Noctis continued to tap away with his foot as the situation grew more dire. Devroux did his best to deescalate the situation, but with Noctis' announcement things were growing out of control. Making the decision to play it cool and be frank with his motivations only did Devroux so much good. This was a situation Noctis could see coming clearly, having been intimately involved with Taylor previously, but he couldn't blame the mink for his attempt at salvaging what he could.

Silently, Noctis kept his eyes fixed on Adder, ready to move at a moment's notice should he be the one to take initiative. It was during that moment that Clovis elaborated on the nature and location of the real bank. It was the information he had come for, yet the announcement spelled trouble and Noctis knew exactly why. The People's Prince had done it to him, and now Clovis was making the same potential mistake. Giving away too much information out of arrogance. To Adder, it was a certainty that he would kill the pair, and anything he said would fall on deaf ears.

Placing his palms out, Adder began to release a greenish gas that filled the room far more quickly than Noctis had anticipated. How Adder was able to do so raced through Noctis' mind before being interrupted by his breathing being fatigued. Quickly, Noctis covered his nose and mouth with his cloak to limit the intake of gas before flipping the coffee table in front of him with his foot, sending it careening through the window and into the front yard. His reasoning was simple, if he could increase the air flow going in and out of the room, it should ventilate. However, that alone wouldn't stop the source of the gas, which was Adder himself.

Noctis had noticed Devroux's landing, and how his wings were capable to generating a hefty amount of force. With that amount of air pressure coming out and an open window, Noctis postulated that it might be possible to render the source of the gas negligible, but Noctis didn't dare speak as to limit his breathing. He could only hope his new partner picked up on his intentions as Noctis inched toward the open window, ready to abort if needed.

The noxious gas in the room was becoming more concentrated by the second, and Noctis' proximity to the man did him little favors. His lungs burned as if he were inhaling hot coals, and it took an incredible amount of will to stop himself from taking panicked gasps. The window shattered open did little to relieve the situation. Fortunately Devroux was quick to act, bringing out a wicked blade, the likes of which Noctis had never seen. It was eerie to behold and for a moment, Noctis was transfixed on it, it's disturbing nature surpassing the danger of Adder, even while being suppressed by the mink. There was something extraordinary about Devroux and Noctis realized it. Keeping him close would definitely benefit him in the long run.

But before the future could come, the pair had to make it out of the present alive. Devroux, with his mysterious weapon, slashed through the air seamlessly, the wind that came from it surpassing Noctis' previous expectation of the mink's wings. Noctis was poised and ready to make a decisive move at any moment, observing the brief clash to gleam every bit of information he could. The wind from the swing impacted Adder, cleaving him in two cleanly. The slash continued beyond him, and into the other side of the house, opening a second hole facing the cliff side and ocean below. The second hole let air flow freely through the house, and the slash carried off some of the gas, as well as a portion of Clovis Adder, who was now emitting a darker gas from within.

The relief was brief, but much needed, a small amount of fresh air filling Noctis' lungs. However, the situation became more dire. Adder acted unharmed despite being bisected, and a grin painted itself on his face from cheek to cheek. He quickly dissolved, disseminating into the gas already in the room, before reforming entirely whole without a scratch on him. The gas from him momentarily stopped, as he responded to Devroux's attack curtly. Once again dissipating, Adder vanished and a much darker gas began to accumulate, much higher in concentration compared to previously. Adder reappeared, no longer a man, but a humanoid black mass, his grin still plastered on his face ominously.

The black gas that now began to fill the room was leagues beyond what he had used previously. Even filtered from behind Noctis' cloak, the gas penetrated his body causing him to wheeze and hack violently. Devroux, perhaps more sensitive as a mink, retched and attempted to flee out of the window. However, Adder moved to intercept him with a speed that was perhaps even slightly faster than Noctis' own. This alone shocked Noctis, as Adder forced Devroux back into the house, a pressure sending Devroux flying back through the hole Noctis had created. It was time to get out of here.

Noctis quickly moved using Nagare, the speed of his movement temporarily shielding him from the gas as the drag generated by his body whipped up a wind around him. Noctis moved into the path of Devroux's reentry, letting the mink crash into his body as Noctis caught him and slid across the floor. It was clear that the mink was in no condition to move much, and regardless of either of their pride's, this was now a struggle for survival. Noctis cradled Devroux in his arms, as Adder increased his output of gas and now moved towards the pair. Given the distance and the small difference in speed, Noctis had no choice but to attempt to slow Adder's movement before attempting an escape.

Power had sufficiently built up in Noctis' right leg from his tapping, his muscle fibers stretched and contracted, as Noctis brought his right leg up before slamming it down into the floor of the home. The built up strength from his long legs impacted the foundation of the home with a loud crash. Debris and dust kicked up and the house itself shook violently for a moment, almost as if a small bomb had gone off where Noctis had kicked. With no time to see if he had been successful, Noctis turned and made his way out of the room with Devroux in his arms. His vision was blurry and his balance was beginning to fail, and his only recently healed wounds began to scream in pain. Noctis turned to the hole facing the cliff side, and prepared to use Nagare once again.

Adder, now frustrated with the resistance being put up by ants, began to involuntarily quake the house in anger, air pressure and wind bombarding it from outside. Noctis, now carrying a man and on the brink of losing consciousness, pressed his body off the ground with all his might, aiming his Nagare in the general direction of the hole. Now essentially out of commission, Noctis and Devroux flew out of the home and off the cliff, as they plummeted towards the water below. Noctis' hold on Devroux loosened as he fell unconscious toward the waters.

However, Adder while arrogant, was not an idiot. The damage to the home was out of his hands, and he knew exactly how the pair had attempted to escape. The home was old, and not of particular importance to Taylor. Adder had grown to hate it, in a way. Not content to leave the pair's fate up to chance, the corrosive gas gathered outside the home and bombarded the cliffside. The foundation already comprimised from Devroux and Noctis' attacks earlier, it took only a moment before the entire mansion began to slip down the cliff side, sending it plummeting toward the falling pair. With Devroux now the only one conscious, he was faced with tons of debris falling toward him and the Longleg who had gotten him outside.

Adder reformed at the new edge of the cliff now in his human form. He quickly brushed off his hands, and let out a small sigh. "Well, that takes care of that."