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Sighing, Atticus would have some reservations about fighting this man, he had been the type of leader that Atticus wanted to be and now he must face off against this guy. Looking back at Shira, Atticus smiled, "Shira, you should go and assist the others. This will be a duel just between us to swordsmen." he said as he relied on his demonic energy to create a sword out of thin air, not transforming his hand this time, which meant that he was truly fighting as a warrior and not a weapon. "Admiral, I do not wish to kill you or any of your officers, but I too have been ordered to carry out my own mission, so I must follow my orders." Atticus then pointed his blade out at the man, "An honorable duel between men. Using nothing but our physical skills and strengths. This all I can do in my current state, I hope this is okay with you."

"Indeed it is." Stepping forwards just slightly, Atticus would point his blade down diagonally, successfully catching the Admiral's blade. Suddenly, Atticus shifted his blade upwards and to the right, which would cause the Admiral's blade to slide down and towards the ground. The move Atticus had done, was a simple parry and yet it can work so well against various sword styles. Taking another step forwards, Atticus got closer to the Admiral and quickly moved his sword in a downwards motion, attempting to deliver a vertical slash at his left shoulder.

Seeing what the Admiral had in mind, Atticus would try to move out of the way of his attack, but even if his mind could perceive the attack, his body was too sluggish and slow to actually react, so he had to improvise. Knowing that with out the use of his bicep, he was as good as dead, Atticus would move his free left hand towards the area and used it as a shield. Once the Admiral's blade made contact with his bare hand, Atticus quickly, poured as much energy and force into his hand as he could and used it to make sure that it would not be severed from his body. "You are truly skilled." Atticus told the man as his bloody hand was stinging and bleeding badly. "If only I could have faced you at my strongest." he added as he then jumped backwards and then lunged forwards, trying pierce the Admiral's chest.

The Admiral was surprised that Atticus had taken the hit and recovered so quickly. He tried to step back but still caught the blade in the chest, just barely managing to avoid a mortal wound. His white shirt quickly became stained red where the sword had pierced him. To his credit he only winced slightly, doing his best to cover up the pain. "I suppose that's what I get for challenging the Demon King Ascendant. I once stood in the presence of Divine, as an attache to an envoy from the Steelforge Empire. Though he was surrounded by many more monstrous looking demons, it was clear he was the true King. His power is great. Terrible, but great."

He jerked to the side, his cape whirling as he spun. This time he bent low, thrusting his rapier forward towards Atticus's hip, changing his tactics. Now he was trying to wound Atticus in a way that would slow him down.

Once more, Atticus would be able to read the Admiral's attack, but was too slow to react until the very last second. Turning his body slightly to the right, the Admiral's sword would just barely pierce his side, avoiding any serious injury, but still wounding him greatly. With the Admiral's sword lunged in his side, Atticus reacted quickly moved backwards, dislodging himself. Coughing up a little blood, Atticus would hold his side and look at the Admiral. "Divine was a great demon and king. I hope to surpass him one day and carry on his will and legacy as the Demon King once again." Atticus told him as he fought through the pain and held his sword up at the man, "So, I can't lose to anyone, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Besides, Shira wouldn't like it if I were to lose to you now." Atticus said with a smile.

The Admiral nodded. "A Lady and a Legacy; the two strongest motivations for any man of stature. Though I'd be the first to say your match is unusual, you certainly have chosen a lovely bride." He held his sword straight up as it began to glow a dull red color. "Rose of Thornes!" He said as he swung it downwards. His slash came at Atticus again, though this time his sword was powered by the full strength of his resonance force, slicing through the air with a hiss as it came towards him.

"I understand," replied The Admiral, lowering his blade slightly. "Should you wish to yield for the sake of your Lady, I will allow it." As soon as he finished speaking the ship seemed to tremble. The Admiral looked up as he felt it. One of the Bridge Officers turned to The Admiral, a serious expression on his face. "Sir, we have a catastrophic engine failure. Someone detonated a bomb in the engine room." he paused for a moment. "We're sinking." The Admiral sighed and gave a small smile. "I see. Then I suppose those emergency procedures were not in vain. Instruct all crew to proceed to their designated lifeboats and evacuate the Siegebreaker." The Bridge Officer gave a salute and returned to his post, issuing the orders.

The Admiral turned back to Atticus. "Perhaps we should-" Before the Admiral could finish speaking, another figure ran onto the bridge.



"Juli, what the heck is going on!?" She cried as she grabbed the railing above the throne. The Admiral looked back at the girl. "Fleet Admiral Alex? What are you doing here? I thought you were reorganizing the fleet to fall back?" He asked, concern in his voice. "I already did! They're in formation and already moving! Then I heard the announcement that OUR SHIP IS SINKING!! Juli, what in the world is going on!? I thought Count Edmund was suppose to take down the intruders in the engine room!"

The Admiral frowned. "It seems he failed. And Fleet Admiral, how many times must I ask you to address me as "Rear Admiral Julius"?" He asked. Fleet Admiral Alex shook her head. "Nevermind that! You guys need to get to the lifeboats and- ...wait. Who are they?" She asked, pointing at Shira and Atticus. Rear Admiral Julius gave a sigh. "These are Lady Death and Lord Atticus. They are two more intruders on our ship. They have managed to make their way here and we have been engaged in honorable combat." Fleet Admiral Alex grabbed her head with both hands. "Whaaaaat!? We had intruders on the bridge and you didn't tell me!?" She cried. "Fleet Admiral, I didn't wish to disturb you while you were busy reorg-" "Bullcrap! You just didn't want to put me in danger again! I am the FLEET Admiral! It is my duty to take responsibility for the safety of my crew!"

The Rear Admiral looked back at her. "Forgive me Fleet Admiral. If anything happened to you I would never forgive myself. And I know the crew feels the same." Fleet Admiral Alex frowned. "I appreciate the sentiment but I am not here as a mascot." She looked over at Shira and Atticus. "And as for you, I will NOT allow mutiny on my ship!" Rear Admiral Julius looked back at Alex. "Admiral, they can't mutiny. They aren't part of the crew." "Then I won't allow insubordination on my ship!" "Only crew can be insubor-" "Whatever the hell they are doing on my ship I will not allow it!" She said finally. She put one hand on the railing and leveraged herself over it, landing in front of Shira. "Since your Weapon is busy fighting Juli, I will engage YOU in honorable combat!" She said, pointing at her.