Two Sides of a Coin (Sigurd/Freyja)

"Don't you find heroics the ultimate act of selfishness?"

Sigurd buckled under the weight of her blade, letting his form sink as she brought him lower. However, it was as if all he needed was a moment of weakness to restart his ability to fight. His momentary fall was nothing more than that, momentary. With renewed effort, he began pushing back against her might with his own, an outline of Reiryoku detailing his person.

"Daring to put another's life into your hands, preaching about doing what's best for the world. What do you know? How dare you proclaim what is best? I don't care what anyone thinks. I don't care what anyone does. I don't care about anything but myself. Don't you see? We're pretty much two sides of the same coin, Quincy. Now, dance."

Energy billowed from his blade, the augmentation about his body focusing on its honed edge before he pushed against Freyja, sending her back with an impressive shockwave meant to send her hurdling towards the wall.

His stalwart form seemed to be collapsing under her colossal spirit weapon, but that proved to be little more than a momentary victory as he pushed back with renewed vigor, imposing his will against her own in a contest of strength.

To Freyja, every word that exited his mouth were little more than the ramblings of a jaded man who wore selfishness around his sleeves. Men like him, hands for hire who would gladly endanger the lives of others by selling crucial information, were the lowest type of subhuman.

They could walk free once their job was finished, their hands wiped clean, free to repeat the process once more. She could never see eye to eye with such an individual, and he doubtlessly felt the same about her. Two sides of a coin. Two opposite worlds. Indeed, if he selfish for his own gain, mindful only of his own wellbeing, then Freyja is selfish for the benefit of others, mindful of her people back home.

Of course, no words were offered in reply, at least not immediately, as his augmented blade sent her hurdling backward. A single foot was slammed against the ground as she used her leg to keep herself planted against the ground. He was strong. A capable warrior. For him to display the majestic armor of a knight, his personality was anything but. Even so, he was a man deeply rooted in his conviction. She could respect that even if she detested it.

"If my desire to protect others from people like you is a selfish act, then so be it. If nothing else, at least you are a man who is adamant in his conviction, unlike so many other cowards. Even so, words are merely words. Why don't we let our weapons decide who is right or wrong? Prepare yourself, Black Knight.' "

In the next moment, a whirlwind of azure reishi billowed around her own blade, the Valkyrie stepping forward with her right foot forward, her leg leg rotating in a graceful pattern. Faint blue lines danced along her porcelain features. If it was a contest of strength, she would rise to the occasion with Blut Arterie. Propelling her body forward, she swings her spirit weapon in a vertical cleave, launching the blade forward with a force comparable to the might of a guillotine collapsing from above. Sigurd may deflect the attack again, but he'll find she won't be pushed back so easily this time.

"Heh. Conviction, huh?"

Vindictive is probably a better definition of the man, but there's no time for anymore words. The battle commences, and he's on the revieing end of another familiar technique. Honestly, the puppy should learn a new trick. He's not too keen on getting stuck in the same back and forth forever, but he made a move similar to last, bringing his blade up, swinging it to match her own.

Freyja, however, would find herself thrown for a loop as Sigurd seemed to shift position without even moving, his sword swinging from the side of her instead of colliding with her own.

A second clash of blades did not come to pass during Freyja's overhead stroke. No, to be more accurate, without even moving from his spot, he had shifted the direction of his swing, the large blade's trajectory soaring in for her side. A faultlessly executed counter, the obsidian knight's martial prowess was something to be admired, but he may as well be an enemy in her eyes at the moment, and all she can do to defend against it is to tap into her defensive system of Blut to mitigate the full force of that blow.

This tactic, hastily constructed to answer for her misstep, resulted in her body being forced back several meters by the swing of his blade. There is a cut, too, but it isn't a mortal wound. Had she proven any less durable or her blut porous, she might well have been cleaved in half. She can't repeat the overhead attack again. If she is to emerge victorious, it is better to present clever swordplay. Otherwise, her grave will be one not on the soil of her homeland, but the ruins of Africa.

reishi fluctuated around her colossal sword as she charged forward again, sweeping her blade in an upward arc to create a cascade of crystallized reishi in the wake of her blade's swing. This act was by no means the end of her offensive, since this wave of reishi was launched with the intent of a feint, and the maiden of war would appear once more, roaring at him from the side, swinging her blade at any vulnerable area that presented itself if he chose to humor defending against her arc of energy.

There she goes, charging again. He wonders if she's learned a bit this time. It took him no real amount of his own strength to swing his sword in anticipation of her arc of Reishi. Quincy are far too reliant on the natural substance of their world. His blade coated with energy of its own, he clashed with hers, creating a minor explosion before his wake, and just as Freyja planned, it left his side wide open.

However, she is in his domain, and nothing goes unnoticed in his range. That doesn't mean he's able to move in time to stop things he can comprehend. He'll give her that. His only defense was to use the opposite of what he pulled against her last time, pointing a finger in her direction as she neared, crossing his arms.

"Expand," He muttered, causing the air before Freyja to practically explode as Reishi was forced to enlarge itself at a rapid pace. Doing it so close to himself proved dangerous, but it was all he could do to keep her blade from coming into contact with his body. The resulting explosion would blow him from her location, sending him spiraling until he pierced the ground with his blade, catching himself and stopping his movements. Now, on a knee, he couldn't help but sigh in discomfort at the warm feeling in his side that was partly dented by his own attack.

Charging into the Obsidian Knight's domain did not come without a price. At the precise moment she felt her blade had sought purchase, an explosion of rapidly expanded reishi forcibly separated her away from her target. The resulting explosion had sent her flying several meters down the hallway, forcing Freyja to stab her colossal blade into the ground. No longer an enemy of gravity, Freyja took a moment to acknowledge her own physical condition.

At such close range, unable to tap into her defensive system of Blut, a burning gash now ran across her arm, a wide cut across her cheek, and a burned sleeve, to say nothing of the jarring sensation that accompanied her body in the face of a direct explosion. As it stood, both of them had avoided cleaving each other in half, but outside of that, neither warrior had succeeded in pushing the other toward the precipice of defeat.

The Obsidian Knight proved to be than a mere vagabond wandering the state. No matter how much she detested his worldview, he was an exceptional warrior holding his own in battle. She didn't want to admit it, but this was certainly an exciting duel. Even so, her objective is to retrieve that information, or confirm, at the very least, that this information held no relation to the Vandenreich.

Walking toward him while he remained prostrate on his knee, Freyja stepped forward with a guarded stance. There is nothing to stop him from striking, but that was precisely why positioned her body in preparation for an attack. Walking directly into his domain, too, would be a decision most unwise. Approach with caution, remain at a distance.

"Name your price for that information, Black Knight. Or confirm that it bears no relation to my people. I can cast a thousand insults your way on the type of man you are, but I cannot deny that your talent as a fellow warrior. Even so, if you still wish to continue...."

She settled into an offensive stance, breathing deeply to settle her balance.

"Then here is my answer as well."

"Noble my ass. Willing to step into my domain... Heh, guess I underestimated you."

He's not talking about the fight now, his attention on her words. She asked him his price, something someone with a stick too far up their ass would never do. He respected her ability to stoop to his level, but she's a pretty woman. She doesn't deserve to muddy her hands in a realm that barely forgives. That's for people who have nothing left to lose, like him.

"Then, I guess you deserve a reward," He muttered, rising himself and taking the flash drive he had took the information with. "Here," He said before chucking it her way.

"I don't really need it, but first..."

As the flash drive neared her, he charged, his blade held in both his hands as he made one large swing to bisect her. However, the real dilemma here was not his attack. The flash drive he threw her way is her issue. A current ran through it, minute in size, but that'd be enough. He made sure it had any energy, and that was all he needed to use his power to cause the drive to explode. It wasn't anything to damage her, but the electricity and light from it was enough to act as a flash bang.

"Make it out of here."

A soft chuckled fell from the woman's lips in response to his perception of her. Truth be told, she currently found her own actions amusing in the current scope, reflecting on how she would've mercilessly aimed to cut the man down in the past. Perhaps her past self would call her soft, ridicule her for her current act of offering a scenario where the two could walk away from here without claiming the life of the other.

Of course, if he still wished to do battle, then that, too, suited her just fine. It would certainly prove to be the more troublesome outcome, but she has presented him with a choice now. How he chooses to react to it is entirely up to him now. Her eyes remained posed as he rose from the ground, carefully analyzing each word that left his lips. Did that mean he intended to reason with her concerning her proposition? No, she couldn't quite tell at all. Then, the flash drive was suddenly thrown in her direction.

Wishful thinking demanded that she reach out to grab it, but common sense told her otherwise. That was why she kept her body in a preparatory stance, maintaining a pair of observant eyes the entire time. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean she expected the device containing the information to be used as a diversion. What was his aim here now? With no time to reflect on that question entirely, Freyja swiftly closed her eyes to avoid being momentarily blinded by the flash of light. Reikaku would have to be her guide now, if only momentarily.

Channeling the defensive system of blut, Freyja slashed her blade forward to meet his own, albeit it was not at all as seamless as she would've desired. The Obsidian Knight could certainly press his advantage now as his own blade cleaved across her frame, forcing her onto the ground. The blade had found purchase against her flesh, creating a wound in her right side. It was perhaps a blessing from the heavens that her blut had rescued her from being bisected in two, but it didn't lessen the pain she currently felt, let alone the droplets of blood that now dripped onto the ground. This... was certainly a skill she would have to improve on at a later date. Shifting her azure gaze upon the armored warrior, she resolved to adhere to his words. Of course she would make it out of here. She could envision her end in many places, but this would not be one of them.

"Of course I will. I do not intend to meet my end here, Black Knight."

Operating in her domain as she was, her ability to manipulate reishi was somewhat compromised. As such, her blut, regardless of its current level of skill, would have to suffice. Tapping ever further into whatever her physical strength on its own could afford, she pushed her colossal blade forward in preparation for a parry, aiming to create distance between them if he came in for another swing. With that, she could make her escape from here posthaste. Or perhaps nothing but an overwhelming defeat would bring about that result. At any rate, creating distance now was crucial.

Running now? Much like a caged creature, she fought, but as soon as she was given a taste of freedom, far will her feet carry her. If he was a sadistic man, he would have given chase, but he has no inner desire for her blood splattered. Her mettle had been tested, and it had been bested. Honestly, it's unlike him to feel any fraction of amusement from their bout, but he had. All this has been is but a reminder that he had failed at leaving behind his restless youth. Though, maybe this is only signifying that too much time without action would leave anyone restless. Who knows?

"If you really wish to leave, I will not stop you," He said, his words chasing after the retreating Quincy as she pushed him away. His eyes fell on the red blood that flavored his blade. He could practically feel it urge for more, but he did not act on its hunger, instead leaving it at his side. His visor fell on her, but already, it would feel as if his attention was elsewhere. There are more missions to take, jobs to fulfil. No need to worry about something done.

Freyja had created separation, but the obsidian knight's words gave her pause. It wasn't as if she felt any particular emotion at what he said, but it simply left her pondering on the correct approach. The pragmatic decision was to walk away now. There was nothing else left for her to gain by bothering the man, and yet, she found herself gazing at the black knight's helmet. How long had it been since she enjoyed a battle like this? She always approached combat as if she were little more than an efficient machine carrying out her duty.

His fighting style, his tenacity, and his selfish attitude seemed to compliment one another well, eliminating the notion of disdain that had emerged at the beginning of their confrontation. It truly was a shame that he was wasting his promising talent on being hired hand, but then who was she to judge man for the way he lived his life? She entered this place in search of answers, but found herself locked in a battle with a man in obsidian armor. Freyja had to admit she was slightly amused by that turn of events, and so standing a few meters apart from him in the hallway, she decided to voice her response.

"For what it was worth, Obsidian Knight, I recognize you as an exceptional opponent. Truly, it is a shame our worldviews don't align. You would make a superb soldier and an adequate sparring partner. Alas, my sole purpose in facing you was securing that information. Since you destroyed the flash drive, there is no point in bothering you anymore. Even now, a part of me desires to stay here and conclude this duel."

Freyja returned to her prior position before, sighing softly as she observed the cut in her side. It didn't inhibit her movements entirely, and though she was wounded, her body could still move with relative ease. Placing the blade on her shoulder, her azure gaze quietly observed the visor of the man as she uttered one simple request.

"The professional decision would be to retreat, but I can allow myself a rebellious indulgence if you still wish to continue. Regardless of your answer, I wish to know the name of the warrior I faced today."