The Chosen Path Less Taken...

It had been a long trip from the Wastelands near Prussia to the home of the Vizards in Italy, but considering he had needed to make this journey in secret, arriving as he had was the only real option available that didn't leave some form of paper trail. While he'd counted on William's wish to go patrolling in the Wastelands and planned his secret rendezvous around it, he had not expected to encounter those two shinigami along the way and that had delayed him slightly. He was still on the early side for the meeting, but he didn't really have the benefit of the same time cushion he'd hoped to take advantage of when he'd laid out his plans earlier that day. He'd hoped that he would have had the chance to clear away the road dust and replenish his energies before meeting with someone as important as the Vizard leader, but now he was going to be lucky if he had enough time to shake the dust from his worn shinigami robes before he had to be at the cafe.

Deciding to risk it he approached the chosen location, a small restaurant known as Cafe Morte located about five miles from the Tore Morte, or Death Tower from which the small establishment probably got it's name. Nodding in acknowledgment to the hostess as he slipped past her and ducked into the men's room, he quietly locked the door behind himself and began to change into something a bit more less travelled using the clothes he'd brought with him in his pack. A few minutes later he reemerged fresh faced and wearing a long leather coat with hood and a pair of semi-casual slacks which he'd combined with a black silk shirt for added effect, although he had no idea what that effect was supposed to be.

Spoiler:

Nodding again to the hostess as he approached she immediately held up her hand to silence him and began leading him to one of her better tables located on a terrace overlooking the area. He'd know he was expected, but he hadn't expected anything like this.

'Guess This One's appearance has it's advantages after all,' he thought to himself with a wry grin as he took the seat the hostess was indicating and began perusing the menu. He still had a couple of minutes, might as well order a drink or something to tide him over until Armond arrived.

Walking through a Garganta was always unique. Surrounded by an eternal darkness that seemed to have a life of its own. You seemed to wonder how many other people had walked this same path. Did a Garganta have multiple paths? Was this darkness a pocket space? How many other people walked through a Garganta at the same time? Was it possible to meet in a Garganta? Armond's mind flooded itself with questions. These thoughts were interrupted as he saw the end of his bright path. A scene opened up before him. It showed a fairly empty cafe. He saw only a handful of people. but that was to be expected. Most people didn't visit Cafe Morte because of the closeness to Tore Morte. Most people preferred to see what was going on at the Tower. It wasn't until nightfall that this cafe became more active.

He stepped out of the Garganta and the waitress looked at him. She bowed respectfully, and he just flashed a smile. "I'm looking for a man here...He has...unique features." The waitress nodded and pointed him in the direction. Armond thanked her and walked over to Chevalier. He sat down across from him, leaning back slightly, and crossing his right leg over his left. "So...you came after all. I was wondering if you'd remember after so long. Especially with what is going on now. Ah, but I suppose this meeting could help what's going on, no?" He flashed a charming smile. He shook his head and yawned a bit. He was a bit drained after the previous meeting but he shrugged it off. "Have you already ordered?"

Chevalier shook his head in amusement as he watched the Garganta form and Armond emerge from it with his usual grace. Most of the cafe's patrons seemed to be completely unfazed by the display, although here in the homeland of the Vizards such things were probably fairly common place so that probably wasn't all that much of a surprise.

As Armond sat down in front of him he answered with a small smile of his own and said, “It seems you still know how to make an entrance, and no This One hasn't ordered yet. Sessha only arrived a moment ago, any recommendations?” Setting his menu down on the table in front of him, he took a moment to regard the head Vizard for a moment before continuing, “Sessha would not forget something as important as this... but... what is going on now exactly? The flow of information into Prussia is spotty at best, and what we DO get isn't exactly from the most reliable sources around these days.”

Armond was always amused by his speech. The fact that he spoke in third person was such a unique thing to see. He didn't mind it in the least. In fact, he quite enjoyed it. "Haha. Thank you. I do enjoy making an entrance. Especially for important company such as yourself." He smiled and signaled a waitress over. "I'll just have a small plate of angel hair, tomato sauce and Parmesan too. My friend here will have angel hair as well. Get him a large though. He has come quiet far. Tell Antonio that it is important company. And that his angel hair is to die for...so don't make me look bad, mh'kay?" The waitress nodded and ran off.

Armond looked at Chevalier and thought about his question. "Well that depends. Do you want the worst news? The bad news? Or the irritating news? Or all three, and in which order?" He smiled and chuckled. Though this was no laughing matter. He was being serious. Armond just had to laugh, for sometimes that's all you had.

Important company huh? Even now he really wasn't used to thinking of himself in that way, but given his current status there really wasn't much doubt that in some circles anyway that is what he was. Although in this case he was fairly certain that the reference was more because he was a friend and not because of his political status, which was a welcome change from the norm.

Passing his menu to the waitress and thanking her as she ran off towards the kitchen he felt his eyebrow quirk at Armond's response. He didn't like the way his dinner companion was laughing, something about it made his fur stand on end, “Are things really that bad? If that's the case we may as well start with irritating and work our way down from there.”

"Very well then, dear. For irritating news, Hollow activity has increased on my borders. It's increased in various other places as well. I have gathered a small alliance though, currently one of my allies is now living with me in my House, but my other two may kill each other before anything gets done." He shrugged. That was the irritating news. Nothing too bad, but nothing really good either. It was just annoying to have to play baby-sitter to keep his allies from ripping each other's throats out. He smiled at Chevalier. "Shall we move onto the bad news now? Or do you have questions?" He really didn't mind answering questions. It was something he enjoyed. Information was power, and power was good.

An alliance? And a fragile sounding one at that. Who could he have found to work with that was foolish enough to be more concerned with petty rivalries over survival? Had the world truly become such a brutal place that people could not set aside their hatred for one another long enough to see reason, or was he merely diluting himself by wanting to see the good in others?

“While This One is sure you know what you're doing, is it truly wise to forge an alliance out of such fragile pieces? Who would be foolish enough to hold onto something as silly as a grudge when their very survival is potentially at stake?”

Armond smiled as their food came. He took a small fork-full and ate it. He sighed happily. It was quiet good. He did enjoy coming here. When Chevalier asked his question he thought for a moment and then shrugged. "I may been looked upon as "young" and seen as a child, but that doesn't mean shit. I have read more than people would care to hear, seen more than most could imagine, heard more than most can speak. And for all of the knowledge stored inside my head, one thing has never been answered. People. People are a question in and of themselves. They hold grudges over petty things, and some think themselves higher than others. You and I are subject to the same vain thinking, and the same faults. People will make foolish ties, for dumb reasons, but what does it matter? As long as your needs are met, who would complain? Manipulation is just that, Chevalier. And people, more often than not in most cases, manipulate themselves..." He shrugged when he finished and ate a bit more.

"Remember this, Chevalier. In all you do, do not look back. Do not regret. Do not hesitate. Those are the sins of battle. Those will get you killed. If I had a dime for every person I've seen fall because of hesitation or regret, I'd have ten other Houses. You're a good soldier. Let's try to keep you alive mh'kay?" Armond smiled and stretched for a bit. "To answer your first question I'll ask you this. Would you form an alliance with your enemy for the sake of the greater good? Or would you hold a grudge and risk you race?"

Chevalier took a bite of his food as he mulled over what Armond had just said. It seemed that his friend held a more calculating world view then he realized. He knew that there were people out there like that, but there was no way everyone was that way was there? Was he like that, he knew that he'd gone through several changes since The Fall: his manner of speech, his way of fighting, wishing to preserve life. But were those changes just his way of diluting himself into ignoring the cold truth of the world around him?

"Sadly Sessha is already guilty of many of those sins you refer to," he pointed to the scar on his cheek, "this is proof enough of that. But even in spite of that This One would like to believe that he would be able to set the past aside for the sake of the greater good. At the end of the day we are all the same regardless of our origins, the problem lays in convincing others of this fact."

Armond watched Chevalier as his eyes became thoughtful. He noticed the thoughts playing out behind his purple hues. He smiled a bit to himself. His mind wrapped around the words that Chevalier was speaking. He bit his lower lip gently, and shrugged in the end. "It's a learned ability. I'll not lie to you. To be able to make a choice without biasness, regret, or hesitation. It's something people are taught in the 2nd Division from day one. It's hard to do, but not impossible." He chuckled at his final words. "You are wise beyond your years, my dear boy. Let me ask you...why are you here at the Cafe Morte with me?" It was a simple question, but he had a reason for asking. The way he asked it, his tone of voice, suggested a hidden meaning.

Chevalier couldn't help to chuckle slightly as Armond called him boy, but couldn't bring himself to remind the other man that he was actually five times the ex-captain's age and thus he really shouldn't be calling him such things. The next question gave him pause though, the answer was obvious as it was the reason this meeting had been called in the first place, but now that it had been asked he wasn't quite sure how to respond. The spirit of what he wanted to say was there, it burned deep down at his core and had been his driving force since longer then he could remember. But he was having trouble finding the right words to convey that thought in a way that did not make him sound like some sort of power hungry fool.

In the end he decided that it was best to speak from the heart and hope that Armond could find the deeper meaning behind the words and not just read what was on the surface of his muddled thoughts, “That is the question isn't it... and This One isn't necessarily sure he can truly answer that to your satisfaction... For as long as This One can remember he has tried to use his skills to protect all those within his reach, even if they were not aware of this fact. Since the fall of the Seireitei this has become harder and harder with each passing day, as the number of those Sessha feels responsible for has continued to increase while those who wish to crush them under foot continue to only grow in power and numbers. At first Sessha believed that what he was helping to build in Prussia was a step in the right direction towards helping those who needed it, and in a way it probably was, but not in the way that This One had initially believed. What William has done there is commendable, but now that it is complete he is seemingly content to stay hidden away in his fortress and lay low in the hopes that by staying out of the coming conflict he can escape Sin's notice and by association the damage that comes with it. This One however can't just sit idly by though and allow others to suffer, knowing that things would be different if only he were there to help... In the end the best answer to your question is probably that something drew Sessha here. Something inside This One's heart seems to believe that by coming here and talking to you he will somehow find the power necessary to help those unfortunate enough to have fallen prey to those of dark intent.”

Armond could see that the question had hit him awkwardly. Whether it be because he was caught off guard, or just wasn't sure how to answer it, his brain was clearly working hard. Armond didn't mind. It was a rather difficult question. He noticed Chevalier's body at this point. He observed the tenseness of each muscle he could see, the figure, and the more exotic features. He'd make a good soldier, but was he a goof fighter? That would come later in time. Armond figured things were going fairly well so far, so why stop? If this one answers the question correctly, then the power shall be his sooner or later. He would talk about it with Methias of course. He would never accept anyone without Methias being comfortable with it. When the Shinigami was done thinking he began to speak. Armond listened with an apathetic face.

As the words fell from his lips he nodded. He could understand what Chevalier was saying. He understood what he was trying to convey, but he wouldn't put words into his mouth. He waited until he finished speaking. He let the words hang in the air for a while. The speech circled inside of his head for a while. "Do you think you can do what it takes to back those desires up? Can you betray your own heart for the sake of the greater good? Becoming a Vizard would anger William greatly. It'd be a direct stab to his heart, throat, stomach, and back. Your longest friend. Will you hold regrets?"

Was taking this path really a betrayal as Armond was implying? It might be in a way but Chevalier didn't see it that like that, if anything he'd probably be of more help to William and the other survivors in the long run by doing this. Question being would his friend see it that way when he learned what his second in command had done. He knew that William had become overly sensitized to the idea of betrayals due to something that happened to him during the fight to save the Seireitei, but he hoped that his friend would be able to see past that and realize what it was that Chevalier was really trying to do. They knew each other well enough that it was a possibility, but somewhere deep inside Chevalier already knew the answer, he just didn't want to admit it.

“Sessha would like to believe that he can back those desires up, yes. Whether This One actually can or not will only be known when the time comes. Since making the decision to come here Sessha has known that he'd most likely be leaving William and by extension Prussia behind, but they don't need him any more... not really anyway. So This One must move on to something new if he wishes to keep following his desire. Will there be regrets? Of course, but not many and not enough to prevent This One from advancing along his chosen path. This is not a betrayal Armond, it's doing what feels right, what must be done if things are ever to be restored to their natural order.”

Armond was about to interject. On some level it as a betrayal, but then Chevalier finished. Armond couldn't argue. This Shinigami had truly managed to impress Armond within such a short amount of time. William was losing a powerful ally this day. "I don't normally do this but we're moving onto phase two of your introduction to Vizard life. Methias shall do this part with you. I will tell you this now. He won't hold back. If you don't want to die, I suggest you don't hold back either. This fight will directly tell me if you are strong enough to handle the power of a Hollow." He pulled out his cellphone and shot a text message to Methias' phone.

Cafe Morte. Chevalier is the name of the man. Fight him. I have business in Egypt. When you're done call me. Chevalier isn't a true Shinigami, he lives with William in Prussia. Send him back to Prussia about ten miles away from the Castle after the fight. See ya when I get back. Try not to let him ruin your pretty little face.

The message was typed quickly and Armond stood. "Be on your guard. Methias worked with me in the Soul Society. Who knows how he plans on doing this. He may just attack you flat out." He smiled and tapped the air to open a Garganta. "Was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again. And hopefully I'll be granting you our power." Armond smiled and turned. He walked into the Garganta and it closed tight behind him.


:: EXIT ::

A garganta ripped through the space between Armond and Chevalier, a single, young looking man appearing from it. Looking over at Armond, he winked slightly, before turning to face the other man. Looking over him, he was clearly quite strong, atleast strong enough to give most people a run for their money. Letting out a light sigh, he waved goodbye to Armond, before examining the possible new ally. Looking down at his bare chest, he took note of the two swords attached to his waist, before smirking slightly. "Never before have I seen Armond consider someone to turn into one of us... You must be something special. Because of this, during this test, if you use Bankai, you will fail. Simply put, i'll test how you cope with the stress of someone who has more than you do. Do not let your guard down for a second." Methias said, before disappearing from sight.

Appearing crouched down, Methias was right next to his possible new ally, to his right, with both Zanpaktou at the ready. He was in his base state, and he believed his opponent was aswell. However, Methias had the element of surprise with this attack. How would Chevalier react, he wondered, as he swung one blade towards the back of the mans knees, and the other towards the waist. A double sweep-like attack, hard to dodge, but a good way to test somebody's reactions. However, just before any contact was made, he stopped instantly, stabbed both swords into the ground, and struck out with his right leg, aimed towards Chevalier's hip.

Before he had a chance to respond to the new arrival, Methias had vanished with a sudden burst of shunpo and reappeared to his right with his weapons drawn. Was he seriously going to test Chevalier's skills right here in the middle of the cafe? That wasn't going to work for the rogue shinigami, even with his powers restricted there was still too much of a chance of some civilian getting hurt in the crossfire. Especially since no one had said Methias was going to be operating under those very same restrictions.

Tipping his seat to the side he timed the fall so that the blades would be blocked by the chair as he fell and then launched himself away from his opponent with a shunpo powered hand spring. Taking a split second to assess his surroundings he then launched himself up onto the roof of the restaurant and pulled his sheathed zanpakuto out of his coat. This location definitely wasn't ideal, but he could use it as a starting point as he tried to lead Methias away from innocent bystanders.

"Reactions are fine. From a seated position, you managed to evade my attack and not hurt any civilians. I'm impressed." Methias said, before leaping to the roof himself. Standing just a few meters away from Chevalier, he examined him once more, taking note of the stance he was in. He had drawn his Zanpaktou, and was clearly ready for battle. However, in such an area, it would have been impossible for them to have a real battle. Nodding once, Methias looked over to Chevalier, before beconing him towards him.

"Come, let us take this elsewhere. You are clearly unable to fathom fighting where people may get hurt." Methias said in a calm yet almost frightening tone. Pushing out a hand, he opened a Garganta, this one big enough to fight both Chevalier and Methias within it. Entering it himself, he awaited Chevalier to enter aswell. The location of his choosing was a huge grassland, a remote island off the coast of Japan. This area was void of any life other than that of plants, and was the ideal place to get this battle underway. The sun was beating down on this area, capable of making people sweat just by sitting in the suns rays. This would raise the stress level on the body ever-so slightly as to make the battle be more about endurance than trying to end the battle quickly. As soon as Chevalier would enter, the Garganta would close, and their real battle would begin.

Chevalier smirked slighty at Methias' observation, “It's not that This One can't do so if the situation requires it, it's just not his preferred way of fighting given a different choice. But thank you for the consideration.”

Following his opponent into the Garganta they emerged in a grass field somewhere in the Pacific. The place looked somewhat familiar to him but he couldn't quite place why that was. Shrugging the feeling off as deju vu he shunpoed clear of the dimensional tear and took an iaijutsu stance as he awaited Methias' next move.

Methias was now standing around five meters away from Chevalier, simply examining his stance. Due to the way he was standing, Methias could only assume his opponent was an Iaijutsu user. "Hmm..The art of drawing the sword... Intriguing. I wonder if it's as effective as people say it is." Methias thought, out loud, as he grabbed hold of both his weapons once more. The one in his right hand was around ten inches longer than the average Zanpaktou, the one in his left being around ten inches shorter. Methias simply stood with both weapons at his side, almost as if he was taunting his opponent to attack. Due to the weapon length, one could easily see his battle plan. Forcing the opponent to defend with the longer blade, and using the smaller to stab into the opponent. A fighting style which he had made himself to make the best use of his weapons.

Stepping forwards, Methias seemed to still be standing where he once was. He had infact used Utsusemi, the ability of using Shunpo, which allowed him to leave an afterimage behind. This technique was used to confuse the opponent, and allow for a surprise attack. Methias' time in the second division allowed for him to use such a technique, and he wasn't going to take this person easily. While the afterimage was still intact, Methias appeared behind Chevalier, and swung his longer sword towards his neck. The shorter sword moved slightly afterwards, in a thrust towards his opponents Kidney.

Chevalier and Methias seemed to stare each other down for a moment as if sizing each other up, 'Where is his attack going to come from? With those longer blades his preferred fighting method is most likely not that of a close quarters fighter, no, he already clued you in to his preferred style back at the cafe. He's ex-second division, they're never head on fighters... the attack will come from behind just as before. Most likely he'll come at you from both above and below just as he did last time.' Methias shifted his stance, taking a step forward and then seeming to freeze, 'Here he comes, same starting method as Reyne used... first step block his attack,' Chevalier pivoted on his heel 90 degrees, straightening his back and bringing his saya up aligned vertically with his body. Drawing the blade slightly, he felt a strong vibration along it's surface as the exposed portion of his weapon successfully blocked the longer blade as it came sweeping across at his neck. The ex-vice commander glanced over where his opponent had just reappeared, 'Second attack, most likely aimed at torso in case of a low evasion,' it was then he felt the second blade scraping along his back and slicing the material of his coat, 'There... next break his rhythm and then reopen the distance.'

Using the arm closest to his opponent, he released his grip on his weapon and swung it as hard as he could in a backhanded punch aimed at Methias' face. He then pushed off from the ground in a shunpo and vanished, reappearing a moment later where his opponent had been standing at the beginning of the battle. He'd gotten lucky that time but he wasn't sure he could pull that off again unscathed. It was obvious Methias was skilled, and he'd most likely been only testing his opponent with that last attack. The next one definitely would not be so easy to read, and if he kept coming from behind most of Chevalier's usual techniques were only going to be so effective.

Smirking slightly, Methias realised his opponent was able to see Methias' way of fighting already. Talented? Possibly. He was starting to like this guy. The longer sword, parried by Chevalier, the shorter, well, before any contact was made Methias noticed a backhanded fist approaching his face. However, instead of simply allowing himself to be hit, Methias pushed his head forwards, headbutting the hand on the nuckle. A strange move, but likely to be effective. The pain Methias would feel would be nothing on the pain Chevalier would. One could have asked why, but it was simply the fact that the skull was more resilient, harder, than a fist. After this was done, he noticed that his adversary had apparently shunpo'd away, as he couldn't see him at this point.

"Excellent, excellent. What a brilliant opponent. Hahah!" he said out loud, the excitement being clear in his voice. Sparring was one of Methias' favorite pass times, and this man was a strategist, one of the most amazing opponents one could ask for. However, now was the time to get serious. Now was the time to make the opponent lose their confidence, and totally destroy their counter-attacking Methods. Using Shunpo to close the distance once more, Methias appeared this time infront of Chevalier, an odd move by most standards. However, this time, he tossed the longer blade into the air, and moved his now free hand just above Chevalier's Zanpaktou's hilt. This would likely prevent his opponent from being able to draw his weapon, and cut his attacking methods ineffective. Using the smaller sword, he thrust towards his opponents stomach, in a perfect position as to not puncture any vital organs. As he did this, the longer weapon he had thrown into the air was moving in from above, coming in towards Chev's shoulder. Another dual-part attack, and this one being all the more effective. He truly wondered what this man would do now, when his options were cut slim.

"Sessha is honored you think so," Chevalier said as he tried to shake the pain out of the hand he'd tried to punch Methias with. He had to admit that he hadn't seen that headbutt coming, it really had been an effective counter given the split-second the vizard had had to come up with it.

A moment later his opponent had appeared in front of him and executed one of the strangest two-pronged attacks he'd ever seen. This man was either a brilliant fighter or a master of improvisation, whichever the case was it was obvious that he was intent on boxing his target in as well as attempting to prevent him from drawing his weapon. But Chevalier hadn't made it to the rank of vice-commander for nothing, and such tactics were not new to him. Once an opponent had realized that he was a iaijutsu practitioner they always sought to find ways of trapping his weapon in it's sheath, however a true master was always aware of the fundamental weaknesses of their chosen art had always manage to find ways to combat them. Chevalier was no exception to this.

'Sword blocked, one blade descending from above, second coming into to pierce the torso... total evasion, unlikely... best chance, deflection.' Taking a similar stance to the one he'd taken at the beginning of the battle, he then executed a bizarre maneuver of his own. Holding his weapon as if prepared to attempt an iai-strike despite Methias' hand on the hilt of his blade, he began to pull the sheath down off of the blade in what at best be called a reverse-iaijutsu. Twisting around at the waist like he usually did when preforming his two-pronged variant of the draw-strike, he allowed the blinding, albeit slower then usual, speed of his strike to carry him around and drove the base of his sheath into the flat of Methias' blade, deflecting the weapon's trajectory away from his body and back in his opponent's direction. Seconds later, adding beautifully to the seemingly flawless, almost choreographed move, his opponent's secondary weapon fell from the sky, missing Chevalier's shoulder by mere inches thanks to his last move and embedding itself tip first into the ground.

Hmpth, I like this guy. Methias thought to himself. Personally, Methias would have simply stepped backwards to a point out of reach as to not take any risks, yet this reaction he had just witnissed was easily as effective, if not more so to put a hinderance into Methias' attack plan. This man was seemingly a great swordsman, who had been in enough battles to make Methias' attacks nothing new. He moved beautifully, almost as if every move was recorded again and again in some kind of movie. Now with one weapon, Methias knew that he would be at a disadvantage. Truth be told, this man was definately more dangerous than he was with one weapon. Using Utsusemi once more, he left the afterimage infront of Chevalier, while he himself appeared a small distance away from him, grasping ahold of his sword which was now just behind his opponent. Ripping it from the ground, he jumped backwards, and simply stared at his opponents for a few short moments, before speaking once more.

"Perfect, you're more than capable of holding your own even when the opponent has a weapon advantage. However, play time ends now. Come to me, Milla et Molla." he said, before a sudden burst of light shot from his Zanpaktou's. It was barely a second, and instead of two swords, he had revealed two metal gloves, gauntlets if you will, wrapped around each of his hands. Within his right hand, a white glove, with a blue wave in the center apparently in the symbol of the wind. The left, a red gauntlet, with a black flame in the center. Throwing both hands to his sides, it almost seemed as if the gloves were sorrounded by their symbolised element. However, within mere moments, he had moved into a battle stance. From the stance alone, it was capable to see that it was a specialised counter attacking stance, likely somehow related to the Russian martial art of Systema. This, was Methias' favored fighting style. However, without too long passing, his left gauntlet started to glow with a red flame, which then suddenly burst into around eight small fireballs, each shooting towards Chevalier's current location. This was the next step up, and Methias truly wondered how well his opponent would cope the wider variety of techniques he now had at his disposal.

It seemed that the two of them had had the same thought as they both shunpoed away from the spot of their last clash. Although to be fair, Methias' had been a bit more impressive thanks to the Utsusemi. He really was going to have to see if he could find a way to learn that technique at some point. Those thoughts were short lived though as Methias summoned his shikai. It looked like the preliminary's were over, time for the main event.

'That's a counter stance, speed is going to be the key variable now and he seems to have the advantage,' he thought to himself as Milla et Molla began to charge some form of attack.

Watching as the fireballs flew towards him, Chevalier ripped off his overcoat and hurled it into the path of the oncoming projectiles and momentarily hiding him from his opponent. Taking this brief opportunity to make his move unseen he launched himself skyward with a shunpo, reappearing a few feet above his opponent and hurling his sheath at him like a missile. He then vanished again, appearing a second later to Methias' left and bringing his sword down in an two-hand overhead slash. The move wasn't overly inspired, but it should serve to test the vizard's reaction time now that he'd up-ed the anty.

Finally, his opponent move onto the offensive. As expected, he used Shunpo to move from his position, moving at a rapid pace and taking to the air. His eye's staring into his opponent, Methias gave a stare that could gaze right into another beings soul. Within a single moment, Methias' eye's widened, a scabbard flying towards his current position, his opponent disappearing from sight. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Chevalier appearing once more, an overhead slice coming from the left. A well thought out attack, which in that moment, appeared to be the same style of fighting that Methias had used. In one movement, Methias was going to have to evade both the sheath and the sword, and there was only a single place that he could to that.

In but a single movement, Methias moved lower to the ground, while moving towards Chevalier's chest. Twirling slightly as he did so, he appeared just beneath his opponents chin, in what could only be described as the safe zone. From this position, the Sheath wouldn't hit him, and nor would Chevalier's blade. Being tucked in so close, it was impossible for the length of Chevalier's arms and sword to make contact with him. From here, Methias looked upwards, before thrusting upwards with his right arm, aimed for Chev's face. This was, in Methias' opinion, the perfect counterattack for this particular situation. It would be hard for Chev to move while swinging a blade, and Methias was in the safe zone. Counterattack, prepared. Success, to be confirmed.