"… I won't say it again."

Storm gritted his teeth in anger at Iris's words, and this gave Finn the time he needed to react — sinking a devastating punch into Storm's stomach.

"Guh…" Storm backed off a bit from the impact, letting go of Finn, who took advantage of this and kicked him straight in the chest, sending him flying over the handle of the staircase and crashing onto the floor below.

"Ngh-! Gah…"

"…" Finn remained completely silent as he turned around, preparing to head back to his own room. But it would seem someone wasn't done just yet.

"G-Geh… I've had… ENOUGH OF YOU!"

All of a sudden, Storm called upon his Angelica, consumed by rage. Archon's eyes widened.

"Storm! Are you crazy?! Calm down!"

"Shut up, Archon!" Storm howled, blue lightning sparking out of his body as everyone quickly backed away. "How could you… treat an OUTSIDER like him… better than someone who views you as a FATHER?!"

"W-What…? What are you talking abou-"

"You know DAMN WELL what I'm TALKING ABOUT!" Storm cut in as a blade of lightning formed in his hand, then turned back to Finn. "Finn Thresher… you took EVERYTHING from me! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Time seemed to slow down for Finn as Storm leaped up into the air towards the staircase, hoping to cut him down. But Finn, as calm as ever, merely snorted without the slightest bit of change in his expression.

"Just you? A jealous kid who has anger management issues? Hmph. What a joke."

'Devil's Timing.'

In an instant, the darkness around Finn intensified, and all sounds were amplified exponentially. Finn heard the sound of Iris turning the safety on her gun off, and Archon desperately trying to intervene by getting out of his chair. Fanatic and Melvia's yells were put under slow-mo and reverb as Finn entered a state of absolute focus, to the point where everything was happening slower to him.

But all of these noises faded into the background as the sound of Storm bringing his sword up into the air reached Finn's close proximity, and he immediately pinpointed the location of the attack.

Before anyone could even react, Finn reared back and unleashed the most powerful punch he had ever thrown, his fist colliding sharply with Storm's abdomen. The impact was so strong that a shockwave was sent out all around Finn, shaking the paintings on the wall and blowing away the napkins placed on the table below.

In an instant, the flow of time returned to normal for Finn once more, and Storm was sent flying backwards again. This time, however, he didn't have the luxury of using the floor to break his fall.

No — Finn sent Storm crashing straight through the handle of the staircase this time, shattering the wood and smashing into the wall like a cannonball.

"Storm!" Archon yelled and ran over as Storm fell down to the ground, leaving a massive crater in the beige walls of the mansion.

"Finn…" Iris glanced up at her partner, who didn't pay any mind to what he just did and headed back upstairs to his room. Iris quickly followed using the elevator, pushing her wheelchair as fast as she could.

*****

Iris knocked on Finn's door gently.

"… Can I come in, Finn?"

"Go ahead," Finn replied calmly as he sat on the floor, continuing to experiment with his Stormbringer lightning.

Iris hesitantly opened the door and rolled her wheelchair inside with some effort, then closed it again.

Softly, she whispered. "Finn… why?"

Finn stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. You could've easily let me just shoot him dead there, but you took matters in your own hands and beat him down. What I don't get is why."

"… I didn't notice you trying to shoot him," Finn lied. "I am blind, after all."

"I'm not forcing you to answer," Iris said, having completely seen through his lie. "But I just don't understand… after today's conflict, knowing Storm's personality, he'll never forgive you. I'm almost certain he's going to betray you and spread knowledge of your powers to everyone he can find. That's why I wasn't hesitant to pull the trigger, but…"

Finn sighed, realizing hiding the truth was pointless. "There are two reasons why I took things into my own hands. One, because I thought you weren't gonna make it in time before he cut me in half; and two… I thought he could still be saved."

"Still be saved…?" Iris echoed, confused.

"By Archon," Finn clarified. "Storm said he saw Archon as a father. If that's the case, then… perhaps there is room for redemption for him. I still need someone to teach me the Stormbringer Angelica, after all."

Sure, he could just borrow a book from the Melione Archives, but once again, having someone directly teach is a far easier and more effective method.

"… I see. That's logical, I suppose," Iris sighed. "But personally… I don't think there's turning back for Storm."

"Let's wait and see," Finn said calmly. "If he does try to betray me… I'll kill him without holding back. But if not, hopefully we can remain squadmates."

"Mm… I guess."

Iris still seemed dubious of Finn's decision, but didn't argue any further and instead made to take her leave. Right before she left, however, Finn left a few words for her to think about.

"By the way…"

"Hm?"

"… Thanks."

Iris blinked. "T-Thanks…? What for?"

"You didn't hesitate at all to kill someone for me," Finn explained. "You didn't actually do it, but you clearly had the resolve to do it given the tone you were using earlier. I appreciate that."

"W-Well… you're my partner, so if you were to die, I'd be left without a pair of legs again," Iris replied bashfully. "I don't want to have to go back to being that lonely girl, always cooped up in a room all day."

Finn nodded. "I'm depending on you too. Don't forget that."

Iris smiled and giggled softly. "I won't."