Having learned the error of offering even a second to the Legends, Leyenda wasted no time in raising her blade above Kyoya's form. Lyric couldn't even bring herself to her knees, now in the place of a helpless spectator to whatever fiendish acts this enemy would bring forth.

Then, time seemed to stop when a small, red dot appeared on the woman's left temple.

She immediately whipped around and brought her sword into a blocking stance, but not before a sonic boom ripped the bay off its foundation.

When the ringing in his ears ceased, Kyoya's newly cleared vision revealed Leyenda's sword to have been shattered, a crater carved into the metal where the crack ran through its center. Shards of appalling iron were scattered around her, the woman left with a face drenched in shock.

Just as she'd done minutes prior, another figure slowly trod from the cover of the tree line, the first thing he saw being side-swept maroon hair.

As the rest of this newcomer's form was unveiled, the atmosphere of this encounter spiked in turn.

"Talk about lucky! I was beginning to think I wouldn't get any action today!"

Ryder stood with her hands on her hips, a long-barreled, bolt-action rifle strapped over her shoulder. Its silvery nose was still fuming with smoke, implying the firearm to be the culprit behind Leyenda's ruined weapon.

"Ryder!" Lyric yelped, Kyoya finding himself capable of movement once again.

However, the toll of this encounter wasn't far behind him.

He fell to his knees swiftly afterward, leaving him and the Seraph to observe this confrontation from the dirt.

Though, the Hunter let her weapon slide off her shoulder and onto the ground, then began a stroll toward the scene.

"How dare you!" The Executioner bellowed, voicing grief for her sword. "That blade was forged by Lord Oberon himself, bestowed upon my honorable soul by his grace! You've destroyed an artifact that would herald a new age!"

Ryder remained silent, passing a glance to the pair before moving forward and cracking her knuckles. Kyoya hadn't noticed just how imposing she could be until this very moment, and it seemed that even Leyenda was sharing some of that. "Halt, you insect! Enthrall!"

The Hunter's advance continued. "W-what!? Enthrall!"

Now only standing mere feet from the Executioner, Ryder cracked a simple, unbothered smirk.

Leyenda distanced herself further from the Hunter, stomping on the ground as she spouted the spell even further. "Enthrall, Enthrall! ENTHRALL!"

"You're really loud, y'know that?"

The enemy was finally backed into a corner, lacking any instrument with which to defend herself beyond her fists. It seemed that Ryder was plenty willing to accommodate that disadvantage, shedding any additional weaponry on her person.

Finally collecting herself, Leyenda discarded the intimidation brought on by the Hunter's arrival.

"Your ability to defy Enthrall is outlandish, but I see no issue in dispatching you with more conventional methods, should this interference continue."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"So be it, then-"

Without any warning, Ryder blitzed forward and socked her opponent clean on the lower jaw, dodging several sloppily made attempts to steal any upper hand. She made a joke of the Executioner's techniques, slipping between swings and returning her own where Kyoya was certain he'd have been beaten to a pulp.

Ryder's movements were fluid, yet still far too erratic to trace, even from a spectating perspective. There was a refinement in her style that contradicted her unruly persona entirely, magnified by the unpredictable viciousness of a Hunter with unmatched expertise in her own field.

She continued the completely one-sided brawl until Leyenda whiffed yet another heavy kick, the girl executing a narrow vertical dodge and heaving her opponent's outstretched leg backward.

Ryder then threw a brutal elbow into the incoming chin of her opposition, sending Leyenda flipping backward into the ground.

After skidding briefly, the Executioner stumbled back up and shook herself off. The excitement had left her, replaced now by a frowning gaunt.

"An unexpected obstacle, undoubtedly..."

Kyoya and Lyric sat at each other's sides, either helping the other to remain upright. Ryder, though stood with crossed arms. "Such a plight compels me to wonder at the extent of your abilities, Reclaimers."

A frowning Hunter returned her gesture of offhanded disrespect.

"I'd wonder why you're that shitty at fighting without a weapon, before anything."

The Seraph maintained herself, staring back to the opposition.

"Wonder what you want... Just know we're not any joke."

Leyenda's arms slowly crossed in turn.

"The Defiant signify the only barrier that stands in the way of our success." She frowned, continuing. "As for the deserter-"

"I can't desert a side that I was never on... And what about the Demon from yesterday? Did you have something to do with that?"

The Executioner raised a brow.

"Demon?" She began, a bout of apparent thought following. "While this may not be the answer you sought, I've no recollection of such a thing; we prefer to do our work in person, as any honorable soul should."

"Figures... Like you'd be any help, anyway."

The Executioner offered a loosened chuckle.

"Given time, your assessment of the circumstance will change. With it, I'll see to it that you're welcomed most warmly."

Kyoya had to stop himself from trying to stand and rush her again.

At long last, he'd been presented with one who embodied everything he sought to purge from this world, and now, the seething Miscreant had to sit and watch it walk away. "I don't recommend pursuing your journey any further, Lyrileas; for the next time we cross paths, adequate preparations will have been made to ensure your elimination."

Lyric's eyes widened, the girl's anxiety shining through her collected front. Ryder thumbed something in her pocket while the enemy was occupied.

"How did you know about that?"

"The same way I knew of this beachfront being of your favorite locales, not to mention your little passageway. Vigilance is key, Reclaimers; forget that, and you'll likely not last until our next meeting." Leyenda dully added. "Until then, I look forward to clashing swords with the two of you again..." She then paused, casting a blatant, dry glace to the Hunter. "...uninterrupted, hopefully."

Just as her initial assault, Ryder sprung forward, this time with a hunting knife in hand, lashing out at Leyenda's form. Though, the Executioner's physical being had already begun to fade into a crimson mist, the last the Defiant saw being a face of scorn peering back, straight through them.

Ryder flew forward and onto the ground, having moved too quickly for her own good.

After a face-full of beachfront, she shook off and stood with a vengeance.

"Shit! I should've moved sooner, dammit!" The Hunter cursed herself, kicking around dirt and eventually throwing her knife into the tree Leyenda used to get up, managing to spear a piece of the Executioner's torn cloth onto the bark.

"Hey... You made it to us. Give yourself some credit." Offered Lyric.

"Right, right, I know! But now, whoever the hell that was knows about the both of you. It seemed like she already had you in her sights, but Kyoya was the only leg up we had... Damn! Why didn't I just-"

Following that pause, she finally seemed to have cooled down, at least to some extent, taking a deep, prolonged sigh. "...And she was out of Teleo. That means we can't tell anybody about this."

Lyric opened her mouth to question that claim, but the Hunter followed it before anything could be added. "I'd love to be more transparent, but now's not a great time. How fit are you to head back?"

The Seraph offered a similar sigh.

"We'll need a while."

"I guess I can't blame you. Just don't take too long, ya hear? I was only able to go toe-to-toe with her because we took out her sword... I'd probably have gotten my ass handed to me if Blue-Top here hadn't roughed it up before I jumped in."

"Piece... of cake..." A feeble thumbs-up was offered by the Miscreant in question.

Following a brief bout of laughter, Ryder continued.

"Sure, then; take what time you need. Pretty soon, though, we need to sit down and talk. Once after Ace figures something out..." She paused, turning a look back to the castle. "...and another time, just the three of us."

Finally, Ryder cornered a glance to Kyoya. "You've got some answering to do. I'll take your compliance as payment for bailing your ass out."

With that, the Hunter retrieved her rifle and set back out along the path he and Lyric took to escape the forest.

She offered no passing condolences, plainly and simply bidding them a silent farewell amongst the embrace of the tunnel.

In the wake of this encounter, Kyoya found it challenging to truly calm himself down.

Though, while unease still ran rampant, one thing was for certain:

It felt wonderful, finally being able to breathe again.