Bruce caught himself on one hand and both feet, skidding to a halt.

His music hadn't been returned full volume, but he could at least hear it. He straightened, took a deep breath to center himself, and reforged his blade in his right hand. On his left, chains lined his forearm and circled his wrist, a long length falling to the floor, a spiked ball attached at the end. Separate, lighter chains wrapped his fingers.

Bruce sighed, neither in contentment nor exasperation. He lifted the spiked ball off the ground, and began spinning the chain on his left side, steadily faster.

Without comment, he ran forward, no foreplay or indirect approach, just a straight shot, his right arm upraised in front of him with his blade set to intercept Nexus' katana.

"Without Ki control, those chains are a hindrance," Nexus claimed boldly, readying his katana. As Bruce drew close, he pulled the blade apart at the hilt, splitting it into two shorter blades. There was an added bit of complexity to the split, however. As the blue metal parted, a third blade, one without a hilt, appeared between them and spun towards the ground. He caught the free blade with his two swords like they were a pair of devil sticks, and flipped it high into the sky before readying himself against Bruce's approach. The singular blade spun elegantly overhead. It was notched along its length, with an inch of steel separating each little indent. Nexus caught Bruce's Katana between both of his blades in a cross-guard, bracing himself with his right foot against the floor behind him. His bracing wasn't in reaction to the force behind Bruce's one handed strike, though. Two arms versus one, simple math of applied force Versus Nexus' stance gave him an immediate advantage in terms of controlling his own posture and reacting accordingly.

He began to pull his right blade down, gliding it against Bruce's sword, preemptively preparing to guard, parry or dodge whatever he'd planned with the ball and chain in his other hand. The center of Bruce's blade began to crack as Nexus pulled his right blade against it, while also applying pressure with his left blade. The armoured warrior thought over his options carefully, measuring probability and outcomes as best he could with his eyes shifting focus several times every second. His combat-ready demeanour was slowly becoming more precise as time went on. Bit by bit, the vague expression on his face was softening into one of a methodical killer. His eyes were like softened needles, piercing the possibilities without leaving a mark. It was a familiar glare, comparable to that of his master. Their eyes were all too similar, even with such a radical difference in hue.

Bruce saw the change- he might not have Nexus' experience, but a killer was a killer, and in survival, one prerequisite was knowing that you looked first to the eyes for intention.

And when you fought against the Order, the first thing Bruce needed to know was that he had to be able and willing to disregard anything about fighting he'd previously regarded as fact at a moment's notice, if not sooner.

"Are they?"

Bruce snapped his wrist down, bringing the spiked ball into his left hand, catching it such that he didn't hurt himself. Instead of swinging it in an arc, Bruce slid his blade upward so that Nexus' katana were applying pressure to a midpoint nearer the hilt, and he pressed his weight forward. He brought his left arm up, pushing the spiked ball narrowly around Nexus' guard toward his face.

Bruce hadn't produced the chain on his forearm for offensive purpose- rather, should Nexus seek to take his arm off, the Ki would provide some protection while he pushed his unorthodox attack.

'You wanted to see resolve, Nexus. Here's a piece of it.'

Nexus pulled back, pulling his right blade to his side while pushing Bruce's sword to the left with his other, all while stepping back, out of range of the flail-like ball of spikes. But after taking one step backwards, his right leg pulled him up, into the air in a single bounding leap. His body spun around, flipping forwards until his feet were directly above him, with his head pointed downwards as his body soared. One of his blades caught a notch in the third bit of steel that flew above them, and with the momentum of his spin, he launched it at once of Bruce's shoulders at a diagonal angle. As he flipped down, his body spun around horizontally as well, and he brought both of his blades towards Bruce's back, each parallel to each other as he landed on the ground with his knees beginning to bend.

Bruce, from his lunge position, brought his back leg forward and leaned backward with his shoulders tucked so he rolled. He only caught a glimpse of the notched Ki being thrown his way as he went down, the edge grazing the fabric of his robe. Keeping his knees tucked to avoid doing a full backward somersault and give Nexus an easy strike to his lower extremities, Bruce shifted his weight onto his right side, aiding his change in direction by circling his left shoulder around to push the spiked ball against the floor.

Narrowly avoiding the dual sword strikes, his feet touched ground again roughly 90 degrees to Nexus' left, immediately following with an upward slash of his blade, putting the strength of his legs into the strike as he stood up.

Nexus pulled his blades together. They merged into one as his falling notched knife embedded itself into one of the shallow cracks in the floor. With both hands on his blade, he drew the lower half closer and held it perpendicular to Bruce's strike. The crash of Ki against Ki resounded through the room, but he held his stance firmly, knees only slightly bent as he took a step backward against the might of Bruce's upwards slash. His right elbow and shoulder were locked straight as the main support that held the blade back, while his left arm only served to stabilise the guard against the initial shock. He held the sword, bending his right arm slightly as he released his left hand, and conjured a small throwing knife and spun it skillfully between his free fingers, while sliding the bottom of his blade against the length of Bruce's. But he didn't let the sword slip off of Bruce's, instead, bearing down into the blade from above with his height advantage once again, and forcing it to the ground to the left of his feet. He stepped towards the incoming ball of spikes, waiting for Bruce to make another move while the throwing knife in his left hand began to emit a pulse of blue light.

Bruce didn't hesitate to retract his blade once Nexus pushed it down. He pivoted on the sole of his left foot in a full counterclockwise circle. The spiked ball and chain flew around him in an arc, trailing a bit behind his sword. Bruce used that split second difference to direct a thrust of his blade, which went under the chain that connected the spiked mace to his left forearm, toward Nexus' left hand. The spiked ball had flown upward in its transit, on a collision course with the right side of Nexus' head.

Nexus Parried Bruce's blade with the small dagger, pushing the piece of blueish ki between his middle finger and index finger. As the tip of the swordsman's weapon struck Nexus' dagger, he moved the blade to sit rigid with his thumb grasping the length of the weapon, and his two smallest fingers folded opposite to his index and middle finger. The blade slide between the dark blue metal of his gauntlet, and the shining slit of Ki in his hand as he directed it to the side and rushed forwards, past the ball that moved for his head with reckless abandon, ignoring the chain that connected it to Bruce. The small dagger in his hand slid up the length of Bruce's blade as Nexus' body careened towards him. But he wasn't moving in recklessly without thought. He was not on the defensive, or pushing for an all-out offence. These short spurts of energy, attacks that aimed to chip away at Bruce's openings, were how Nexus chose to fight. His style was reactionary, with fragments of astounding all-out offensives that almost seemed like they didn't belong.

Nexus had still held the hilt of his Katana as he rushed.

Pushing off of Bruce's blade, he suddenly leaned his entire body to the right, allowing the chain's length to scrape past the side of his head, passing dangerously close to his temple as the spiked links brushed against his hair. With his Lean, the Katana in his right hand moved towards Bruce's torso from below, slashing underneath both his blade, and his ball and chain. Sifting through Bruce's air-tight defence was no easy task, and Nexus knew it all too well. Fortunately, it fit his style perfectly. As his blade slid through the air underneath Bruce's blade, Nexus made sure he couldn't pull it back down to guard with the tiny dagger in his hand. A three-pronged maneuver in such a simple motion of the hand. It served to increased the momentum of his strike, help him tilt underneath the chain of Bruce's flail, and prevent an immediate parry of his unorthodox strike from below. It put him completely off balance, but there was no guarantee that anything would strike if he didn't risk such precise acts. Through the air, or from the ground, Nexus eyed the small dagger that still stuck out of the ground for a brief moment as he looked to ensure a deadly blow.

The second Bruce's blade was caught, he knew he had to act. Nexus had poured too many points into his style of fighting for him to believe that there wouldn't be multiple moves in the next instant.

So, as Nexus' dagger slid up the length of Bruce's sword, he released the hilt to give his left arm room to maneuver. Before the chain went taut as the spiked ball flew by the ducking target, Bruce circled his left hand around Nexus' in a clockwise motion, leaving the actual catch of his opponent's appendage to momentum.

Bruce had bent his knees a bit more to jump as he did this, but still took another moment before he could reliably get the push and the air he required. Nexus' strike, therefore, found some purchase in the right side of his torso before Bruce leapt up. He grit his teeth, however, and gripped Nexus' left shoulder with his right arm to flip overhead.

Short of being cleaved in half or decapitated, one cut wouldn't end the fight.

Once the toe of Bruce's sandal touched the floor, he snapped his left hand back to the hilt still restrained by Nexus. Though the blade was caught, if he could maintain the chain that kept their left arms together, Bruce could manipulate it as some minor defense, the blade pointing downward.

He formed a fresh sword of Ki in his right hand for another offensive horizontal slash.

Nexus followed through with his slash, pushing against any resistance with the full force of his entire body as he attempted to dive forwards into his lean, ultimately falling into a roll as Bruce pushed down on his shoulder. He pulled the chain that locked his left hand and spun around on his right side, skidding across the ground as much as he could, just underneath Bruce's next strike with his left arm tugged over his chest. By now, his Katana had shrunk down into a simplistic pair of scissors, or something similar, which he wielded with his thumb and four fingers in a grasping manner. He thrust his right hand forward, and snipped through the chain of Ki, freeing his hand and inching backwards with his feet. Having his back to the ground was less than optimal. Although he'd taken no damage, losing footing didn't bode well for him, despite having an endless arsenal at his disposal. He dispelled the scissors after they'd served their purpose, and began to conjure something larger. It didn't take form yet, but began to encompass the entire side of his right arm. At the same time, he tossed his tiny dagger towards Bruce with a quick flick of his wrist, and reached over his chest for the small notched blade that was housed in the ground.

Bruce, the chain on his forearm liberated from his forearm, took the blade that Nexus had held instead and deflected the incoming dagger.

Pressing the moment that he'd been afforded, knowing it wouldn't happen a second time so fortuitously or at such a relatively low cost, he swept his feet toward Nexus' one in front of the other to reduce the distance between them. He slid his right leg between Nexus' and twisted his right foot to sit perpendicular to Nexus' left foot, giving his opponent another obstacle between him and rediscovering balance on the floor.

With his right blade, Bruce slashed crosswise toward Nexus' now empty left hand, the cut on route for the digits of his fingers. He held his left arm above his right as it crossed his chest, thrusting the tip toward Nexus' right eye, the sharp edge of the blade facing Nexus' right arm.

There was a bright flash of blue light as Bruce's attacks made contact. Both blades came to an immediate stop, like they'd hit a wall, rather than flesh. As the light faded, the result became clear. Nexus had moved his right arm into their path, using the energy he'd began to amass as a barrier to protect himself. But it hadn't manifested quickly enough into his planned armament. Instead, the reduced velocity of the blades was barely enough to allow him a guard. There was cost, however. The blades were embedded deep enough into his Armour to hit flesh. One dug into a slit on his forearm, drawing a moderate amount of blood, while the other pierced the center of his right hand. He held his arm sturdy, keeping the blades steady. It was like the Armour had wrapped around his weapons and dampened their energy to disallow any further movement, even if only briefly.

Bruce would feel his power welling back up quickly, gaining access to his Ki and arcane energy in one immediate burst.

Nexus's eyes widened, and he kicked himself off the ground with a tremendous amount of force, pulling his arm free of the blades, and shattering them both as he leaped backwards. In the same motion, he grabbed his notched blade and tossed it into a spin towards Bruce, before landing several yards away on both of his feet.

Bruce's powers returning felt akin to a fish being returned to water, or a mammal coming up for air. Sensing the earth again was like having his heart restarted.

He took a breath to reconcile with the volume of his Ki. A chain shot out and snagged the sharp end of Nexus' notched projectile in one link. It was whipped to one side to the floor.

He dissipated the blades Nexus had broken, forging fresh one that had all the teachings he'd acquired backed by his fullest power. The valleys and peaks of his Ki were imperceptibly small, but strong. Bruce crouched like a sprinter, the material he'd scattered earlier gathering rapidly into a small ramp that he kicked off of to sprint after Nexus.

There wasn't time to pause or talk.

Bruce's skin turned a darker hue, hardening into his Sage state as he leveled a flying diagonal slash at his opponent. Chains hovered at the ready from beneath his left sleeve.

'My resolve has to go further.'

Nexus narrowed his eyes. The notched blade bounced off the ground and began to hover, engulfed in light. In a spark, it split into several tiny shards and began to circle around Bruce silently. Nexus summoned a long sword of his own, one with a much bright sheen than any of his previous weapons, and blocked Bruce's diagonal slash with the strongest part of his blade. The resounding flash pushed outwards, but the shards from his earlier notched blade moved slowly toward him from behind. The force of the impact left Bruce suspended in midair.

"Your success is fleeting," Nexus said loudly, his voice filled with a sober determination. A blow glow engulfed his injured arm, and the blood began to shrink away. Any droplets on the floor moved back towards his injury, slipping past the slits in his armor, before the metal itself was repaired. He glared at Bruce intently and grunted. "Let me assure you..." His hair and mask were suddenly engulfed by a helmet that morphed up and past his neck, leaving the tiniest slit for his eyes to shine through. "I do not grow weaker on a larger scale."

Yzeira pulled himself away from Jenso and hissed angrily. "There's nothing special about you," he concluded, "You're a freak accident. A mistake that can't be explained any other way. Your existence is no more an enigma than my left shoe." He began huffing as he spoke as he spun away from Jenso in annoyance. "No. There are no mistakes that cannot be explained, in this universe, or any other. It is... It is enigmatic- A mystery..." He grunted again, and again, scratched his red hair vigorously with his left hand. It was unusual to see him so shaken. Not knowing something, and not having an opportunity to research it, was the greatest torture for a man who's sole purpose was to gather knowledge. He paused and his hand dropped.

"Maybe there's still a way." He turned back to Jenso and his parents slowly, and narrowed his eyes. "I propose another deal. One far less generous than my last offer, mind you."

Jenso took note of Yzeira's annoyance as he finished doing whatever he was doing. Not even he could figure it out, a man who was a great mage and who'd lived ten thousand years? It was very strange. His muscles tensed up as Yzeira mentioned another deal. If he refused, it was possible that Yzeira would lash out at him or his parents. His current situation was far less than ideal. "Okay, so what deal is that?" He asked, placing his right hand against the side of the desk. He eyed his parents briefly, keeping an eye on what Yzeira was doing.

"You, and 10 people of your choosing may join us in leaving this universe. Then, I will destroy it. Other than that, the conditions are the same as my previous deal."

Jenso frowned at Yzeira, looking down at the ground as he grit his teeth. He began to slowly channel Ki towards the desk through his right hand, which looked like nothing more than an act of frustration. As he did, his body was briefly surrounded by wildly flailing flames, which activated Bruce's instrument that was still hidden within his pocket while also contributing to the appearance of his frustrated state. Most of the Ki he'd channeled towards the side of the desk was his, which masked the presence of Bruce's hidden within. Jenso's Ki had been proven inaffective against Yzeira's barrier earlier, so he hoped Yzeira would not be concerned. The Ki right now, wasn't dangerous in it's current state. He seemed deep in thought for a while, not showing any hostility in his behaviour at all. He sighed deeply.

"Fine...looks like I have no choice at this point. You have a deal." He stated, and reached out his left hand towards Yzeira to shake his hand in agreement. "But I expect you to keep your word." He added. Yzeira was clearly annoyed that he wouldn't be able to research Jenso properly if he were to kill him, so he hoped his increased interest in him would cause Yzeira to let his guard down, if only for a brief moment. 'I can't mess this up now...I'll only have one shot.'

Jenso wasn't hiding anything.

Yzeira looked at the man's hand briefly, and then met his eyes.

"Are you serious right now, Kid?" Luke said quietly, "You're willing to sacrifice the entire world for a few friends?"

"And a parent," Yzeira hissed, raising one of his hands towards Luke. "There's an added tax. One of your parents dies now." A small amount of energy began to gather in his hand. He swayed it slowly towards Jenso's mother, and sighed. "One who you'll pick now."

Jenso stood up immediately, and glared at Yzeira. It was as he'd expected. He wanted to make him suffer as much as he could. "I was never going to agree, dad..." Jenso admitted, and walked beside Luke. "...And I never surrendered to him to begin with, despite how hopeless it looks." He shifted his foot on the ground, and the energy gathered within the desk erupted violently as it headed for Yzeira. It was yet another one of Jenso's spears, but it suddenly sped up significantly as it moved, and began to look far more focused in shape. Jenso's raw Ki power, fused together with Bruce's great Ki control.

At the very same moment as this happened, Jenso grabbed Luke's arm with his left hand as a burst of flames erupted from his feet, flame dashing at top speeds towards his mother to pull her further away from Yzeira with his right hand. He prepared to use his own body as a shield if Yzeira chose to send any energy at them in this exchange, prepared to push or fling them out of harm's way. 'Flame dash...'