<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

Aki was certainly about to lose his sword, an arm, and perhaps even his life. The way Kenta's axe was coming his way, it wouldn't stop just because it hit a body part or a lesser weapon ─ especially a weapon so light and a body so fragile. What wasn't fragile, however, was the section staff Maki interjected with at the perfect moment to save a life. Kenta couldn't believe anything managed to stop a downward swing of his, but he wouldn't let that stop him. "Gorilla bitch! Don't think you can get one over on me just because you found something decent!" he shouted. Most present would fully understand that Sato Kenta wasn't truly built for tactical combat. Dealing with a segmented staff and strength he couldn't even realize rivaled his own was not an ideal combination, and would result in his arm reeling to the impact against the back of his hand. That jerk reaction left Maki's staff segment wrapping around his axe handle... but Kenta wasn't some nobody who'd rely only on weapons. No, as the axe was separated from his hand, the fingers of that same hand curled into a fist aimed straight at Maki's face. "Learn your place!"

All the while, Aki was sliding back and having a healing pulse applied to his injured ankle. He'd be rejoining the fray at his earliest convenience, but he had to rely on Maki for the time being. Of course he considered sacrificing that same foot to summon the fox again, but it hadn't done much before and would likely prove fruitless again. As for the Players, their plan for involvement was coming together as their time atop the fox corpse shrank rapidly. Closer and closer to the ground they drew, but not without deciding amongst themselves how they'd beat Kenta into submission. "Yeah, if you upgrade it, you'll probably start needing A-rank stones. I'd go numbers first. B-rank should still be solid against anything but a thick tank like dumbo over there," he said first and foremost. "Anyway, you know the deal. I'm not the dancer here; I'll follow your lead. Start the beat, Partner~"

[Apollymi]

True to the moments passing, Aki might have been about to lose his sword arm for the second time today. Instead he was saved by a very aggressive Maki, who entered the battle ready to combat anyone and everyone. With her maneuver properly working and her staff wrapped around that axe she casually flicked the axe around from that pull, aiming to lodge it in a far off tree...away from it's supposed owner. Who was still talking quite crazy for someone currently being attacked by someone who was strength wise damn near his equal. "Puhlease, I'm not you. acting like I earned something because I lucked out on the power scales~" Maki said with absolute understanding. She knew a punch was coming and she was more than prepared to shift a bit more but she was pretty close up in range and pulling her weapon back in would take a second, she stepped down on the section in her hand to bring it around while leaning her head forward the punch making contact with her forehead. That barrier of Miko's shattered but her head was only spinning just a bit. "Oh? And what's a pansy like you have to teach me?~" she while sending a section of that staff up into the man's chin with the power of an uppercut while holding the line for a few more moments.

While Maki antagonized and disarmed their opponent, Miko and Yugi put together a plan both for immediate futures and past this fight. Both seemed more relaxed about the situation than their B-ranked companions were ready for. By the time, Miko pulled that sword back towards herself Aki would be healed completely and she'd be snapping again to refresh the barrier around Maki after hearing it shatter. "Hai hai, I'll see how many more I can make... then look into the upgrade tree. The first notification said they'll all upgrade at once with only the materials for the first one, so it should be fine," Miko asserted. With that little plan in place, the next part up would be what to do about their immediate problem. "Hai hai~ I'll count you in... and get everyone moving at the same pace♪!~" Miko agreed. She'd be hopping down from that fox head no weapon in hand leaping moving forward, she'd announce herself for Maki. "Cutting in, Maki-nee♪~" Miko mentioned. With those barriers on her and the rest she was willing to see what as next, and as Miko approached at a relatively fast speed Maki jumped back and to the left, pulling that staff in and getting ready to back her up if need be. "I'm so tired of you, SHUT UP♪!~" Miko affirmed, aiming a concise jab at full speed with good form straight towards that man's chest. She fully expected him not to care, she was an E-rank after all. He was likely to underestimate her and try to use it as a point to take her down a few pegs. But at the moment of contact, 'Black Flash' would activate, allowing her to penetrate his defenses and armor and with her current strength rating she could at least expect to knock the wind into him. and disrupt his defenses. But with that first hit the beat would start, and Miko's snaps would begin the count, it was time to begin building a proper melody out of this beat.

[Bloodedge]

The chatter Kenta encountered when facing Maki was to be expected. Clearly she was projecting her own lacking mana onto him, trying to lash out against those who were strong in more than the physical sense. "Urusai! The weakest awakened Zen'in could've had a nice cushy spot in my guild, even with your garbage mana. But look at you, messing it all up for yourself! And over what?" Kenta asked while that clenched fist was aimed Maki's way. The girl decided her method of dealing with that attack would be... headbutting his fist. What a dumb move, Kenta thought. He had something planned for her now, but...

In the time leading up to that moment, the Players finished their discussion. They decided Miko would set the pace by delivering the first strike. Yugi solidified and confirmed his new stat layout, leaving her to the approach. As the last one atop the fox, Yugi was there to finally reach the ground when the fox disappeared. Of course, that also gave him a better angle to see Miko enter the battle between Maki and Kenta, just before the latter could grasp at the green-haired girl's head. Was this some sort of trick? Kenta could only wonder, but there was nothing even the strangest E-rank could accomplish against him ─ especially some Healer-class hooker. "You little─" Kenta was prepared to do a lot of talking. Miko's fist struck his reinforced chest, and though he felt more than expected initially, it meant nothing. Before Kenta could even fully process a thought on the matter, however, something strange happened. It was as if he'd been struck unprotected by an A-rank fighter. Mid-sentence, he was spilling blood from his mouth and reeling back. Had his ribcage been cracked? It felt as if that were the case. Kenta wouldn't be given an opportunity to recover from there and figure out what happened, though. Yugi had already sprinted around to his rear, spinning kick aimed at the back of the Tanker's head to send him stumbling forward again. "Jumping time, bitch! Get some!" he shouted.

[Apollymi]

"Messing what up? Nobody likes a pansy! That's a lot of talk but you still didn't show me anything!~" Maki claimed. There was something about the mention of that name which made a certain fire appear in her. It made her feel a tinge more dangerous than she already did, 'Oh, wrong words. You fucked up!' Miko decided internally. still, before the man managed to grab the green haired young woman she cut in. Starting a new song with a simple beat. Was Miko's insertion into this moment a trick? Partly, but it wasn't the sort that could be read by someone like Sato Kenta. No... Miko slipped in front of him while Maki jumped back. And Maki watched as the girl lined up a straight forward jab and then saw something like a miracle happen. She'd heard 'Black Flash' as a premiere skill of S-Rank Fighter types, with only a few in the world managing to use it properly. So why... why was there a little brunette girl at a B-rank Dungeon Break, using it against a man way stronger than her, and having it take effect.

"Hell yeah!~ This is my kind of party!~" Maki claimed as the kick from Yugi sent the man stumbling forward, that three section staff was shifted up to smack him across the face. All the while, Miko was slipping around in constant motion. "Aki-nii, take an opening. You too Hayashi-kun!~ We're dancing today!~" Miko said while snapping around and refreshing barriers. With any other actions taken in the moment, she'd find herself pointing to Yugi a few seconds before the mark, "Omen-kun, your turn!~" she said as she heard the beat of this new battle through the hits to Sato Kenta's body. The girl really seemed to be dancing around as well, refreshing barriers and keeping count. Pointing out individuals for their turn in the rotation, until it felt natural to them to take the necessary openings.

[Bloodedge]

Maki's reaction to her surname being spoken was interesting to Yugi. He knew that name only because of her route in the System, but she'd specifically avoided giving it herself. Perhaps that had something to do with her other weird situation? He'd think over that for a short while. Ah, but the beatdown was beginning first and foremost. Miko got things started with a Black Flash straight to the Tanker's chest, and Yugi kept the man from moving back to far via a kick to the head. It was then Maki striking Kenta's face with her new weapon, causing him to spin 180 degrees to face the previous assailant. Aki, who was just pulling himself up after having his ankle repaired, was already astounded. "Probably the one thing I can still be surprised seeing today," he said. Aki took advantage of Kenta being turned about, striking his lower spine with the pommel of his katana. He didn't have much ability to break through that reinforcement, but he could contribute to the juggling. Even Hayashi could contribute by approaching from one side, managing a consistent, narrow stream of ice from his wand toward Kenta's face.

"Grrk!" Kenta groaned. His equilibrium was off, his back was arched, and now the moisture in his eyes was freezing as a sheet of ice formed across his face. Sadly for him, that wouldn't be the last of his problems. "Shut it, bitch!" Yugi shouted. With Miko's alert, he could know fifteen seconds was about to pass. As such, Yugi drew back his right fist and released a mana thread from his left hand toward Kenta's right leg. A haymaker to the face triggered Black Flash, collapsing Kenta's nose and cracking several teeth. Moreover, that maneuver launched him back in time for Yugi to jerk that thread, abusing momentum to flip the lummox upside-down. "Happy Feet!" he shouted.

[Apollymi]

Maki and her family had... issues. No matter. Such things had never kept her from doing what she wanted to do, nor had it stopped her from putting anyone in the dirt who talked crazy to her. So here and now, she knew only the desire to retaliate against Sato Kenta as he talked his trash. Luckily for him, it seemed he'd be incapable of saying too much. Still, Maki felt satisfaction as her attack found its home. "You're not the only one, " Maki agreed with Aki as she readied herself for the next bit. She watched as the other girl danced about the battlefield easily keeping track of her. What was more she could also now keep track of the movements of Sato Kenta's body. No longer were her eyes slower than her body, allowing her to move into the openings presented by others even more fluidly than before.

A shot to the back, ice to the face and even being pulled around by that thread and extra moment. Miko could hear it all and keep the count. It was a beat with a steady bassline and high impact accents. "Club Music♪~" Miko decided as her snaps became claps that went along with the breaking of bones. A haymaker from Yugi had Sato Kenta flying into the air, and also came with a black flash. Maki hadn't given up, she hopped up sending mutliple heavy strikes towards the shoulder of the arm that still supported his shield. A punching bag didn't need defense outside of what was applied naturally to its body. "Wombo Combo!♪~" Miko chirped as Maki inserted herself for even more damage and contributed to the man being kept in the air. As he went up again, Miko attached a thread to him, content to have to spin herself in as she waited for the count of the next fifteen seconds. Once it happened, whenever anyone else got a few strikes in... she'd spin into him, adding the centrifugal force to her punch that also came with a perfectly timed activation of Black Flash ready to send him spinning again.

All the while, Makima was watching on her screen while still on the phone with Gojo Satoru. She couldn't help but find this moment oddly mesmerizing. "Are they juggling an A-rank Tanker?" she questioned as if she couldn't believe it. She'd be keeping this video both for posterity and for the thrill of watching it again.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah... I think I'm done with today after this," Aki decided. He'd let out all his remaining stress on Kenta with the others, he'd light another cigarette, and he'd find something else to take his mind off things for a bit. That was his plan presently. Either way, the beatdown of Kenta wouldn't be stopped by anyone ─ even Hayashi, who'd covered Kenta's face in ice just to watch Yugi break through it... and the Tanker's face. The Players went on to begin a classic internet reference. Though Aki wasn't one for such playfulness in serious moments, he found himself snickering by the mention of Wombo Combo.

Maki was up next. She'd be the one covering Kenta's last line of external defense, beating down his arm until he could no longer hold that massive shield. After Miko spun herself in to strike the airborne punching bag and spiral him the opposite way, Yugi shot another thread. It stuck to Kenta's chest, and Yugi kept it streaming to let the spinning man effectively wrap himself in magical webbing. "Don't call it club music if nobody's shaking ass!" Yugi announced. Kenta was still trying to gather his bearings, but Yugi was already overhead and pulling himself down into the Tanker. Both feet made contact with Kenta's torso. He was sent rocketing into the ground below, only to bounce from the impact as air vacated his lungs. "Icicle Lance!" Hayashi shouted. He was trying something new, forcing a stalagmite to form quickly on the ground below Kenta. Doing so did further damage to that fault in his lower back's reinforcement, and effectively launched him into the air once again. Kenta was still visually searching above himself for Yugi: the only one he'd directly seen attacking recently in the ongoing assault. When his eyes cleared however, Yugi was already passing him by. "That ain't Falco!" the lad announced. By the time Yugi reached the ground, he used his threads to yank Kenta back into that ice spike. It was crushed as a result, but Kenta was dealt enough damage to fully expose that area of his reinforcement Skill.

All the while, Satoru's phone call with Maki was still open. When she asked about them juggling an A-rank Tanker, he only had one thing to say. "OOOHHHH! WHERE'RE YOU AT?!" he called out, laughing along. "I wouldn't say they're juggling an A-rank Tanker. Looks to me like they're playing with their food. Isn't it cute?"

[Apollymi]

"That's fair, it's been rough for you. Self-care is important♪~" Miko chirped proving she'd heard him even while she was busy moving about. Meanwhile the sounds of battle were being played over a soundtrack of constant hits. There was nothing that this group couldn't accomplish while they were acting the way they were. Playful though the teens managed to be, Aki's serious persona cracked while he snickered about a popular internet reference the pair fell into so easily while they were beating a man near to death.

Meanwhile, Miko decided that the music playing with every crunch, hit and broken bone was... 'club music'. This apparently got Yugi's attention as he claimed people should be shaking ass if it was club music. "Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't happening~" Miko chided, she was moving to the beat of that music, bottom shaking as little steps had her landing after that black flash fist collided with a face causing it to spin. Just the same it seemed even Hayashi was taking the time to get in some practice. His Icicle Lance becoming a much stronger attack in the moment. "Sugei!♪~ Great job, Hayashi-kun!♪~" Miko congratulated him on his developing abilities. Miko paused clapping her hands to the beat of that pummeling while even Maki stopped to spin that weapon around her body and lash out again in the middle. The completion of the meme, would come from above.... however. "Last call, Omen-kun's up in 10 seconds♪~" Miko chirped keeping easy track of all the cooldowns they were working with.

Gojo had been observing and on the phone the entire time, which was something that Sato Kenta didn't think of, before turning his aggression on the Players. "Cute? Huh? I suppose the rest is another reference I don't get..." Makima said in complete observation. She supposed two direct hits simultaneously to a weak point, could have killed the man outright, but... "They could have just killed him, but the teamwork is flawless," she said in her own observation.

[Bloodedge]

According to Miko, Yugi's inability to see asses shaking did not mean it wasn't happening. He was fully aware of how Miko's rear was moving, but he hardly considered it appropriate for 'club music' as she called it. "I can see everything, and that's not the same!" he insisted while slamming Kenta's body into that ice pillar. "Maki, wanna show her what I mean?" he asked simply to see how she'd respond at this point. "You could twerk on this dead body if you want!" he added.

Hayashi had something to be satisfied about. His Icicle Lance had officially become a more useful technique. Miko even went on to congratulate him on the upgrade. "Arigatou!" he said. "Good job, but eyes front," said Aki, who was following-up on Maki's strike at the man's torso. "Can we get him upright?" he asked. Yugi would be the one threading Kenta's face, pulling enough to straighten the airborne man vertically during a bypass ─ though he was upside-down. "Fuck him up!" the youngest male announced. Aki would finally be getting his proper strike, aiming his sword at the opening in Kenta's reinforcement. Even if he would have survived this onslaught, he wouldn't be doing so with the ability to walk. Aki stabbed through the opening at Kenta's lower back, running a katana through his spine before moving on.

At the last call, Satoru would be shouting at the group once more. "Tell that broke bitch to get his paper up!" he instructed, influencing a transition into a different reference. Yugi tugged Kenta's body again to flip it the right way around, and then... he'd be facing Kenta directly. Even Kenta, broken as he was, knew his legs weren't going to work by the time his feet reached the ground. Yugi, on the other hand, didn't intend to let him reach. Yugi's right hand was drawn back as far as he could manage. He'd be charging forward to get his entire body involved with a final strike. "GET'CHO..." he started. After taking so many consecutive Black Flashes, Kenta knew the amount of pain coming his way. Alas, it would be the last moment of pain he felt. "PAPER UP!" Yugi exclaimed as his fist made contact with Kenta's torso. The second Black Flash to that location shattered what remained of his ribcage, but Yugi didn't think that was enough of a flex. Once more, he'd added lightning to cause a massive surge outward from the initial explosive mana reaction ─ a surge of cackling black lightning to fry Kenta's corpse as it was launched away from Yugi, burning away even the mana webs keeping him bound. At that time, Satoru gave Makima a very simple reply. "They could have killed him in seconds. Aura farming~"

[Apollymi]

Miko scoffed playful though it was, she saw Yugi as being full of audacity to claim to see everything and then complain about the show he was currently getting. "Just full of audacity," Miko said seeming not to care much what he had to say about it. Her little dance would continue all over the battlefield. Keeping time with the beats of broken bones and the echoes of weapons meeting armor and flesh. In the case of Maki who'd been told to show Miko how it was done she simply managed to look surprised. "Yeah, no..." Maki said. She was hype off a good beatdown but not lost in the sauce so to speak. "Even I think that's a little too extreme," Maki added about twerking on a dead body, even though the image that appeared of it in head made her chuckle and push those glasses up on her nose as she collapsed that staff into a single piece again.

Meanwhile, it seemed perfectly reasonable to keep compliments coming as the ice mage managed to make something of his previously unusable Icicle Lance. He seemed quite happy. While Aki congratulated him as well, but reminded him of the seriousness of the current situation. "Cold-blooded, but I guess you're ready to clock out, huh Aki-nii?!~" Miko said almost rhetorically after watching him stab that man through the spine. It would have ended his ability to walk at the very least, and Miko in looking at his form knew he'd never hear or speak the same way again either. CTE was powerful and it seemed he had a bit more coming.

An instruction came from above, and Miko turned in hearing those specific words strung together in such away. "Wow, that's a new one..." Miko uttered. But in watching and hearing Yugi say as it as the last of the hits took place along with a full lightning flash Miko couldn't help but nod her appreciation. "Well, now I'm going to hear that in my head every time I do it, aren't I?" she mumbled mostly to herself. "Woah, that was awesome!~" Maki said seemingly stunned by that sort of killing technique. "Chii♪!~ That's the one, great finisher~" Miko said hand up for the high five at the end of it all, as the company they currently had meant it couldn't end in the way of her general preference. Makima for her part in this now had a very odd understanding of aura farming and a distinct understanding of the teens powers. "Bring them all in for debriefing," Makima said willing to end that phone call there and save the necessary copies from the 'failed' CCTV.