"What do you mean my blade can't cut you?" Toby asked, his weapon pointed at the freelancer.
"It's as simple as your blade is not as strong as it was when we last fought," Folorunsho stated. "It can barely get through my Revel, even without me hardening it for defence. With a dull blade like that, you shouldn't have even come here,"
The dark-haired man scowled at Folorunsho. Without a word, he took on a high stance and charged at him. The freelancer did not attempt to dodge as the man drew closer. Toby brought his blade down on Folorunsho but it did not meet its target. Sparks were sent flying as the energy blade collided with his Revel.
In disbelief, Toby went in for another strike only for more sparks to come forth. He struck again and again but he was barely able to do any significant damage, even after striking the same spot repeatedly. He went in for another strike but Folorunsho grabbed his sword by the blade. He ripped the sword out of his hand and threw it aside before landing a kick that sent Toby flying.
"Like I said," Folorunsho continued. "You won't be cutting me anymore,"
Though it seemed as though Folorunsho had just withstood all of Toby's attacks without so much as flinching, he had actually done more than he led on. Whenever the blade had drawn close to him, he focused his Revel in that area to prevent his aura from giving way. However, he was not putting in as much effort as he had to manipulate his Revel for defence as he had back on the 75th floor. Toby's sword had indeed grown dull.
It was not as a result of a weakness of the body or Revel that was causing Toby's sword's bluntness, but one of the mind. The Revel Art Sabre was one that manifested one's will as a blade. The stronger the will and their beliefs, the stronger the blade and vice versa. Toby did not want to admit it, but he knew why his sword could no longer be cut.
Even though he had spouted all that talk about affirming his will to follow the path of destruction to liberate the people of Pedtro, he knew deep down that he was against it. Why did so many people have to die for the sake of his ideal? He looked outside the see-through walls of the elevator. Shandel and Meiden were barely visible from how high up he was, much less their people. That did not make them any less important than they were if he was standing amongst the crowd of the bustling city.
Folorunsho could care less for any internal dilemmas he was unaware of. With Revel flowing through his body, he charged at Toby and threw a punch. The dark-haired man barely had time to react as he narrowly dodged the attack. Folorunsho quickly followed up with another punch which he dodged before grabbing Toby from behind the head and striking his face with his knee.
The Ebon Shroud leader could barely react as his body was torn apart by a series of blows and strikes, nor did he want to. It felt like an apt punishment for his hubris and his crimes. Why did he think someone so insignificant and powerless could do anything to change the way the world was when many who were stronger had come before him and all had failed? Despite the intervention of Zaru, he was unable to overcome the hurdle that was Folorunsho.
The sky around them had now faded to complete blackness as the elevator left the atmosphere completely. Folorunsho threw another punch at Toby, only for the attack to come short a few inches. Confused by what happened, the freelancer suddenly realised that the gravity within the elevator was not active. The two gradually rose into the air a barely audible cracking sound made itself aware.
As Toby was suspended in the air he found himself staring at the large blue orb that was Pedtro. The size of the planet was so imposing that Toby felt as though he was just a grain of sand in an endless desert. But that did not mean that grain was insignificant. It was the collective of grains that came together to form the desert. The dark-haired man's hazel eyes seemed to regain a certain light in them once more. So many of his comrades had given their lives and more still for the sake of Pedtro. Who was he to decide his will was too weak to carry this out?
Toby's hilt floated towards his face as though it were guided by fate. If his will was too weak of a blade to fight for his planet, then he would use the will of the Ebon Shroud as a weapon and fight for them. He grabbed the hilt and channelled his energy through the hilt, bringing forth a new blade of energy. This blade was different from all the others, being longer and burning hotter than all the others. Toby twirled his weapon in his hand and held the hilt with both hands, taking no space in particular.
Folorunsho noticed the sudden shift in Toby's demeanour. He could see all of his Revel was now focused into his hands and hilt, forming a bright ball that was blinding to look at. The freelancer planted his feet on the wall behind him and propelled himself towards the sword-wielding man.
As Folorunsho made his charge towards him, Toby sent out a slash so quickly it was hard to follow. Folorunsho tried to block the attack with his Revel but it crumbled under the edge of the blade. It was as though a hot knife was cutting through butter. He was barely able to dodge the attack, only getting away with a large cut across his chest as he spiralled in the air.
The slash did not stop at just harming Folorunsho. It cut its way through the top and bottom of the elevator, leaving large gashes in the structure. Alongside the opening on the ground that had been steadily letting out air, the oxygen grew thin as the pressure in the elevator began to deplete at a faster rate. With 7 minutes till their arrival, the two now had yet another timer placed over their necks till the conclusion of their fight.