"It's annoying. Just seeing him somehow." "Annoying? She's smiling like always, but. (out loud) You've got all kinds of enemies to face after this. Use the Shukuchi in the next attack and finish him. She's different from the normal Nyx!" Yumi saying thinking the last part to herself. "Of course. That was my intention. I've decided to use one step before the Shukuchi." "Nyx!" "Oh don't be angry. I have every confidence that I could defeat Mr. Zero with the Shukuchi. But using my strength against his wrong-headed sword would just be too annoying.

Nyx re-enters with Yumi coming behind her. "Here she comes." Swipe kept his eyes on her yet speaking to Maken of course. "Yes." "You going to be okay?" "I can't say. Only that if I can't defeat this little girl, I won't reach Orez. So I won't be able to return to Vivi and the others. I'll use my full strength. I have no other choice. "One step before the Shukuchi." Nyx all but disappears, detectable only by the breaking of the flooring under her feet. Maken thinking, "Left or right?" A similar break hits the ceiling, then a wall. Maken is surrounded on all sides by the crashes that mark Nyx's passing. Still thinking, "An Omni-directional attack, using not only horizontal but vertical space!" "There's no where to run now!" Swipe screamed. "After all, in this world the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong." Maken whips his head around to follow the voice, but there's nothing there. "The strong live, the weak die." Maken turns again--Nyx materializes over his left shoulder, and he puts up his sword to block. A glimpse of the six-year-old Nyx, smiling. "You don't kill? You protect the weak? That's what you say, but you're wrong." She strikes again, and again Maken blocks. Young Nyx, crying out in shock. "Why didn't you protect me then? If what you say is right, why didn't anyone protect me?" She disappears again. Maken does his best to dodge the blitz of rapid movement.

"Then?" "Why didn't you protect me?" What's she talking about? She's not making any sense." Swipe talking to Yumi. "It is strange. She's definitely acting different than usual." "Could it. Could her past be coming back to her, like how Maken reverted to almost his old killing self in his fight with Wolf Brigade Zage?" Swipe thinking. "She can't cope with the strong emotions the fight is bringing up. She's losing her mind!" Thoughts to herself. "No one protected me then. The only thing that protected me was the truth that Mr. Orez taught me. All it took was one stroke of the wakizashi. " She descends behind Maken for the final blow thinking. "So Mr. Orez is the one that's right!" The young Nyx clutches the sword, her eyes mad with rage. Maken coolly looks behind him in plenty of time to see Nyx.

"I knew it! If she's showing emotion, no matter how fast she is, Maken can read her moves!" Maken dodges very slightly, and Nyx buries her sword in the floor instead. "Now he's got her!" Swipe grinning. "He saw her!" Yumi in shock. Nyx stares at the blade halted inches before her throat. A tense moment. "What are you doing? Do you mean to win without giving the finishing blow?" "You say no one protected you then. No matter how hard I try, I can't think what you're referring to. But, if its not too late, couldn't you make a fresh start now?" Nyx freezes. The young Nyx stands in the freezing rain, holding a bloody sword. "The strong live, the weak die. The true words Mr. Orez taught me. But is being weak so wrong? I killed, but I didn't really want to kill them. Yes. In the rain, I smiled, but I was really crying. I was really crying." The thoughts flashed in her head. Nyx screams, clutching her head. "Nyx is broken." "You're interfering. Your very existence is. Fighting with you is making me strange! I don't care who's right! I'll kill you with the next attack!"