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Ryoshu understands that Dante fucked up when an enemy breaks Faust's EGO in the middle of the movement, stopping Fluid Sac from activating. To her own mind it wasn't as bad, her E.G.O.s lying obediently on the back of her mind waiting to be called and used, even if some bold ones (new waw hungry and prideful) do try to affect her thought.
No, she could manage. The same couldn't be said about some other sinners, with Dante's reckless use of E.G.O.s leading Don Quixote to the condition when her E.G.O.s seem to run wild, tearing gleefully at her mind. She can't even hear simple commands.
And as expected, she misses the next attack; her opponent's paw lands crashing at her shoulder, and Ryoshu can almost hear the way her bones crack under the enormous weight.
That's just enough to tilt her already weak mind into madness, and with a morbid fascination, Ryoshu observes the way her body starts to cover with dark grey rock and how giant stones come around her as a throne or a cage from thin air.
Ryoshu doesn't really care about sculpting as a form of art, yet she cannot help but recognize the rawness of this image.
"Get away!"
Ryoshu doesn't pay attention to Dante's command, parrying and cutting the enemy again, her eyes glued to the statue.
It's not like the distance would make any difference. If Don Quixote’s mad consciousness decided to make Ryoshu her target, there is no sense in running. She would much more prefer to meet this bloodthirst head-on.
But Don Quixote chooses another target of her wrath to Ryoshu's disappointment and raises a giant boulder over her head.
For a second Ryoshu's eyes linger on the beautiful stone craftsmanship that made Don's distorted torso, warping the border between the living body and stone into something insignificant.
"Thou must wish… with all thy heart… Lest misfortune… befall thee…"
And Ryoshu obediently wishes for a rock to fall as thunder, turning flesh into mince and bones into dust.
And to her deep pleasure, Corrosion's limbs shift, and a boulder falls on Abnormality's head. Again, again, and again.
As if avenging her last wound, Don Quixote smashes its skull, tearing loud howls of pain.
Sinners stay away from the battle of the beasts, most of them out of worry about their own safety.
Ryoshu stays at distance to properly capture this wild bloodshed, savoring every strike.
Finally, there is a hitch in the attacking momentum of distortion, and Abnormality uses it to throw Don Quixote off itself.
And as if a spell was broken, Ryoshu sees how stone and rock just cease to exist, not even falling off from Don Quixote's body but blinking out of existence, leaving her in the air without any support. It's a pitiful sight in contrast with her previous rampage in how completely defenseless Knight is.
But a few moments before hitting the floor, she comes back to her senses.
Don Quixote still hits it brutally, landing on the same shoulder that seems to be already broken, but she manages to stick the lance into the ground, not letting inertia drag her awy further.
Ryoshu moves fast, not letting herself indulge in the sight of absolute brokenness from the distance, despite Don Quixote being a quite alluring half-corpse.
It's even better closer after all. Ryoshu can see the heaviness with which Don Quixote’s ribcage moves in an attempt to catch air and can hear how loud this process is, mixed with groans of pain or growling of anger. She can see the way blood and sweat soak gold hair, making it stick to the skin.
She is close enough to see a feverish glint in her eyes when she tries to rise up from one knee, gaze glued to the beast that still limps from the broken bones, or whatever it had instead. It seems that the hunger for revenge wasn't properly sated, and Don Quixote's sanity stays low.
And without giving it another thought, Ryoshu catches the back of Don Quixote's coat in a jump and drags it sharply, forcing another woman to fall into her grip, her shoulder hitting Ryoshu's chest with a delightful hiss.
Ryoshu's hands slide up in front of Don Quixote's neck and make a steady lock.
She trashes immediately, choking herself over the crook of her elbow.
"Feisty, aren't we?"
Ryoshu drags her away from another attack and cuts the beast before it can think about countering.
It's sloppy work, not even severing an annoying limb, but Ryoshu forgives it; she is too distracted with the body in her hands: rapid heartbeat, adrenaline shaking, blood that stains her clothes, and fingers clawing into her hand with aggressive desperation.
"There are way better ways to C.O.P.E.."
Something in that Ryoshu can assist her.
But Don Quixote is annoyingly deaf to her reasoning, so Ryoshu tugs her tighter, forcing her head up until she can stare at gold burning with so much agitated bloodthirst. Ryoshu whistles, sound so sharp and loud it hurts her captive ears and she grows even more restless, trying to break free.
She tries to bite like some animal.
Ryoshu stares at surprisingly sharp teeth and wishes to slide her fingers across the lower row, with enough pressure to cut her skin over these edges and staining Don Quixote’s mouth in red.
But both of her hands are busy, so Ryoshu takes this idea and tucks it somewhere on the back of her mind. For a better time, perhaps with a smaller audience than all of their colleagues.
"It's almost gone." Ryoshu throws a glance at the Abnormality. Even without two members of the team, sinners successfully continue to beat down using momentum of Don Quixote’s corrosion.
It is a pathetic one, so Ryoshu doesn't even regret her decision.
"Even if I let you go, what would you do?" She murmurs in Don Quixote's ear. "A.H.B.C.?"
The body in her hold stops thrashing for a second, yet nails dig deeper in Ryoshu's hand. She listens despite her whole body yelling about desire to fight, and Ryoshu to reward her attention makes her speech simpler.
"Is it truly your desire?" Ryoshu continues to muse, breathing in the salty scent of fresh blood that covers both of them.
Gold burns with confusion, and perhaps her sweet nothings would carry more sense if she allowed Don Quixote to see the pitiful condition their adversary is left in, but she doesn't want sacrifice the sight of Don Quixote's face and eyes when they are fogged by such a beautifully intense madness for this.
"No knight," she says.
Something in this call forces Don Quixote to freeze, looking between a statue and a predator ready to pounce, and Ryoshu knows she hit a fucking bullseye.
"You want violence, you want blood, you want it, K.N.I.G.H.T.."
Her breath hitches, and her pupil grows wider in answer to Ryoshu's words.
There is not that much sanity back into her head, yet Ryoshu isn't sure if there was any from the beginning. But now Don Quixote is finally listening and paying attention.
"I can give you what you truly want." She whispers, tightening her grip on her throat. Don Quixote gasps for air but doesn't run. She doesn’t even try to tear Ryoshu’s hand away from her throat anymore, to charmed by her words.
"Just not when you are in the condition of a rabid animal incapable of appreciating a good time." She releases tension on her throat.
For a few moments Don Quixote just shuts her eyes, still staying in Ryoshu's hands, ribcage wildly flying with every desperate breath. Ryoshu can see veins on her pale but clear temples.
"Unhand me."
Her voice trembles when she declares her demand, but Ryoshu smirks and steps away.
Don Quixote shakes, almost falling without anything or anyone to keep her up. Blood loss is finally starting to take a toll on her, the right side of her body being completely drenched in red.
She's a vision in all this blood.
"So are you going to use my suggestion?" Ryoshu asks nonchalantly, fishing out her pack of cigarettes out of the pocket on a second attempt.
Don Quixote shoots a glance in which Ryoshu can observe how confusion, excitement, guilt and terror replace each other in wild merry-go-round before she drops her eyes down, hiding herself.
"I'll," she stumbles, "think about it." And then she runs, and Ryoshu has to stop herself from chasing.