The quick reactions of the woman had annoyed Ixion greatly. When the man went on with his attack, she instantly reacted with a magical barrier to prevent the staff weapon he utilized to damage the wound that the assassin created. The only thing that had surprised him with that attack was the sheer speed of the man. His scarred face didn't reveal the fact, but that was something he appreciated. The one thing that the man did, however, which he didn't appreciate was stare at him after he dodged his stray weapon. It wasn't his fault that the man decided to attack the woman while being directly below him. It was as if they were afflicted with an animalistic behaviour, ready to switch targets of more danger. While their attention turned back to the woman before commencing that swinging attack, the assassin knew that he would need to keep his eyes on him in the immediate future, especially after this little fray is over. Who knows if this person was one to hold grudges and to act on them once the immediate threat is dealt with.

The woman's quick reaction also annoyed him because she had reacted to his own attack on her. He had to admit, with his own ability and looking at it after the fact, it was a fairly predictable attack, now she had an inkling of an idea on how his modified kama was used. With that attack, if the chain had wrapped around her head or neck, he would have utilized that chain to his advantage to hang her from her neck with an overhead beam. It was only then she would have the full glimpse of him and his eyes as she died. However, this was not the case and he would have to settle with the chain around her sword and a few broken ribs.

Ixion was on the move already, charging towards her with uncanny speed, especially since he wasn't 100% fit to begin with, the speed in part with him tugging the chain with all his might and him going at full sprint. It was during the tug that he had loss the use of his arm for the rest of this battle, his left shoulder slumping down as he ran. Despite this, his right arm was poised, the kama following his forearm as usual. During this brief couple of seconds of trying to reach her, he thought about what he was going to do. As that tug hadn't affected the position of her weapon, attempting to slash her with the weapon would make him vulnerable, especially if she counteracted. Instead, he decided on throwing his entire body at her, the tip of the weapon thrusting towards her. This way, if she decided to counter attack him and dodged the attack, then slashing would be an option to parry and, possibly, injure her further.

During that time of charging, the assassin witnessed the woman draw a second blade. Unlike the sword she was using, beautiful and serene in appearance, this one appeared menacing, the twin blades looking like grey serpents, the stones on the inside giving it a dark tint to the blade. While this weapon was poised at the second person attacking her, this changed the tactic completely. She would be able to react to the attack, block the weapon while attacking with the other, which would presumably kill him. He decided to carry out the attack anyway in hopes that the other person did the same thing.

This was not the case, however. While he didn't initially notice the aura at her legs, he noticed the flash at her feet. He immediately halted the attack and skidded to a stop as the woman launched herself into the air. Then, he took a look at his surroundings, making sure that if she decided to use a magical attack while in that position, he was ready to teleport above her and deal with her in the air. He was probably more suitable to aerial melee and ranged attack than being on the ground, which was why he was effective in damaging her with his kusarigama in the first place. Pointing her runed sword down towards their general direction only verified his assumption. He was ready to teleport, but his at-the-moment ally was still in the firing line. “Look out!” he roared at him, his voice breaking as it done so. The number of times he has spoken, especially at length, was damaging his voice even more. He would have to be more careful in the future, but for now, that little order was enough to get his point across to help them get to safety.

However, the attack never game as a wicked-tipped pick-like weapon drove through the woman's back, cancelling whatever attack she was about to use. The sudden appearance of that weapon shocked Ixion as he was left stunned, looking at his opponent in the air. Thoughts ran through his mind as she was launched in the direction the pick was travelling, her swords slipping from her hands. Who was this person that had finished off this woman? How long was this person watching them fight? His eyes trailed the woman as she hit the ground, puzzled over the numerous questions that ran through his head. Without thinking about it, he walked towards her fallen body, the pick digging further into her as she came to a rest. From the distance, he knew that she was dead. The tip of the pick would have pierced her heart as it stopped initially.

[i]"Fin'ly she drew it. Di'n't wanna hav'ta save 'er. Easier this way. One down, eleven to go."[/i]

The voice, clearly a man's, rang out to the area of battle from above. All the while, Ixion carried on looking at the woman. [i]Despite being my enemy,[/i] he thought, kneeling down and closing her eyes. [i]You certainly did not deserve to die in such a coward's way. You were certainly a brave soul and have fought valiantly and for that, I will try and make sure that the scum that struck you down will face justice for his cowardice and that your body is returned to the Duke for a proper burial.[/i] If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he would honour his word until it is fulfilled. It was the least he could do for such a worthy opponent. But at that point, he pondered on the last sentence that the man had said. [i]One down, eleven to go?[/i] Was she one of the Duke's elite guard and that this person was going after the Duke, taking his guard out first. Even as a person under the Grand Master's contract, he had his own codes to follow, which suited what his needs were. [i]The Duke must be warned,[/i] he concluded. He knew that if he did this, then there was no going back for him for his actions to the merchant he killed for a contract within the past couple of days if he was arrested. For now, she would have to wait for the time being as he faced the coward and stall him long enough to keep his image in mind for later and be able to describe the man to the Duke's court.

While kneeling down, he placed his left hand with his right to prop it against her shoulder and rolled her onto her side. Then, with his weapon placed onto the ground, his right hand reached for the base of the pick's tip and tugged, pulling the weapon free from the corpse. While changing the hand which the weapon was in, moving it from his right hand to his left, he picked up his own weapon and teleported to the roof. He was unsure where on the rooftop that the man was. Once he was there, he stood up, stabbing the pick in between the gap of the brickwork and turned around, ready to face the unknown force. “Well done,” he jeered at the man, eyes scanning for them. “I never knew cowards are brave enough to attack someone, despite the fact that you attacked my opponent from behind.”