[i][color=bc8dbf]Jeanne[/color][/i] - [u]That Which Pursues Darkness[/u]

An abominable darkness rose up and devoured the shards that pursued Sage, and she allowed it. He swung wildly about him with his swords as two broke into his flesh, shattering the others into scattered, flickering dust, and she did not resist it. Could she have? Most certainly, but for the moment she would allow the devil slayer to play by his rules for a moment. She wished to see what he was capable of, and what he was incapable of.

Like a balloon that had been pierced by a needle, the consuming void erupted and sent shrapnel flying about. It took only a flicker of her will, and the pointed edges collided against a freshly conjured wall of blades as a long-sword smoothly grew in her grasp. 

Needless to say, it was intriguing to watch the boy.

The shield of blades in front of her then broke, separating and swirling about Jeanne through the air as she remained silently observant. Ever studious of his poise and stance, he kept his distance, he stood far away from her as if such a distance would be his salvation. All the while, the diamond glowering dust of shattered swords created an eerie luminous light that was so fickle akin to a candle's glow about them. Beautiful but eerie, the Devil Slayer would hear whispers upon the air. Thousands of tiny, minuscule whispers, hints of voices upon the air that spoke an unknown, ancient tongue. 

Patience was a virtue of hers, and she waited. The blade in her grasp flickered, and then it took upon a more rigid state. Two dozen blades that circled about her similarly grew into a more solidified sense. There would be no breaking of these swords, each were stronger than the mightiest steel. Each would not be squelched by the shadow. 

Taking her long-sword into the grasp of both her hands, Jeanne mutely rose the flat of the blade so that it kissed her nose. It was a salute, a noble, oft'-forgotten tradition of ages past that one would do if they believed they were against an opponent of worth. Like liquid fire, the blades split, merged and reformed about her until there was only eight of them. Four on each side of her, all pointed towards the heavens in solemn purpose. 

Yet there would be no mercy.

One moment he glanced down to pull the blades of fire from his flesh, he next second he would look up to see his adversary, the Archangel would be upon him. With eight blades of rigidly hardened light that screamed through the air towards him in unison from eight different directions, the most frightening thought was not necessarily even that of the blades. It was the closed state of her helm. Eyelets of abysmal black wept tears of obsidian trails down reflective silver cheeks as the blade was brought down from on high. 

With might beyond might that brought the blade down towards Sage's skull from the heavens, even if the blade came close it would erupt outward in a blast of Light that threatened to sear and burn any that remained even remotely close. If not critically injuring him, it would undoubtedly force the boy back; and there would be absolutely no relent on the Archangel's part. Continually she would surge towards him, unendingly on the offensive as blades constantly circled about them both, seizing windows of opportunity and easily parrying and striking aside any counter he might attempt to throw against her. 

A final horizontal strike with this assault threatened to cleave the boy in half, and within the space of time that it might take one to process even a thought, it was swept upward vertically. Each blow would rupture the very air with explosive light, as Sage would have begun to notice something even more eerie than before. 

The thousands of wisps caused by the shattering of her swords would have begun to disappear each time the blade passed through the air. They curved and moved towards the long-sword that Jeanne held in her grasp. With each tiny partition, each blast that erupted forth with the sweep of her blade grew in ferocity and tenacity. Each of the eight blades similarly grew in size, speed, and ferocity. As the last flickers were consumed by her light once again, the blade she held grew in width until it became a blade he had only seen once before in Augustine.

[i]The Ashbringer.[/i]

Only a few feet away from him, Jeanne's blade swept horizontally across. And a massive wave of utterly destructive force erupted outward that threatened to rend Sage into little more than Ash. So great was her control so precise was her actions that the trees, the flowers, even the blades of grass would be unharmed by this eruption. 

Only Sage would be. 
[@ Akashi Mayhiro]