Wasn't it...

With razor precision she'd cut out her enemy's heart. She had taken the light and life from the machine, the genius that made it shine. Now it was metal and data. She'd forgotten how graceless the gods could be when they were not united with a loving heart.

But wasn't it... 

She flares her thrusters into full reverse. The Kathresis was agile but in terms of brute speed the Aeteline was its match. they arc around the arena, circling on pillars of light and flame, endless chase. Hers is the more powerful machine, on the straight like this she could pull ahead. Instead she sets the burn so the Kathresis gently gains. It can't read even this simple deception.

Wasn't combat supposed to be beautiful?

As they circle she unfolds her machine guns again. Rotates them to a rear position and fires - short, stuttering, controlled bursts. Checking her fire after each salvo. Grinding down the Kathresis' edge like sandpaper.

She had loved fighting Akaithon. She had loved the intensity of their duel, their silent conflict made manifest in sword and spear. This time she had scalpeled her out of the fight entirely and now was set to the grim task of disassembling her machine in a safe and controlled way. Akaithon... she had become this in order to emulate a shadow of Solarel's power. In order to come closer to her she had put her life on the line. And she had denied that escalation with a single shot. There was no beauty in a desperate mismatch like this. There was nothing sadder than a failed tactic. If it worked, as it had when she had done it, it made the tactician look like a genius. When it failed they looked like a fool. And for that to be her rematch with Akai...

For the first time she did not even have anyone to not speak to. She only had metal, grinding down lesser metal.