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When he saw her attacking herself, he knew he'd been successful, but he wasn't going to waste time patting himself on the back. He moved in to attack, quarter-circling her and attacking her from her right, his palm aimed for her side, just at the bottom of the ribcage.

It was at this moment he wished he had attacked her center of chakra. That would had disrupted the chakra flow, as well. Instead of a fist that rose to block his attack, she might get a finger, or a house.

He rolled and their eyes met. He grinned at her, then pulled two kunai from his belt.

Seph grinned wider, then drove in to attack again. This time, he led with a wave of fire. Once it was up, he launched himself to the side and finished the attack from a different angle, now coming in to attack her front.

Seph grit his teeth and prepared himself for the pain he was about to endure. Not from the spikes of ice, but from the rapid increase in body temperature he was about to submit himself to. He focused the temperature rise in the attacking arm only. It successfully melted the ice, but his blood began to boil and a lattice of cuts arced down his arm like lightning bolts.

Seph's eyes widened, and suddenly the pain in his arm was dwarfed by the pain throughout his body. That smirk told him she knew what was going on. He narrowed his eyes.

Two can play at that game.

With his spiderweb-sliced arm through the wall of ice, he was close enough to Nyl to impact her own body temperature. He held his palm out--a seemingly impossible task with the intense pain echoing through his entire body. Everything about him wanted to curl up and cringe. He boosted the internal temperature of her leg, causing the same latticework of ruptured bloodvessels.

Seph's arm fell limp for a few seconds, but he forced it back up. His body was regaining it's normal temperature and he was beginning to melt the ice he was leaning against. He closed his eyes. He had one last reserve, but was eternally hesitant to use it. It would mean no moving for him at all tomorrow.

A new wave of pain shot through, but he refused to show any sign of weakness. Despite his best efforts, he began to shiver. He was an instant away from tapping into his necklace reserve when he remembered that, other than Neko--who was apparently having ijutsu troubles--the only other two that specialized in the healing arts were now out of chakra.

His body slumped against the ice, and he pulled his arm out, rolling onto his back and leaning against the remaineder of Nyl's ice wall, in a sign of defeat. He'd voted to save that reserve.

"You recognized it." He said softly, looking down at his bloodied arm. A very convincing part of his psyche berated him over not using his reserves, about not finishing the fight as the victor for once. It looked like Nyl still had plenty of energy left, he could have at least put up a bit more of a fight. At least, she was able to support his upper body as he was now leaning against her leg.

"Come across..?" He threw his hand up and took hers, hoisting himself up onto his feet. "One of these days.." He said, forcing himself to remain rigid. Just because he'd been defeated didn't mean he had to look it. "I'll outsmart you, Sensei.. Someday, I'll win our little chess match."