[center][img]https://puu.sh/AJlGU/2a5c58b7cb.png[/img][/center]

[h3][center]Ryuudou Temple[/center][/h3]

[color=7FFFD4]“Owh no…”[/color]

Sofia’s eyes widened as her lips trembled. She spent a command seal, and it caused a disaster. Not only did she murder her sisters shot at winning, she antagonized an ally.

She frantically turned her head around to Serafina, tears in her eyes, and regret on her face.

[color=7FFFD4]“I’m so sorry! I-I only wanted to...What do I do!? AAaaah, Saber is fighting our ally!”[/color] She was practically crying the words out, completely taken aback by this turn of events. She thought she was prepared for a holy grail war, but who was she kidding, this game of death was not meant for her...but her sister was so confident, and she ruined everything for her; she couldn’t quit now, she had to win for her.

[color=7FFFD4]“I...I must get to the Matou’s, I have to apologize!”[/color] As soon as the words left her mouth, Sofia turned tail and began running down the temple stairs, her twitching knees barely keeping up with her pace as she sprinted down with no care for her safety. If she didn’t get there fast, they would lose for sure; she had one goal in mind, and nothing else could draw her attention while it was there.

[hr]
[sub][i]Meanwhile[/i][/sub]

[hr]

[center][img]https://puu.sh/Athp9/75f4ddb245.png[/img][/center]

[h3][center]Ajax’s grave[/center][/h3]

As Takeru listened to Achilles, her face visually whitened, his words rang true, and in retrospect, there was absolutely no way anyone would believe her comically villainous words at face value; she never was good at communication. Yet even so, hearing him pronounce his dislike for fighting allies before denying her as one felt like a stab wound infinitely more painful than the bleeding cut on her waist. She never considered herself an upstanding citizen, but friends and allies have gotten her through the worst that life had to offer; and she just killed one and hurt the other...perhaps these actions really did deserve an execution by her [i]ally[/i].

But she couldn’t do that, she could repay her mistakes with so much more than her life, winning would only begin to make up for this turn of events. And so she could simply not lose her life here.

Already she could feel the killing intent as Achilles continued to converse his feelings to her, and in preparation, she faced the setting sun. That which provided life and warmth to all breathing things on earth; both a loving mothers embrace, and a scorching inferno of raw potential floating in space for all to bask in its glory. Her name; Amaterasu, the sun goddess of all living things. Her power still blessing Takeru to this day, filling her body with the mana necessary to face an opponent as strong as Achilles. A soft breeze enveloped her body, slowly twisting and turning and gaining speed. As wind is invisible to the naked eye, it looked like she merely stood there, but in reality, a strong barrier was already in place, imbued with the mana that the sun provided as well as her own. And then Lancer Prime stopped talking.

[color=#FFD700]“Shit”[/color]

Was the only word Takeru could utter before being assaulted by Achilles once more; every blow faster than the naked eye could follow. If it were not for her instinct, she would have surely been badly hurt already. But as of right now, with the concentration of a predator coming for it’s pray, Takeru was focusing on every single attack heading her way. And even though she could not dodge or block every single attack, any that were not directed at fatal spots would hit the barrier and lose their power just enough to barely poke Takeru’s skin.

Of course these attacks would add up until eventually she could no longer maintain her barrier or she made a mistake. Time was of the essence as Takeru looked to predict an attack as accurately as possible, until after more than a hundred blows, she found it. When attacking with such speed and aggression, it was almost impossible to maintain the same level of strength as when focusing your attacks in single hard hitting strikes, so when a single strike, one that she understood completely, it’s angle, it’s velocity, it’s intent, would falter for even the smallest percentage, she would move.

As soon as it hit her barrier, she redirected all the wind energy surrounding her to propel herself forward, both the energy of the sun and her own combining into speed almost able to match that of the fastest man on earth. Though the spear slashed the edge of her shoulder as the barrier dissipated, the closing of distance allowed her to do something else entirely.

She would take hold of the spear’s hilt with an iron grip while wielding the sword with the blade reversed in her other hand. As she closed the distance she would both, hit the pommel of Kusanagi directly in Achilles’ stomach, and simultaneously use that momentum to rip the spear out of his hands as the pommel forced his body to move backwards; unless Achilles could find a way out of the situation.

Nonetheless, there was a clear intent on not wanting to fight and hurt Achilles.

[@Breo]