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"Oh, is that so?" Erika's voice was full of amusement as she replied to her cousin after listening to the whole explanation. The whole idea was very interesting for her. Erika almost felt an urge to go back in time to verify all this, but that would likely spoil the fun.

Instead of that, she drew her sword. This whole chaos was beginning to bother her as well, and Esa was almost done with her analysis of the source code around them. "I don't think you have to worry about that, really. [i]That[/i] wouldn't come here just because of something like this."

"Anyway, I guess I'll do this my way while you handle the rough bits," Erika concluded right as Katie was dragged into the fight once again. She had no side to pick in this conflict, but there was no way she would let this fusion, no matter how dramatic and beautiful it was, end up hurting her beloved cousin in any serious way. A little love bite here and there, sure, but no dismemberment or stuff like that.

While Katie got back into the fight directly, Erika decided to put her talents — uniquely fit for this situation — to better use. With a swipe of her hand, she unleashed her blade's true form. Just the waves generated by the motion were enough to dispel significant portions of the corrupt data vortex. Annihilating a couple Nephunas and probably throwing off some of the other's moves in the process. That would serve them well, though, with that lack of coordination, a third party throwing a span in the works was the least they deserved.

"I'm sorry, but in this realm, I might as well be the one who has the ultimate power," Erika said to no one in particular as she teleported through space, reaching the well-protected core — or rather, its kernel — with the speed of thought. All of the multiple layers of the firewall protecting it crumbled apart with a single strike, probably throwing some of Akiko's copies away from their objective. "So much raw data is nothing like the hearts you are used to twisting. If you try to touch it, you'll probably have a really bad time."

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While Erika was taking care that Katie's allies don't kill themselves in their attempt to not get killed, Farris was taking care of the [i]real[/i] reason they were in this mess, to begin with, and what would actually be the cause of the destruction of Katie's allies, if left unchecked.

"I bet you are thinking you are a really big boy now, huh? Feeling great with your power high," Farris said in a disinterested tone as she appeared in Thomas' path right after he dispatched Nephuna's ghostly apparitions. "Not even paying attention to the fact the girl you were trying to avenge came back a moment ago. No, actually you don't even care if she's alive or dead, don't you? You just want an excuse to use that power and feel good about yourself,"  she added as she raised her shield and took the strike meant for Nephuna.

The power of the Golden Eyes was great. However, even as it tried to erase the girl's shield — no, her very self — from existence, it met with an equally unbelievable resistance. Even if a layer of the static time crystals that composed her shield and weapons broke, Farris kept summoning another and another to wear down the force behind Thomas' strike. An unstoppable force, encountering an immovable object, a time-honored paradox, whose answer was about to be found out.

Once she was sure the boy was right into her reach, and no dodge could be done unless he forsook his attack, Farris switched to an offensive counter. "If you really call yourself a man, then just..."  Her own eyes flashed with a golden hue similar to Thomas' as she twisted her wrist and aimed a powerful strike with the pommel of her sword at his jaw "... GRIT THOSE TEETH AND BEAR IT LIKE ONE!" She shouted, her voice echoing through the digital void.
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