Meruin stared on. The fight was getting more intense, not to mention more dangerous which was [i]not[/i] a good thing. Meruin knew how the gauntlets worked, she even knew how to modify them or make a different version, so it was almost impossible for either of them to come out physically harmed.

No, the problem here was psychological scarring. Marcus might permanently keep this new and disturbing personality, and that was something she could not allow. When Liz unchained the seal on the elemental bound to her and allowed her to fight in her place, Meruin decided that now would be a good time to step in.

"Liz, please, stop," said Meruin. It was part-ways a request, part-ways a command. "The fight needs to end now, not for your sake, but for Marcus own. Besides, I'm sure you don't want to reveal all your trump cards in just this one fight, correct? "

A magic circle began glowing beneath Meruin, and she faced Marcus. "Calm down, Marcus, you're not thinking straight. You'll end up hurting yourself if this continues."