Ichi saw one strike from Renya. A shine of metal stabbed straight toward his nose. Ichi dodged back. The nose tingled with a sharp feeling. Renya gave him a papercut right on the tip. Ichi didn't see the second strike. He felt the sword slam into his thick hairy right arm like a cement brick. His bigfoot form let him withstand the attack without flinching. If he were human the arm would have been severed.

Ichi shifted back on his feet, widening his eyes trying to catch the next strike. Renya's light smile invited his eyes, her blue eyes met his, her blonde hair had a streak of shine under the moonlight. Beautiful, Ichi thought, as he dodged back from a stab straight to his hips. In the same moment moonlit metal flashed in front of Renya's face. Ichi snapped his head back a bird twitching to look around. He felt a deeper sting this time. Straight under his eye, a line. Warmth dribbled from the wound. Blood, again. The third wound. Renya's too fast.

He crouched and punched with his left as both attacks happened. Ichi counted four strikes. Two cuts to his face, one attempt to sever his arm, one attempt to cut something below. Ichi had a sense where she was going witht that. However, Renya only had time for two strikes.

Ichi's black fist slammed into Renya's body. She didn't even move to block with her sheath. Ichi thought that strange. In all his fighting experience back in city, he never saw someone block with their body over their arms or a weapon. Country people sure are hearty.

Renya floated back spinning her body in the air like a windmill. This time she swirled her body whipping her sword and sheath in a circle. The force of the attack couldn't carry her any farther after that move. Her weight dragged her down to the roof, within Ichi's striking distance.

Last time Ichi hit her with his repelling black fist, she almost flew off the rooftop. Ichi's eyes narrowed as he saw Renya stand in front of him licking the edge of her katana. A small amount of Ichi's blood was there.

"Tastes good." Renya commented as if she were a gourmand.

Ichi wanted to ask her if she was a vampire on top of being a homunculus, but Renya already stabbed him twice in both his arms. This time, he felt them penetrate the skin. Two heavy stabs. Ichi saw two flashes that time. He clearly saw it. Renya wasn't attacking twice. She stabbed him once. Then, another stab also happened.

This could only be a magic katana. The sheath withstood his full attack. Myon told him it acted as Renya's magic shield, but Myon said nothing about a magic sword. Could it attack an extra time for each attack? No matter, Ichi thought. Change of strategy.

Ichi held out his white right palm. The white stick had combined with the flesh when Ichi transformed into bigfoot. Now, he imagined the white stick releasing from his body. It popped out and Ichi snatched it before it could fall. With that, he pinched it between his fingers and threw it at Renya.

Renya stared dumbly as the white stick slapped horizontally on her flat chest. It stuck to her. She gingerly pulled on it with her index finger and thumb, as if not wanting to grab it fully. Renya's instinct that she shouldn't grab the white stick was dead on, but her finger and thumb were stuck. In a moments panic her whole hand closed on the white stick trying to tear it off her chest. It wouldn't budge. Renya already felt Ichi's attack coming at her less than half a second ago, but her frustration at not being able to pull off the white stick distracted her. She guarded with her sheath. The blow shattered it, continuing on straight into her body. Renya's katana loosened from her grip stabbed into the rooftop.

In less than fifteen seconds from when they began the battle in earnest, Renya rapidly shot over the moon. Ichi's full on uppercut with his entire strength behind it from his right hand sent her there. Ichi held out his black right palm to the sky, his body extending out as if he was trying to grab the moon and Renya at once. Through Ichi's thick hairy fingers he saw Renya turn into a speck passing the moon. Stars glittered around her, and Ichi couldn't tell where the girl was.

"Combine." Ichi muttered. He prayed that a sturdy girl like her would live through this.