Munetsuchi

Charles offered an apology and claimed that Jeanne couldn't tell him what kind of oaths to swear. "It's your funeral," she said seeming to not actually care either way what would be happening. If he wanted to die thinking he'd improved her life in some way, there was no reason to take it from him. That being said there was much more fighting to do and she'd keep up her assault just the same. In fact, she saw a great deal of success in what she was doing, the lad's back met the stakes she'd dropped and he immediately found himself pushing against her forward thrust. He wouldn't be pinned down... that might have been worth it. Even so he was pushing past her and she found her brow raising as a shoulder turned her sword a bit and allowed him to properly move around her. Her own footwork was rather high and her recovery quick though so by the time he was turning around to deny his status as a battle junkie. He asked her a question. "You really shouldn't be so fucking nosy, but... the last wishes of the dying deserve consideration," she muttered.

At the same time, there was a rather easy conversation taking place between Sakura and the Nexus. She sat in her throne and heard out this beings thoughts about the strange trait of Charles, "I mean empathy is supposedly a good thing, but he's quite troubled most of the time already," she murmured. It was odd, knowing how emotionally unstable someone like Charles was. What was more, in watching the ongoing fight she was also encouraged to make herself a large throne as a small girl, to make a big statement. This made her think a bit. "Am I small?" she hadn't really given it much consideration. Hm... well it was good advice regardless, she'd definitely do what was asked.

In consideration of Charles impending doom, Jeanne, continued her attack... this time, speaking the name of another skill..."Chains of Vengeance," and like the last time blackened chains began to move, a gentle chiming noise would be heard as they seemed to move along the ground wrapped in flames aiming to take hold of Charles feet, if they succeeded they'd be yanked towards the lass causing him to trip and be dragged towards her. Her overall desire to take control of his movements before she launched a more devastating attack. "When we first found Albion after it was taken, I was happy to see my sister again, well at least for a few minutes before she was kidnapped personally," she clarified for him. He was going to die anyway, meeting his last request before he became something else was the least she could do. She wouldn't actually wish her current type of existence upon anyone else, and those untapped desires did strange things to humans before reincarnation.

His funeral, was it? Well, Charlemagne couldn't be too bothered if that had to be the end result, so long as his goal was achieved in the end. Jeanne was all wrong. She once lived as a symbol for all Holy Knights, all who sought to become one, and so many other people. She was a seasoned warrior who managed the guise of a maiden, inspiring the masses to better themselves for all the right reasons. This couldn't stand. "If I die, will you go back to normal?" he wondered aloud.

It seemed Jeanne would be answering his question, albeit not before initiating another assault. Chains of Vengeance, she chanted. From Jeanne's location, strange chains extended toward Charlemagne's location. He definitely couldn't let himself be captured and executed, but what if doing so was the right thing to do? No. No, he had to be certain of the right path. Perhaps this technique of Jeanne's was limited to the ground, or perhaps it could extend outward. Either way, Charlemagne's first plan of escape involved leaping into the air before being grasped. This was the sort of situation he would have thought about Jeanne to get himself out of. When facing another knight who boasted greater experience, hers was the voice he relied on for so many years. Ah, but... perhaps he still could?

First, there was the answer. Jeanne's last feeling of happiness was so long ago, it was only shortly after their last meeting in the grand scheme of things. She'd gone about a thousand years without any notable happiness. How... depressing. "That long, huh? That's a lot of work to do," he mused. With that, Charlemagne made another decision final. His right hand held that sword firm, and his left hand clenched by his chest. Looking inward on himself earlier, Charlemagne realized he had a very strange ability in this current form. He could acquire Skills and raise them to the highest possible level in doing so, regardless of the original rank. In this case, what he gained was... Jeanne's ability to speak with the 'angels' as she once called them. Such a development would form whatever connection Jeanne once had immediately, but through Charlemagne himself.

In the meantime, the Nexus had his attention divided. This battle reminded him of a few misunderstandings in a long-gone world. Sakura wondered if she was considered small, which claimed his interest instead for a moment. How would he answer that? Well, she wasn't truly small, but she was far from what one would consider large in his experience. "Literally? No. You're the same type as your mother, which is more perfectly balanced. Though I've seen some women with crazy builds out there. It's nothing for you to worry about, of course. You're the type who could be whatever you want on a whim, if you committed yourself to it. Play around if you want; it can be fun."

Charles apparently maintained a strange curiosity. He wished to know if he died if Jeanne would go back to normal. It was such an odd question that the girl was left a bit dumbfounded by its mention. She expressed this shock in a way that her other self likely never would have. "How the fuck am I supposed to know?" she asked. "At the very least you won't come back to be a goddamn problem for me to deal with later..." Whatever the case, the lad was doing a fairly good job of dodging at least, Artoria Pendragon would have been quite proud of such an individual being able to avoid the kind of onslaught that Jeanne was dishing out currently. She truly had no intention of holding back and while her chains would have found their home, it wouldn't stop her from continuing to chase the lad down those chains which were condensed around her body acting as both offense and defense as she added the strokes of her sword. She aimed several slashes at the lad while he did, whatever it was he was doing. "No, it's really not," she said of the amount of work it was. She didn't care about being happy. At this point the only thing that could properly give her happiness was slaying the person who took it from her in the first place. It truly wasn't so difficult a thing to do.

The skill he chose to activate which belong to Jeanne d'Arc was one which wasn't truly understood by others. In increasing the rank of it, he would gain a direct connection to an 'Angel' unlike any most of the world had ever seen. Somewhere in the distance, deep in the darkness beneath a veil of water, electric blue eyes opened up and a sigh took place. 'Oh? Well isn't this interesting... I'm not connected to you... you definitely shouldn't be able to call upon me~' she said in a voice which seemed to be both lightly teasing but somehow brimming with power. All the same a flag replaced Jeanne's sword in her hand, black in color with an extended reach, she barely seemed to stop moving just, increased her reach and continued aiming her jabbing attacks towards the lad with a more flexible weapon to choose from.

As this fight continued, Sakura watched. "Sugoi, that's really interesting..." she mused about Jeanne's particular actions in this fight. She seemed to be rather flexible as a fighter and she wondered if the girl would consider meeting a few of her fathers. Whatever the case, the former saint's weapon changed to one with more reach as Charles employed a strange magic. In the meantime, Sakura was told she wasn't really small but that she could play around with different types of bodies. "Sou ka... I never really thought about it much but I'll see what sort of thing I end up liking," she said giving it due consideration.

Jeanne didn't know if Charlemagne's death would return her to normal. Sadly, neither did he. It could have been such an easy solution if either of them knew the answer, but Jeanne herself obviously wasn't seeking a solution to her current state. That made one of them. If Charlemagne accomplished nothing else in this journey, he had to right the wrongs done to this very woman. What more was there, though? She thought his death would keep him from coming back as a problem for her. If he'd ever been such a thing, it was unintentional. "What did I do to you?" he wondered earnestly.

Still, Charlemagne had to deal with the endless assault of Jeanne. While he floated in the air, those chains continued encroaching upon him, alongside Jeanne herself. He luckily had enough agility to fling himself around and avoid the former, but it seemed he couldn't manage as well while also trying to parry that sword. What was most important? Well, he couldn't let himself be captured, so that had to take priority. The lad's parries suffered slightly as such. Sadly, even a minor difference in ability proved enough for Jeanne's rapier to slide past his parries. From his cheek, his chest and his sword arm, there were multiple splashes of blood adding a bit of color to an otherwise blank white room. Ah, but there was something else going on as well. . .

Charlemagne acquired a Skill, and he heard a voice very soon after. It was apparently someone he shouldn't have been capable of speaking to, but... he had to infringe upon her privacy just this once. "Sorry!" he shouted aloud accidentally. From there however, he delivered the additional words mentally. 'Are you one of the angels who spoke to Jeanne d'Arc? If so, I could use a little guidance and... a lot of questions answered!'

Jeanne didn't need to know if his death would return her to normal. She was content to continue living her life as it was regardless. Of course, even if she could go back to normal, she wasn't willing to do so without the vengeance she'd taken unto herself. Charles seemed to be sorely lacking in general information given he seemed to not know what he'd done to the lass given her words about his potential death and its general benefits. "What did Charles do to me? Nothing that I know of... but what I don't know could well still hurt me, and I refuse," she offered an explanation but it likely wasn't enough detail to work with. In this case, Jeanne d'Arc had experienced some pretty rough betrayals. People she definitely should have been able to trust had caused her more harm in a single week than she'd experienced in her entire two lives up to that point. Charles had been one of her first Holy Knights, but... her first Holy Knights also housed the one who'd subjected her to torture...

Still, over the course of this, she could see that her attack were still working. Officially she was making contact with the lad, several slashes adding crimson to this otherwise white space. She might have felt bad about such a thing if she was her other self, but here and now he definitely felt like an enemy and she had no sympathy for her enemies. With her weapon making contact she'd continue her slashes and jabs, knowing that all it would take was a few such movements to knock the lad down to the point of his imprisonment.

But beyond that there was another conversation taking place, one which was initially answered outside of the lad's head and would soon be answered, "There is no need to apologize," the woman said from the other side. Of course he had no reason to know she was usually quite busy and she happened to be in the middle of an impromptu sabbatical with the same young woman he currently faced... What more did he need to know? Was she one of the Angels that spoke to Jeanne d'Arc? He needed guidance and questions answered. "I suppose that is how Jeanne referred to me," she mused her connection properly established she watched this lad's current predicament through his eyes. "If you want to parry through those injuries I would suggest keeping an eye on her left foot, she leads with it," the 'Angel' offered. And sure enough each forward slash or jab was preceded by the forward motions of Jeanne's left foot. Even if one couldn't keep up completely with her speed, it would become easier to parry or dodge her onslaught. "Now then why would you have things to ask of me?" The voice maintained a certain curiosity, regarding this individual and his current actions.

As he'd hoped and assumed, Charlemagne did nothing to Jeanne. On the other hand, she refused to accept even the chance that he would act against her in future. That didn't sound like her at all. She'd always presented herself as one to look on the brighter side, from what he gathered. The amount of pessimism she boasted now was disturbing... but that sort of mentality solidified another theory he had about her downfall. "I guess there's no talking you out of that one, then. Fine. I can work with that," he claimed.

By the time he made contact with one of the 'angels' Jeanne once knew, Charlemagne was beginning to take a few blows here and there. The female voice in his mind spoke of watching her left foot for leading movements, but that wasn't exactly his problem. By Charlemagne's own approximation, he was currently more than equipped to dealing with Jeanne's agility by parameters alone. That didn't help him when having to deal with an additional onslaught and a mind full of thoughts, however. 'Thanks, but not the problem! I need another type of guidance,' he insisted. In truth, the 'guidance' he wanted from this individual was connected to some of the questions he had. First and foremost... 'I need to know how I can reverse this demon transformation, or whatever it is! She's trying to kill me because I feel the same as the guy who did this to her, but I don't think she'd stop with me. I need to know if there's some way that already exists to stop her from going too far,' he explained. If his death could solve everything, he'd welcome that eventuality, knowing he almost ceased existing the day before anyway.

Alas, it was doubtful things could be so easy. Even now, he was dealing with Jeanne's endless offense, having to initiate a form of offense just to defend himself. His parrying became a bit more forceful, carrying the intention of deflecting Jeanne's blade and creating just enough space to let him descend past her. Those chains remained an issue, but it seemed he'd do well by just keeping away. As such, Charlemagne's landing was not accompanied by hesitation; he darted away immediately, seeming to sprint from Jeanne and those burning chains that appeared hellbent on ensnaring him. He was hardly managing the latter, but a few well-timed sword strikes managed to create enough space to keep away.

Charles was apparently okay with the current mental status of Jeanne. She didn't really care if he was, but she knew for a fact that nothing would change the way she saw the world currently. Too much had happened and she'd been harmed in a way that wouldn't allow her to be optimistic. No, perhaps her siblings were right, and she'd always been too trusting. She'd correct that from the point of her darkness and forward. "What you can work with is not the goddamn point here!" Jeanne was by far a very different person than she had been before, the swearing alone was proof.

In the meantime, Charles was given guidance but it wasn't the kind he sought. "You could have fooled me. She'll turn you into a burning pincushion~" mused the voice which didn't seem particularly bothered one way or another. What was interesting to her, in this particular moment would be his real question. He wished to reverse the 'demon' transformation that Jeanne was currently experiencing. "Oh? You wish to stop her? How interesting... I do wonder if you could actually help her," the voice said seeming to give consideration to his words. As far as Jeanne's current state there were several things that most wouldn't understand and reversing her current existence was something which would take a great deal of finesse. This voice was aware of that, but Jeanne was a bit complex regardless. "Reversing? No. That doesn't work... while this form of hers is dark it is... natural to her person. It is as much part of her as her bright and sunny disposition is..." the voice commented in a strangely direct manner. "As for her fighting you, potentially going too far, betrayal tends to change the way one thinks and opens options not previously considered," she gave an honest understanding of Jeanne's current psyche. "Oh, but to answer your actual question, convergence could potentially restore her light, or at the very least, allow it back into her form. Or... she could take the vengeance she is seeking, though that method has the most potential for going wrong." The voice explained, of course there were some nuances but she couldn't well give away too much information.

In the meantime, Jeanne was dealing with the lad striking back against her. The hits she'd been using to draw blood and beat him back were met by more forceful strikes. In an instant Charles became able to deflect her blade and descend past her. She turned her body spinning on her right foot. She anticipated his movements to avoid the chains she aimed to capture him with, but she'd leave them as a way to control his movements in a finite manner. "Burning Stake," how much could he move to avoid a small line of falling spikes which seemed to be chasing him towards those chains the long way around? Her aim was to use magic to force his eventual capture, since he'd succeeded in placing space between them. She'd turn her body following his movements as he darted about.

No matter how he approached, it was clear he and Jeanne wouldn't be seeing eye-to-eye. That didn't matter. She snapped emotionally a long time ago, and she certainly wouldn't be accepting him without a thousand tons of proof that he was no enemy. That was no concern of his now, though. It didn't matter if she trusted or believed him; it only mattered whether he could help her troublesome situation or not. Even if she never believed in him again, the results could change the world nonetheless.

The voice Charlemagne reached out to was content to keep prodding at the battle going on between Jeanne and himself, which was frankly the least of his worries. He scoffed audibly, knowing what his major concerns were and waiting for those to be addressed. She wondered if he could actually be of help, which he'd been wondering this whole time. Alas, this voice claimed there was no 'reversing' the current state of Jeanne d'Arc, as it was a natural part of her being. He could accept that, but the current state of Jeanne had this side overwriting the other instead of existing alongside it. That couldn't stand. Convergence was recommended as a solution to let the 'light' inhabit Jeanne once more. Alternatively, she could exact her vengeance, though... that sounded like it had as many caveats as Charlemagne already figured. Perhaps though, one of those caveats was worth abusing? They may all find out soon enough. 'I was hoping for something more solid, but... I think that works. Next question: what if she could get that vengeance, but not get it at the same time?' he asked further.

All the while, Jeanne remained on the offensive. Charlemagne was dashing away from encroaching chains, only to have Jeanne begin chasing him down with stakes as well. He seemed none the wiser to the roundabout loop he was being goaded into initially, but was he truly? Time would tell. For the time being, where he was being led could not be counted as an issue just yet. Charlemagne would cross that bridge when it came about. 'Third question already. What kind of fire is that?'

No more extra words came from Charles after Jeanne's outburst. Strangely, Sakura continued watching the whole of this with wide eyes. The woman she saw before them was pained by something but she wasn't evil at all. She could tell, what was more she saw nothing wrong with this 'fight' as a conversation between two people as it seemed to be getting at least one of them the answers they required. While the other didn't care of the state anyone was left in, she seemed to be very conscious of everything around her and as such she could be considered reasonable.

Meanwhile the voice on the other side of Charles's mind was presented with a strange question. He'd wanted something more solid but it could work and he asked about her getting vengeance but also not getting it at the same time? "Oh? Is that where your thought process went?" asked the voice mostly rhetorically. "Technically speaking, it would be best to get vengeance while not having it be a primary desire of the person doing the killing. To kill with a burning desire in one's soul would feed the darkness more than anything else. Taking vengeance on behalf of someone else is fine, taking it unto one's self for the greater good is also fine. But to take it for yourself is to burn your own soul with it, to truly blacken the self, does this make sense?" asked the voice at large, as she tried to explain in the easiest way possible that the problem with Jeanne's current existence wasn't the wrath-filled spirit but instead the fact that she was going to take that death into herself while she still felt attached to it.

Moving on, the continued assault of Jeanne rather quickly brought about another question. What kind of flame were those? Well... that was an easy enough question to answer. "Those flames are flames of vengeance. In truth, they are the concept of her own burning death made into a weapon against her enemies. They will specifically harm those who have wronged her down to a spiritual level. On the other hand... any considered her allies could walk out of those flames while not even feeling the heat of them. They are a problem for you because your soul is directly connected to the being who wronged her," explained the voice. Ah, but that did mean it could eventually be possible for the lad to not be harmed by those flames. Speaking of those flames he was on his way to stepping into a place where he could be captured by flaming chains, and if he happened to complete his circle and make footfall, Jeanne would be capable of capturing him by the feet.

Though he couldn't just let Jeanne exact vengeance as she desired, it seemed at least possible to find an exploit of some sort. Finding revenge without having it as her primary focus would be a way to enable her return, but it didn't seem she would be capable of doing that currently. In that case, perhaps his idea was a good one after all. Her current desire involved killing him, though, so letting himself fall here was probably the worst thing he could do. 'I understand. That limits my options, though; it could have been so easy if I could just loophole it right now,' he replied.

As for the flames Jeanne produced, they were not quite what he expected. The flames of vengeance, they were called. Charlemagne wondered if there was some abstract effect he would be able to avoid, but it seemed the only avoidable thing was something he became affected by due to Father An's intrusive ways. Damn. If only he wasn't part An, he would never have been burned by those first stakes. 'It never gets easy, does it?' he wondered, lamenting his own fate. Nevertheless, Charlemagne would do all he could to be of help. 'You advised her for a long time, right? Based on how well I assume you know her, how can I get her to trust me?'

Ah yes, Charlemagne had looped his way around to another, similar conclusion. His original idea could still work if it wasn't Jeanne's intention to take vengeance on him. To make that happen, however, he had to plan. That was fine, as it would also allow him the time to handle his own affairs. Speaking of his affairs... he was rather in for it right now, with those chains and stakes working in tandem to facilitate his capture. He was following the circle and indeed running straight into a trap, but getting captured would undoubtedly end terribly for himself and everyone else. Actually... perhaps there was something he could do about it? He did have another ability that wasn't appearing properly in his normal stat sheet, after all. If nothing else, there was nothing wrong with another gamble, he thought. As such, Charlemagne decided to... stop running. As the stakes cut off an alternate escape route, he chose to halt in place to let the chains catch up to him. He'd already been burned along his back; a few more to the feet and legs couldn't be too bad.