A front on charge during a stance shift. Really. Well. Let's see the layers underneath that, Solarel. You will not, of course, have forgotten the reason your original duel took an entire day/night cycle to win. It's easy to discount it next to the flash factor of the Tails and the Nine Drive System, but you alone of anybody in this tournament should have recognized the most significant alteration to the Gods-Smiting Whip that Mira made after the war ended.

The thrusters. Arguable that the real point of offloading so much of her offensive capability into drones was not her super attacks or her multifaceted arsenal. Correct to identify those as gimmicks. Afterthoughts. Philosophical guideposts more than true teeth. Was not the proof that she had several, brand new named techniques every time she fought somebody? Her first and best trick was always the product of her being a Spacer with a disability. In zero gravity it was effortless, but here she needed the Tails to devote the full power of her frame to recreating it. 

Of course you do not need reminding. This is step one of your plan to fence in her thinking. You were aware of Animation Cancelling. With her constant hovering and micro-twitch bursts there is a constant threat that she might swerve or parry from a direction that should be impossible. She abuses it constantly; either literally doing two things at the same time or dipping out of the middle/end of a committed action into a second unrelated action.

For all of that, you pierce her. But it's in a location of her choosing: next to the cockpit, through mostly armor and heat ventilation. No points of articulation or critical power conduits she'll need to concern herself with in the context of this battle. No opportunity to combine this with a tearing slash and hit a vital system, even if you swap blades. She aimed your thrust by angling her momentum during her technique's wind up. 

> i see.
> you are literally blind.
> that is upsetting.

You're already caught, Solarel. The swing of the Tail you so deftly outmaneuvered continued. The Whip's hand grappled it on the downswing, and now the barrier-chain that connects the two weapons is squeezing your sword arm with a vice the envy of all crab-kind. She pulls the Tails between one another and the squeezing turns to crushing. At this moment she has total control of your melee offense.

Tactical correction is simple. Destruction of the arm returns freedom of motion. Freedom of motion is freedom of action: even Mira cannot twitch react her way out of the sudden loss of what had been tactical control, the weakness of her piloting schema requires her to anticipate all attacks ahead of time. Being even half a step ahead of her is equivalent to killing her. In fact, just crushing the forearm would be enough, and the resulting torque would pull the God-Smiting Whip far enough out of alignment that she would need to re-orient her thrusters entirely just to stay airborne. Four deathblows are possible inside that window.

"Moonlight. Lover's Nip."

This is a First Form technique! The line she tried to defeat you with the first time, that culminates in the Fang That Devours the Sun. Disruption and close range concepts. The chain shatters in a burst of light, and the tips of the Tails she's holding flare into dagger-scaled blades that connect with the Aetiline's neck and chest. Minimal piercing, superficial damage. Sensory overload only: the replication of her teeth on Solarel's body during their old lovemaking sessions. She has targeted the locations most closely correlated with drawing gasps out of her partner. 

And she has used the small moment of disorientation to cross two additional free floating Tails over her head. They fire, easily dodged. But the space that is most efficiently dodged into is already being filled by her own wheeling foot. This is how it feels to get kicked in the head, by the way. Thrusters fire directly after, pushing you apart and charring the external plating of the Aetiline's face.

The final sequence, all unnamed techniques. Suppose that proves the point then. The Gods-Smiting Whip is retreating toward the jungle, burning down the Arena behind it with four active Tails all raining absolutely indiscriminate bursts of energy without caring what they hit or don't. Basic. Utterly basic. And obvious, that the cat would retreat into the jungle after only barely being able to scrape out a tiny kiss with both of her vaunted forms. 

Besides, that's where her sword ended up. In the end it does come down to basics. What is she guided by?

> i will ask you two questions if you do not mind.
> feel free not to answer if it is too difficult in your condition.
> what useless trick do you think I am building up to?
> and are you aware you are stumbling into the same trap that almost cost me this nine-tails to the fucking bezorel?