It didn't work. Something was strange about the beads. Had she misread it? Before she could question further, the Princess ran into the action. "Hime-sama!" She watched the girl as she climbed up and grabbed hold of the beads... draining them? Their color changed... had she been mistaken? They're corrupted, not demonic? The masked man held a strange orb. While she was worried about the Princess, it would be easiest to simply end things now, instead of try and hold her back. She seemed like she could handle herself somehow, anyway. Maybe it was because she was a demon.

No matter. "The orb." Kouko made her way back to the rooftops, and then to the top of the gate to face the masked man. Without a word, she charged him, swinging her sword for the orb with a backhand motion, using her right hand. She expected him to pull it away. Planned for it. Using the momentum from her sword swing, she put her body behind a punch with her left hand, Ki focused into her fist as it flies for his face. Miss or no, her foot would be the next thing aimed for his face. That mask annoyed her.