"N-, no, it can't be, it c-, it can't be!!" Selene shouts as Slayde pulls his hand out of Anyachi's body, blood gushing out as she stumbles and collapses to the floor.
"Bastard!! I'll kill—, I'll kill you!!" Selene shouts, her face burning with anger as tears stream down.
"A-, Anyachi is bleeding out, i-, is she going to die, A-, am I going to die too?" Miura monologues, shaken with fear.
"You put up an impressive fight, Anyachi Velheim. Die proud," Slayde says as he draws his fist back, preparing to slam it straight into her face.
"Stop, you coward!! You coward!! You bastard!! Face me—, face me instead!" Selene screams, her voice breaking as rage and fear mix together.
"What is she doing?" Miura mutters, his voice trembling.
"Come at me, coward, come!! Leave her and come here if you're really strong!!" Selene shouts, her tears falling freely, her body shaking.
Slayde's fist halts inches away from Anyachi's face.
"I'll hand you the death you're craving so much. It makes it all the more worthwhile seeing Anyachi watch as those close to her die," Slayde says as he pulls back and suddenly bursts forward, sprinting down the hallway toward Selene and Miura, his fist aimed straight ahead.
"Keep your hands off my Vice Head!!"
Anyachi's voice cuts through the hallway.
In an instant, she appears behind the sprinting Slayde and swings.
Her blade cuts deep into his back.
"How!!" Slayde shouts as his body jerks forward and crashes face-first into the ground mid-sprint.
"A-, Anyachi!!" Selene shouts, tears still in her eyes.
"She got up, she really got up!!" Miura says, his voice shaking as he watches.
"Dummy!!" Anyachi shouts.
Selene points at herself in confusion. "Me?"
"Who else!! That was a stupid thing you did, but thank you. It made me get back up, get back up to beat this bastard!!" Anyachi shouts, blood still dripping from her rib wound.
"How!! How do you keep doing this!! Time after time, I've put you down, but you keep getting back up, how!!" Slayde shouts as he slams his fists repeatedly into the hallway wall.
"There's a difference between me and you. You fight for personal pleasure, I fight for the hopes and future of every living person in this nation. Keeping that in mind, a little wound like this—" Anyachi slaps her rib wound, blood spilling further— "isn't going to stop me!" she shouts.
Slayde's expression shifts.
"What is she? Even after nearing her physical limit, even after the wound I gave her, she still gets back up!!" he monologues, a hint of fear creeping in.
"No, I've come too far to fail!! The wound I gave her is deep, she's all talk. Yeah, she's bluffing. I bet she'll go down any time now, any time before the wound on my back makes me give in," Slayde monologues, his face tightening with intensity as he charges forward again.
Their bodies collide once more.
Steel and fists clash repeatedly as Anyachi carefully steps back into the hallway after every few swings, controlling the distance and avoiding direct hits to her wound.
"At this rate, Anyachi's not going to last long," Miura monologues.
Suddenly, a flash of Estalcia appears in his mind.
"That's it, I can help!! I know how to help her! I know how to defeat him!" Miura says urgently, turning to Selene.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Selene asks, confused.
"It'll all make sense when you take me to the sword containment room," Miura says, a smirk forming on his face.