"What... is that?" Noctis said involuntarily as he gazed his eyes upon the titan of cruelty and death. Even throughout all of his years as a slave, and through all of the senseless killing for sport he had done, nothing in that time came remotely close to the... thing, that stood before him. The corpses of those who hadn't been eviscerated and flung by the beast hung on hooks and cages like meat ready to be butchered. Whatever Noctis had thought of Los Diablos before then took an immediate backseat if they allowed such a monster to roam, and worse yet, if the creature belonged to them.

Yet through it all, the well-dressed man continued on as if this weren't just the norm, but a tedium he regularly had to contend with. The entire scene was disconcerting, but Noctis' goals drove him to stay and watch, in part with help from his own morbid curiosity. While he couldn't hear the interaction between the two, it didn't seem to react with the same wanton violence to the man in the suit. Or, so Noctis thought. Calmly rising, the sentinel looked to return to the cover of smoke and ash, and all seemed resolved.

And then the noise drew Noctis' attention back, the sound of dull metal rending itself through flesh and bone, crunching and tearing away. The colossal axe tore itself through the man in an instant, sending his body careening off into the distance in two parts. Even if the two seemed to know and acknowledge each other, the sudden act of carnage was enough to shake Noctis for a moment. Were they enemies? Allies? Were either of them affiliated with Los Diablos to begin with? Surely.

Then as if to keep to the dead man's will, the monster moved back into position and stood motionless and calm. The entire scenario raised innumerable questions in Noctis' mind; was it only a puppet to be manipulated, or something more? Either way, answers weren't his top priority. He needed information, and given that his newest lead was deader than dead, interrogation was impossible. Instead, Noctis had to settle for simply traveling in the direction the suited man had come from initially, leaving the horror show behind him as he flew.

[Haki Stamina: 11/13]

As Noctis hovered the streets, it was clear that recent events had driven civilians and passerby out of the district. It was a stillness and emptiness that he had worked to create, with some unplanned assistance from whatever monstrosity remained behind. Still, aside from the one man who had been cleaved in two, no one of genuine importance had shown themselves. Noctis had been unable to attract the presence of anyone aside from the beast that lay dormant.

That is, until he reached the end of the street, where a nearly featureless building stood with a window looking out into the financial sector. From the outside, it wasn't overly tall, and blended in with nearly every other building that surrounded it, but given the pair that stood waiting in front, it served to be a decent position to overlook the domain. Landing onto his feet around 10 meters away, Noctis planted Kuroi's flat end onto the concrete, his cloak billowing forward with the sudden shift in momentum. The longleg took a moment to observe the two from behind the safety of his mask before he spoke.

"I'm afraid the monster back there didn't give the last gentleman much of a chance to introduce himself to me. If you'd be so kind, it'd be much appreciated." Noctis grinned from underneath his visage, more to push himself to continue forward than to appear cheeky. Given that the pair had come to face the longleg directly, they had to be of some importance or else they'd have fled like the rest. With that in mind, Noctis' Kenbunshoku rose to the surface once more, on the off chance exchanging pleasantries weren't exactly the first thing on their minds.

[Haki Stamina: 12/13]

Noctis studied the pair in depth as the man monologued in front of him. There was no way to be sure that the two of them were Greed and Envy, but given their mannerisms and personalities, it seemed like a reasonable conclusion to draw. Curiously, as Greed finished his speech, he pulled out a pocket watch to check the time. However, something else was even more peculiar; he adjusted the dial and pin as if to fix the time. With the circumstance, the long leg wasn't keen on believing Greed to be so nonchalant as to adjust a broken watch. It was something to keep in mind as Noctis proceeded, not knowing whether it was simply an act to draw in his attention, or something more blatant and dangerous.

Regardless, Rokumori Gas started to form 50 meters away, creating a vague circumference and perimeter with Noctis at it's center, the purple gas flowing inwards towards him instead of being directly generated from his person. As the man circled the cloaked intruder within the circle, Noctis pressed off the ground to rush the woman instead, using Nagare to accelerate himself at his top speed and close the 10 meter distance as fast as possible. With Rokumori Gas forming and gathering a Teibaku in his left fist, Noctis thrust Kuroi forward towards her in addition to his momentum, a 5 meter blade of air forming along the edges and flattened end, generated from the speed of his movement.

If he could succeed in taking out one of the pair immediately, it would lessen the pressure placed on him immensely, he thought. With the man making the first move and distancing himself from the woman, it made sense for Noctis' attentions to be drawn to him foremost, which is precisely why he didn't act on it, and moved contrary to his initial instinct. However, time would tell if his strategy would pay off, as the man's movements still concerned Noctis.

[Haki Stamina: 12/13]

With the way Envy moved, it was clear her abilities were well suited to play defensive. She was slow, but avoided blows as if she understood exactly where each attack was coming from and where it was going. Even if her body couldn't naturally keep up with Noctis' speed, she certainly compensated with her perceptiveness. Yet, even with skills such as those, she retreated backwards and continued to distance herself, something the longleg had anticipated and prepared for by creating the perimeter of gas which continued to flood inwards. 5, 10, 20 meters she moved backwards, until her options quickly narrowed as the wall of gas grew nearer to her back.

The Rokumori Gas plumed and rolled in only 10 meters behind Envy's position, certainly close enough that she'd now be all too aware of it's presence. However, Noctis wasn't going to let the pressure off of her, or give her time to do anything else but run herself into the dark toxin that awaited her. Continuing to rush forward with Nagare, the cloaked longleg tossed his Teibaku at the woman's feet, looking to create a 20m blast of Rokumori Gas in order to both fill the area with the chemical and partially obscure her vision, but also to injure or kill her with the concussive force involved. Simultaneously, Noctis moved to her flank, Rokumori Gas gathered around Kuroi, as he thrust the blade once more to generate a far more dangerous Kamikiri at Envy's side.

Given Greed's deliberate movement, it was clear he was preparing something of his own, in spite of Envy's predicament. Assuming something must happen once he completed a full circle, Noctis took note of his pace and gathered he had maybe a minute at most to take advantage of the situation and preparation. Enough for maybe 3 or 4 more earnest attacks on Envy. Still, Noctis began work on his contingency, beginning to prepare himself for the worst, another Teibaku gathering in his free hand, while power began to accumulate in his non-injured leg.

[Haki Stamina: 12/13]

With Envy consistently avoiding Noctis' attacks and reading his movements, the longleg was starting to feel the pressure. He simply wasn't fast enough to overcome her extraordinary eyesight, even if her movements were slow outside of that. He needed more. Stopping his assault, Noctis came to a standstill as he grasped Kuroi firmly. Tossing his Teibaku at the pacing Greed, Noctis paid little attention to it's actual impact or results, instead letting the generation of Rokumori Gas flow out of his body indiscriminately and rapidly, immediately flooding the area in a thick plume of darkness.

"More..."

Noctis' cloaked and gaseous form became increasingly ethereal and incorporeal underneath the cover of the nearly black toxin, as Kuroi fell flat end first onto the ground. Incredible pressure began to fill the atmosphere around the longleg's position as a new figure started to emerge itself, the Rokumori Gas that had filled the air drawing itself into him, covering his body in a dense and violent gale that clung to his figure like armor, his mask forming an even more sinister visage with this new cover.  


Reaching out towards Kuroi, the air around the blade drew the weapon into Noctis' hand and quickly became shrouded in the same exterior, which grew increasingly violent and volatile by the second, the speed of the Rokumori Gas that surrounded him causing the substance to begin ionizing into plasma like the corona of a star in certain areas of his body, something that would surely cause him some deal of pain in the future, but for now, his mind was focused on this gamble, and nothing else. With almost every bit of processing power dedicated to maintaining this form, and manipulating the gasses around him, Noctis found himself unable to speak or banter as he usually would during tense moments, his body instead hunching forward, contorting inhumanly as he drove Kuroi into the earth to keep himself upright with speed that caught himself off guard.

While he wasn't immediately aware of it, Noctis began to take note of some of the finer details of his surroundings, such as the huge influx of clear, odorless gas generated as a byproduct from his body, displacing and consuming all of the oxygen in a 15m radius around him in order to fuel his technique. Such a side effect that could prove lethal to those within, as they struggled to breathe. Clad in this new armor, Noctis found himself far more 'in sync' with the air and gasses around him, able to sense them in ways he hadn't been able to since he first ate the fruit and nearly lost himself in it's power. His desire for speed and strength drove him to manipulate the atmosphere surrounding him to remove all forms of air resistance, while also acting as a propellant. Even serving to speed up his benign and natural movements subconsciously, while he focused on more deliberate actions.

"...."

His instincts as a fighter, as a killer, oozed from his body as the mouth of his armor opened to reveal nothing but turbulent darkness underneath. In an instant, Noctis launched himself once more with Nagare [8 Speed, +2 from Mode, +1 from Expert Skill] towards Envy, drawing his blade downward in an arc towards her last known position, forming a Kamikiri blade of Rokumori Gas across 5 meters with similar supernatural acceleration [7 Speed, +2 from Mode]. His speed was so far beyond his own perceptions that he could only act on knowledge he had before moving, and his own instinct. Quickly realizing his own inadequacies, Noctis was quick to reactivate his Kenbunshoku Haki simply to bolster his own perceptions as much as possible.

Turning his head to face Greed, Noctis silently took note of his progress before returning his attention to Envy. While he wasn't sure exactly how the woman was able to discern his actions almost before he made them, he simply needed to make himself faster. And unbeknownst to him, the sheer amount of 'designated paths' created by the use of this form, in addition to the absolute chaos that enabled it, was sure to come as at least a shock to the system for her, in comparison to Noctis' previous assaults. It was almost innumerable, and the mental strain required of the longleg in order to maintain it was nothing short of immense, having reduced him from the relatively charismatic and relaxed person he was to a silent god of battle, with no room for anything more.

[Haki Stamina: 11/13]

As Kuroi rent through Envy's shoulder and across her back, Noctis braced his body and halted his momentum, still not entirely used to this new level of speed, as a burst of Rokumori Gas erupted from his side to slow his movement even further, keeping him well within striking distance of the woman, whose face had momentarily contorted in pain after inhaling some of the gas in the air. Before Noctis could fully reorient himself, however, Envy lept upwards towards the window and fresher air. Given her speed and strength, the longleg could easily keep up and maintain the pressure. However, rather than chase after the retreating wounded, Noctis' attention shifted to Greed, who had halted his advance after the longleg's ranged assault.

This indicated several things of importance to Noctis: that whatever preparations the man had started were able to be interrupted, and that it was reliant on ample distraction and/or information from the perceptions of Envy. These factors painted Greed out to be the weaker of the pair, and easily dealt with so long as the woman was preoccupied or otherwise removed as a factor.

Putting his watch away, Greed looked to face the longleg head on, slamming his hands together as Noctis rushed towards him with Nagare, the shockwave that came from the man's palms visible to the eye. Bringing his free hand forward as he traveled, Noctis used Musou to create a vacuum in front of him, leaving the sound with effectively nothing to travel through as Noctis tore through the attack like a bullet, the gas Greed had managed to clear quickly being replaced by an invisible asphyxiation that surrounded the shrouded figure.

Swinging Kuroi overhead, Noctis created and dragged Rokumori Gas along the blade's path and into the air above, creating a thick black miasma that blanketed the two men. Continuing with the swing's momentum, Noctis sent another vertical arcing edge of the gas using Kamikiri at Greed's neck. Pivoting off the attack and covering his left leg in busoshoku, he sent a strong horizontal kick at the man's right midsection while Noctis rotated, carefully keeping the stored up energy from his Hakai within as he continued it's buildup steadily.

With the haze surrounding the two became thicker by the second, Noctis wasn't keen on letting Envy recover freely from above, as Rokumori Gas began to build up en masse at the buildings base only twenty or so meters behind him, quickly extending up the length of the building thirty meters into the air as if to chase the woman further. With gas now filling the area, a clear choice presented itself. She could distance herself more than she already had, and allow her lungs to recover, or she could dive into the dense toxin that already had become difficult to see through in an effort to provide Greed with the support he required.

Regardless, Noctis kept the output of Rokumori Gas steady and rapid, content to let the entire sector be consumed in it's cloud if he had to. With the taxing nature of this new technique becoming clearer, the longleg had begun to acclimate to it's pain and fatigue, as well as it's speed. Still, with each passing moment, he felt the strain growing.

[Haki Stamina: 10/13]

His body screaming through adrenaline and his senses sharpened to their finest point, Noctis had taken the upper hand in the encounter with his new technique. With a satisfying forcefulness, Kuroi crashed against the arms of Greed, one folding over the semi-blunt edge of the blade as the Busoshoku did what it could to mitigate the damage. Still, the man was left open as Noctis' kick struck home into his abdomen, sending him rocketing away into the Rokumori gas. Yet even with both Sin Priests on the ropes, the longleg was still outnumbered, and the pair were far from the standard slouches and goons he had come to expect.

Rather than flee for herself, Envy emerged from the toxic veil, rushing towards Noctis only moments after Greed had been thrown. Much like the chaotic tempest that composed his own form, Envy's movements were enigmatic and impossible to discern on observation or instinct alone. Yet, instead of pure, indiscriminate speed, her path was calculated in such a way only she could truly understand, her talent and power on full display. Quickly, Noctis turned to intercept the woman, dragging Kuroi along the ground and upward in an attempt to deflect the first of her slashes.

One cut. That was all it took for the longleg to immediately bring his Kenbunshoku to full attention in attempt to handle her movements, the busoshoku of her knife bringing his arm to solidity, the crimson mist of blood spilling out of the black form. With his mind now close to an understanding of his form, Noctis managed to get a single word out. "Bitch..!" Whether it was directed at the Sin Priest, or the wound she inflicted, even he was unsure.

Using his advantage in speed, Noctis swung his blade more in reaction to the minor wounds she inflicted in order to alleviate the pressure rather than counter them directly. After all, it was only a few small cuts, something that hardly registered when compared to what he was putting his own body through. Still, it was enough to irritate the longleg immensely. Rather than simply attempt to deal a direct, precise blow and play into her ability, Noctis would play things far more indiscriminately and passively. Even as she moved to occupy him, her already limited breath was compromised greatly by the invisible asphyxiation that surrounded Noctis as a result of his body. Even if her defense and offense paired badly with Noctis' own capabilities, Envy's time was quickly running out. With his Hakai still building, it would only take a single strike to even the the field.


[Haki Stamina: 10/13]