalized as she pulled her hand back, even so she had fewer worries than she would have, because of an interruption, which kept her out of relative danger.

She'd launched cover and Yugi had taken full advantage. He struck in time to break up the rhythm of the Blood-Red Commander Igris. This Knight was a monster beyond all belief, but it finally seemed like the tides were turning. Sword was pinned down by mana threads and unable to complete a crazy arch and Miko had Yugi between her and Igris restored enough to full form to move freely. Yugi's interruption kept the arms of Igris busy, and his abdomen open. Miko hadn't wasted a cooldown so she was pulling back once more to follow up.

And then it happened, open body, target clear, and Yugi having buried his sword into the knight's eye. Blood leaked out of his eye hole and Miko didn't plan to let that be the only thing. Upper cut prepared, a proper delivery of the next use of Black Flash came to that same broken and battered in space on Igris's fore. "GETCHO PAPER UP♪!" Miko gave that interesting chang and the rhythm of it felt so perfect as she aimed that strike up and into the body of Igris, will her fully buffed strength and her triple digit mana backing her up to crackle into the Knight's armor. Perhaps it would actually break, and he would go the way of Kaito, having his internal organs rearranged? She could only hope, but in the same moment, there was pure satisfaction on her face, sparkling in her eyes. That Black Flash might have become her favorite one over all, but her second favorite of the day.

[Bloodedge]

Igris took the uppercut without retreating. Miko's Black Flash slammed into the cracked plating over his abdomen with a thunderous crack, dark energy exploding outward in a burst that shattered the remaining crimson runes and sent fissures spiderwebbing across the armor. The force drove him back two full steps, boots carving grooves in the stone floor. A low, resonant groan escaped the helm as the breastplate buckled inward, dark ichor seeping from the new fractures and dripping in thick rivulets down his legs. The crimson mane whipped as he straightened. His left gauntlet released Yugi's arm in a sudden motion, the grip loosening just enough to allow withdrawal. The right hand remained on the hilt of the greatsword, still pinned by the mana webs, but Igris did not struggle against them. Instead, he released the weapon entirely—letting it remain embedded in the floor—while his now-free right hand snapped upward. The gauntlet closed around the chokuto still lodged in his right eye slit. With a wet, grinding sound, he yanked the blade free in one brutal pull. Dark ichor sprayed from the ruined socket, staining the crimson mane and dripping from the helm. He held the chokuto aloft for a heartbeat—examining it with his single remaining eye—then hurled it back toward Yugi in a spinning arc, point aimed at the Player's chest. Igris stepped forward again, armor groaning with each movement. The cracked breastplate heaved as he drew in a slow breath. He raised his now-empty hands in a guard, gauntlets clenched, stance wide and unyielding. The crimson glow of his remaining eye burned brighter, fixed on both Players without wavering. He did not speak. He did not fall. The Blood-Red Commander waited, silent and unbroken, for their next move.

What of Yugi? He'd seen Miko's Black Flash connect, and for a moment... he saw victory. That should have been the end of it. Alas, Igris's silence was of the foreboding sort. Something was amiss. Having his arm freed as Igris was driven back should have been a moment to relax, but instead... Yugi's chokuto was jerked from the commander's eye and javelined toward Yugi's torso. The next thing Yugi knew, the entire room was moving... or was it? No. No, it wasn't. The room wasn't moving. Yugi was moving. Red eyes widened as he felt his back connect with a wall several meters away from Igris and Miko. It all happened so fast, he felt the impact before he even felt the sword lodged hilt-deep in his chest, keeping him pinned to the wall as it lodged in stone. "Hrr─" Yugi tried to scream, to make any sort of noise. All he could do, however, was convulse blood with a sudden: 'GUAH!" as his body went limp against the wall.

〔SYSTEM NOTICE — CRITICAL CONDITION ALERT〕

Critical Warning: Partner Status Critical

Yugi has sustained severe penetrating damage to the chest.
Foreign object lodged in vital area.
Internal bleeding detected.
Vital signs dropping rapidly.

Survival Probability: 18% (decreasing)

Immediate Action Recommended:

• Apply healing immediately
• Remove or stabilize foreign object if possible
• Evacuate combat zone (if feasible)

System Remark:
The bond link is straining.
If the Player falls, Resonance collapses.
Act swiftly, Miko.

[Apollymi]

Miko went in... her first utterance of a sentence she felt in her soul made an attack work, resulted in actual damaged to the Blood-Red Commander Igris. He'd been taking damage to that same spot, and Miko's final blow seemed to actually shatter and crack his armor pieces properly. All that layering damage had finally resulted in some visible changes to the steadfast man who guarded an empty throne. Still... it wasn't quite the victory it appeared to be. Miko could feel it after hitting him, that something wasn't quite right. And immediately backed away as she heard a rather sickening sound immediately above her head. The sound of a sword being pulled out of an active eye socket wasn't something Miko wanted to hear. It had a bad rhythm, there was no flow that would make it right. Nor the quick movement that she couldn't have followed with her eyes if she wanted to...

Still, a rather clear picture was painted, as Yugi's body went flying and then a thud was heard and a sickening pin. Before she turned around to see it... she could hear it. The sound of her partner impaled against a pillar with his own sword sticking out of his chest. The System Alert read as urgent but Miko was already on the move. "LUMEN VEIL!" A shimmering light immediately wrapped around Yugi, and a single pulse of healing activated while she turned. She could tank a hit she knew that, but she couldn't lose her partner here today. No, she wouldn't, she covered her own back while sending her catalyst back to Inventory, if only to have them soon enough planted near Yugi to enhance those pulses properly. "STAY WITH ME!" Miko shouted at Yugi as Megiddo fired lances down in her wake aiming to allow her the time necessary to close the distance and remove that sword from Yugi's chest. If she could stablize him and keep him awake she could heal him. It had to work! "LUMEN VIEL!" she demanded again for a pulse that would echo through those two catalyst. She couldn't commit to full pulse healing until the sword was out of his chest. But she didn't want him losing any more of his HP in a moment like this. She couldn't lose anything else, she still didn't know the situation surrounding her parents. Life as she knew it was scattered... her partner was the person she could rely on the most, she refused to lose him.

[Bloodedge]

Igris stood motionless as the chokuto remained embedded in the wall behind Yugi, ichor still dripping from the ruined right eye slit of his helm. The crimson mane hung limp, the single remaining eye burning with unyielding focus as Miko rushed forward, her incantations ringing out and light lances raining down around him. The beams struck the stone and his armor, searing black marks across the crimson plating and cracking the already fractured breastplate further. He did not raise an arm to shield himself this time. He simply endured the barrage, boots planted firm, body absorbing each impact with the patience of stone. As Miko reached Yugi and began her healing pulses, Igris lowered his empty hands. The greatsword remained pinned to the floor by the mana webs, untouched. He took one slow step forward, then another—boots thudding heavily against the stone, cape settling behind him. He stopped three paces from the two Players, stance wide, gauntlets clenched at his sides. His eye fixed on Miko's hands as they worked to stabilize Yugi, then shifted to the impaled form pinned against the pillar. He tilted his helmeted head slightly, as though assessing the wound, the healing light, the determination in her voice. Igris raised his right gauntlet slowly. No telekinesis surged from it. Instead, he extended the hand palm-up toward them—open, empty, not striking. The gesture was not surrender, not mercy; it was acknowledgment. The knight stood there, silent, armored form radiating quiet menace, waiting for their next move as the lances continued to fall and the chamber trembled under the weight of their combined assault.

He did not attack.
He waited.

Meanwhile, blood dripped from Yugi's agape mouth almost as freely as it dripped from his chest. Miko's efforts to veil and heal him were not in vain ─ not entirely. He was kept alive by a thread, willpower and the restoration of lost blood keeping just enough in his veins to promote continuation, albeit anemic. 'FUUUUCK it hurts!' was all he could think for several moments. The pain dulled, the pain returned, the pain dulled again. A version of Yugi capable of rational thought at the time would have understood the periodic return of pain was the extension of his life, even if it was repeatedly followed by that life's shortening. That emergency notification in the System lowered from 18% to 10%, rose to 24%, lowered, rose, lowered, and so on. Difficult as it was to stay alive while hanging from a blade through the chest, it was being managed. 'God... damnit this fucking sucks massive dicks,' he thought further. A weak right hand rose, planting itself on the hilt of Yugi's chokuto. Ah... it was his own weapon, wasn't it? His eyes scanned the room slowly, vision blurring and correcting repeatedly. He saw Igris standing there, waiting. He saw Miko darting in, making every desperate attempt to keep him going. He saw... victory? Maybe he was delirious, or maybe he was onto something. Whatever the case, Yugi couldn't let his partner down either ─ nor could he do anything but trust her in a situation like this. As such, he banished that chokuto to Inventory once again, effectively removing it from a now-open hole from his chest through his back. He'd be falling immediately, but that was better than a hanging impalement.

[Apollymi]

Igris was still following. Miko could hear those heavy footsteps and that sound like oozing. But she had no time for it. Whatever was going on with him at her back, she'd put to the side bar any immediate danger for the sake of her partner. She knew the Veils weren't going to hold, that they would only pulse him up a bit, but that didn't mean she'd let him die or fizzle too far out of range. She held her arms out to reach him by the time she saw Igris with that hand extended, she couldn't figure out what he was doing. All she knew that there was a volley of light lances falling between them and he was still tanking things, menacingly. "I GOT YOU!" Miko claimed. By the time Yugi fell from his perch, Miko was beneath him to cushion his fall. Only now could she truly begin healing him.

" Kyo♪~ dake♫~ wa♪~ (Just for today)
Ikaru♫~ na♪~ (Do not anger)
Shinpai♫~ suna♫~ (Do not worry)
Kansha♫~ shite♫~ (Be grateful)
Gyo♪~ o♪~ hage♫~ me♪~ (Work with diligence)
Hito♪~ ni♪~ shinsetsu♫~ ni♪~ (Be kind to others). "

She laid him down her hands on his chest using herself as a medium she planted her two catalyst around him. She triangulated the healing and began the work. Listening to the echos, slowing the blood flow, replenishing his stores. She had to help. Tears fell from her eyes and onto the boy's face as she tried to keep herself together while she sang to him gently. Just the same another face was peeking through the ether. A pink haired young woman with bright purple eyes was looking up at a lad so close to death she was almost surprised to see him. Light colored hair and eyes full of magic peeked at him from somewhere so close and yet so far away. "I don't think it's your time yet," that mysterious voice seemed to say, before casually flicking her eyes in a different direction. In pure panic Miko continued to cast Veil intermittenly. She'd do everything possible to keep him grounded while that wound in his chest closed and she patched the area in his chest cavity.

[Bloodedge]

Igris halted his advance three paces from the fallen Yugi and the kneeling Miko. The crimson mane hung limp beneath his helm, ichor still dripping in slow, thick rivulets from the ruined right eye slit. The cracked breastplate rose and fell with labored breaths, the runes along the armor flickering weakly, their glow dimming with each passing second.
He lowered his empty hands to his sides, gauntlets unclenched. The greatsword remained embedded in the floor where he had left it, webs still clinging to the blade, but he made no move to retrieve it. His single remaining eye fixed on the two Players—unblinking, assessing—as Miko's incantation filled the chamber and her healing pulses washed over Yugi's broken form.

The knight did not press forward.
He did not raise a hand.
He simply stood, armored form swaying ever so slightly, the weight of centuries pressing down on shoulders that had carried far heavier burdens. The crimson glow in his eye dimmed further, the light fading to a dull ember.
For the first time since the doors had opened, Igris did not move.
He waited, silent, the chamber's silence broken only by Miko's song and the faint drip of ichor on stone.
The Blood-Red Commander was close to the end of his rope.

Also during the healing process, Yugi was... not mentally in this world ─ at least not entirely. Delirium had taken him. He was certain Miko and Igris were no longer around, replaced by some impossibly gorgeous pink-haired woman with the most inviting aura. It wasn't his time yet, she thought aloud. That woman turned her gaze away, but Yugi reached out ─ or thought he did. "Uhh, no? It can be my time if you want! I've got all the time in the world for whatever you wanna do ─ especially if it's me!" he pleaded, smitten with the mysterious figure instantly. Yugi could feel his own heart thumping furiously in his chest... or was that actually the beginning of his heartbeat's return to normal functionality?