Despite Noble's near-silent movement, the assassin perceived a change in the air. Rolling to one side, he missed the [Unlikely End]–and his own–by a hair's breadth.
The estoc landed against the ledge of the roof, scraping the raised stone edge. Only a small nick of the rock came free: a testament to the strength of the fortress.
Noble's eyes instinctively popped open to assess the extent of the damage to her sword.
Thankfully, there was none. The blade was as pristine as ever. She turned to face her enemy.
The assassin landed in a low crouch, his long-range weapon already dissolving into sparks while he summoned a new one. An inky black bodysuit clung tight to his skin with a matching onyx strip of fabric wound around his head. The only part of his face that was exposed was his piercing eyes.
They opened wide in surprise.
"Queen Bee." The hoarsely whispered words were halfway between a question and an exclamation.
Noble felt a spike in his emotion. The actual feeling was garbled by some protective Memory, but the professor did not need her heightened senses to know she had set the assassin on edge.
Only someone truly insane would remain unbothered when nearly losing their head.
The attacker held up his hands. If he surrendered, it would make things much easier. Noble was anxious to subdue the assailant and check on the others.
She could hear the scraping of steel on stone below as well as all the frantic screams.
But of course, the man across from her had no intention of admitting defeat.
He was merely buying time for his Memory to manifest.
Noble could not give him that time.
Lightning-fast, she swiped her blade at his neck.
He ducked away a second time to avoid being obliterated by the enchanted sword. Bee's follow-up move was equally dodged.
'How is that possible?'
It was like the man could read her moves a split-second before they happened. Noble would have to be quicker.
At last, two Memories finished forming in each of the man's hands. One was a long daito, while the other was its shorter counterpart, a wakizashi. The two swords gleamed ominously in the moonlight.
'I was wrong. He is insane.'
With a deep breath, the professor let her duelist training take over. She refused to let herself consider the possibility of defeat.
Queen Bee would not allow herself to be intimidated by a man just because he was wielding two swords.
Chances were he didn't even know how to use them effectively.
Those chances were wrong.
As soon as the swords fully manifested, the assassin sped forward with frightening speed. He struck from two different directions with the blades, knowing Bee would only be able to block one effectively.
The Queen had barely a moment to think.
But a moment was more than enough. Her eyes glowed. The assassin felt his feet lift from the floor as he dangled, kicking in the air.
Bee could have done this move sooner. She hadn't for a good reason.
As long as he had the long-range weapons in his hand, he would have still been a menace to the people on the ground. Bee could hover him above the ground and do other broad movements, but she could not manipulate him like a puppet.
This was something the assassin realized as well. He flung the shorter sword at Bee, aiming straight for her heart.
The woman moved her estoc to block the blow, momentarily losing focus on her initial target. The dark figure hit the ground and went running, only to make it a couple of steps before being lifted into the air again.
He grunted.
'What now?' The duelist frowned behind her [Fraudulent Facade].
She had resolved to do what needed to be done to save the others from harm. But now that they were clear of the danger, Bee was left with a dilemma.
The Awakened could end the man's life. That was the cleanest solution to the problem. It would keep him from coming after her at a future date.
'Cleanest doesn't always mean best…'
In the precious seconds that Bee deliberated, the man clad in black summoned a belt around his waist.
The metal chain wrapped him tightly, suddenly causing him to weigh as much as a building. Not even using all of her essence could Noble combat such gravity. She inhaled sharply as her reserves were quickly pulled from her core.
'Ah!' It hurt like she was being squeezed. The longer she resisted the pull, the worse the pressure got. 'You want to come back down? Have it your way!'
Noble reversed her lifting power to add to the pull, slamming her opponent against the roof.
He crashed, causing the area to shake. Small cracks formed in the stone structure, but miraculously the building held.
'Surely someone heard that!'
That was assuming someone was inside the building at this time of night. Noble had no idea what this place was used for. Whether the person who might hear it would be a friend or foe was another matter.
She couldn't ponder all the possibilities.
With his feet back on the ground, the assassin wasted no time in attacking her. He surged forward with the daito gleaming in his hand. It crashes against Bee's estoc, sending the woman backward.
She gritted her teeth.
The fight continued with exchanges of blows. Bee wasn't sure how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity, but it was likely less than two minutes.
The man was fearless to the point of recklessness. He clearly knew that his future--his whole life--hung on the outcome of the fight. So he gave it all he had.
Bee met him stroke for stroke. She took on a cautious stance. Her mind was at war with itself on what to do.
Capture or kill?
Beyond her distaste for murder, she really wanted answers. But there was also the vanishing woman. If she appeared up here, two opponents would be much harder to manage.
The lack of decision made her unwilling to commit to a definitive style. If she didn't make a choice soon, the option would be selected for her.
With her death.
The skilled attacker made an overhanded swing to bring the prediction into reality. Bee barely jumped back in time. The long daito cut a deep gash in her breastplate, causing it to crack.
'Ugh, I have to end this!'
She slashed her sword twice in quick succession, forcing the man to back off. Then, on the third pass, she poured a touch of essence into the [Unlikely End].
The tip of the blade pierced the assassin's hand. He screamed and pulled his arm to his chest.
That was a mistake. Bee whipped her blade back toward herself, disarming the man of his long sword. He had no choice but to dismiss it before it clattered to the ground. He was already summoning the vicious wakizashi short blade in his other hand.
But Bee did not give him enough time. She kicked him backward, knocking the air out of him as he sprawled out on the ground. Noble brought the estoc to his neck, warning him not to move.
The assassin sighed. "Go on, finish me off! It won't be the first time."
Bee faltered. She knew that voice. She stared in disbelief at her attacker as a single word escaped through the [Fraudulent Facade].
"Nic?"