I straightened up, and relaxed, and Lt. James' head sailed through the air while his body slumped lifelessly to the ground. The head hit with a soft thump, and rolled slightly before coming to a stop on the ground.

I was utterly exhausted, and my body couldn't take much more battle. As I looked around, I saw that Cadence, Cold and Kanpai had defeated their opponents without too much fuss, but were also tending to wounds, which left them out of the battle. I turned my head to Marlon and the Captain, who were exchanging blows viciously, and saw that the battle seemed to be coming to a close, but had yet to conclude.

Sighing, I knew I wasn't done with the battle yet. I stood up, taking a moment to breathe, and regulate the pain in my body. I stood there for several seconds, breathing deeply, forcing my body to calm down. It worked somewhat, but I was too far into battle for it to be truly effective.

Now ready, I headed over to Marlon's battle. His back was to me, and Yuru was facing me, the light of battle waning in his eyes. I knew for this to end, Marlon would need a clear opportunity for a massive hit, and I would give it to him. Running forward, I took my blade up in both hands, preparing myself for an attack.

Finn: "Marlon, to your left!"

He knew exactly what I meant, and dodged to his left. I was running forward, my Akai Kotei's tip dragging ever-so-slightly in the stones to my right. The ground behind was being scarred by my great weapon, sending rubble into the air behind me. As Marlon dodged, I leapt forward, carving into the ground and then out of it, slicing diagonally across Yuru's chest, bringing a cloud of debris along with it.

"Yogore-jū: Crescent Moon!"

As soon as I had finished my attack, I dodged out of the way, rolling to the side to give Marlon as much time as he could to capitalize on my attack. I looked and saw that as soon as he'd dodged, he had begun preparing his attack, his muscles bulging, veins popping, and face straining with the pressure. His body was putting every ounce of its remaining power into this last, all-out attack.

And then he released his arm, sending the power of his body, and the force of his very will into Yuru's chest.

Marlon: "100 Tile Punch!"