"If Cyrus did defect, then he's the most dangerous of any Royal Knight." Irene stated. "I don't believe he would, but..."

"You can't deny the possibility." I finished.

"Exactly." Irene nodded. "Cyrus is the only Royal Knight other than myself who has unlocked an Arcana."

"What Tier is he?" I asked with dread.

"Tier 5." Irene stated.

"That's...not as high as I was expecting." I replied, confused.

"Cyrus, unlike others, got a late start. He unlocked his Arcana much later than the average person, so he's had a shorter time to work with it." Irene stated.

"You can use this to your advantage. Despite being the same age, there's a huge difference between Brandon Tsuki and Cyrus. Brandon has had time to refine his techniques. Cyrus, not so much." Irene continued.

"Where are you going with this?" I wondered.

"He mostly relies on using his Arcana as an actual sword than the abilities that it gives. It doesn't mean he doesn't use it's abilities, but rather that he doesn't use them unless necessary." Irene explained.

"So I need to catch him off-guard and end the battle as quickly as possible?" I deduced.

Irene nodded. "That's the most likely way to win against him. It's only because of his nature that defeating a Tier 5 like him would be possible."

"So what is his Arcana then?" I asked.

"A Rank. Masamune." Irene stated.

"Oh crap." I muttered.

That memory played in my head, the memory of when Irene informed me about Cyrus and his A Rank Arcana. His Arcana was of one of the most famous swordsmiths of Japan.

But I wouldn't let that stop me. Especially now that I have an S Rank.

Cyrus swung his sword down onto Iris. I know she had enough power to stop it. But the shock of the betrayal on her face was evident, freezing her from saving her own life.

I rushed forward in an incredible burst of speed, barely blocking Masamune. I crouched right in front of Iris, holding Loki's side against Masamune. Cyrus widened his eyes at my sudden appearance, backing up.

He analyzed his situation. I watched as his eyes dart to me, Iris, Isaac, Eric and Irene. He knew he was outclassed. He didn't have a chance.

So he booked it.

"Irene!" I yelled. "Stay with Iris!"

I rushed after Cyrus. Defeating him now would eliminate a problem later.

"Wait!" Eric yelled, running with me. "I'm helping."

"What about Lily?" I asked as we exited the Ball Room, following the sprinting knight.

"She's with Irene, making sure nobody else comes to end Iris' life." Eric stated.

We dashed after the knight, running through hallways and hallways. Twists and turns, he continued to run. That was, until he ran into a dead end.

We stood on the other side of the hallway. He turned around to look at us, his back against the wall. Quite literally.

"I thought you were honorable Cyrus, but you went and betrayed your old friend." I stated.

"Shut up." He quietly replied. "It's not like I wanted to."

Wait...maybe I can get some information from him.

"Not to mention running away like a coward after failing." I continued.

"Uh...should we be provoking the knight?" Eric whispered.

"Give me a moment." I whispered back.

"Shut up." He growled. "It wasn't my idea."

"An Arcana matches your personality. So how come you got the honorable Masamune?" I asked.

"Shut up!" Cyrus roared. "If I wasn't ordered to, I wouldn't have! But my allegiance is with the Aegis Family."

"That makes no sense!" I replied. "Iris is an Aegis!"

Cyrus shook his head. "This conversation is over. And don't talk about honor when you two are fighting against one."

"Who said I was honorable?" I grinned.

I rushed at Cyrus, clashing Loki against Masamune. As Cyrus and I engaged in a clash, I noticed that he did indeed use the same technique that every Royal Knight uses.

I knocked Masamune to the side with Loki. In my right hand I heated a powerful flame that would hopefully knock him unconscious.

At least, until this happened.

In an instant Masamune was in front of him, aiming to cut my head off. I quickly jumped backwards, evading the strike that would have easily decapiated me.

How is that possible? With me knocking his sword away, he shouldn't have been able to get it back quick enough to hit me before I could hit him. It would have taken a blindingly quick speed.

Which leads me to one conclusion. One of his Tier abilities let's him move quicker in an instant. Maybe he felt threatened by me, or the fact Eric was also by my side. Either way, he decided to start using his abilities.

Fuck...

Eric rushed forward, clashing his own blade with Cyrus'. Their blades struck each other, attempting to disarm the opponent. With no success, Eric retreated back to me.

"We need to work together." I said.

"Got it." Eric nodded.

It's almost as if we could reach each other minds. Maybe we were just a good pair. But we played a ping pong match with Cyrus, a game of hit and dodge.

Cyrus had to keep focusing all of his attention on blocking, dodging, or partying the attacks that came from all directions as we alternated attacks.

"Enough!" Cyrus screamed.

His blade lit up, and upon swinging it, it let out a blast of light which slammed into Eric and knocked him into the wall, unconscious. Blood started to drip down his head.

What?! That was Holy Strike!

Holy Strike. An ability that Eric unlocks from a later Tier. I didn't realize that other Arcana's could also unlock this ability.

I glanced over to Eric. It looks like Cyrus only knocked him out. This is reminding me of the anime, where Cyrus thrashes Eric and then tells him "You aren't my target". Then promptly leaves and doesn't reappear for a while.

"This ends here." Cyrus said. "You aren't my target."

Deja Vu!

"This isn't over." I replied.

I concentrated fire into my hands, letting the fire completely engulf my fists. It didn't burn however. I dematerialized Loki. Bringing up my fists, I was now in the Dragon Fist ready stance.

Except my fists were on fire.

"You want to fight me with your fists?" Cyrus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then I'll be taking you out quickly."

He rushed at me, thrusting his blade towards a non-vital part of my body. He doesn't want to kill me, which is fortunate if I do lose.

Not that I plan to, of course.

I slightly tilted my body, dodging the blade and sending my fist into Cyrus' face. Cyrus stumbled backwards as I rushed forward and sent another first towards his face.

He dodged the second fist and desummoned his own Arcana, bringing his fist into my own face. My vision slightly blurred, but I shook myself out of it.

"I was a fool to think that you desummoning your weapon gave you a weakness. If it's a fist fight you want, it's a fist fight you'll get." Cyrus decided.

Our fists slammed against each other's bodies. His fists were quick; I couldn't dodge them. Instead I moved my body so they did as little damage as possible.

I cringed as I took another hit to the chest. I sent a flaming haymaker straight into Cyrus' face, causing him to stumble.

Both of us were bloody from the multiple light wounds on our body. Cyrus put his hand to his face, and a glowing light enveloped it. The swollen nose that was once there fixed itself.

Holy Element. Usually people with element aren't usual. After all, Arcana's match their owners. Why would an evil person have a holy element?

The only thing I can think of is that they started good before being corrupted. But with the short time Cyrus has had his Arcana his personality shouldn't have changed so drastically.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "You really are an honorable person, and I'm not being sarcastic. So why? Why betray your friend, your captain? Especially since Irene should rank above Isaac..."

Cyrus weakly chuckled. "Thank you. You are a worthy opponent. Unfortunately I'm stuck in this position. I have completely devoted myself to the Aegis Family. I have for a long time."

"After all, they saved my life. That's why I'll do whatever they command of me. Even if it is betraying everyone." Cyrus continued.

"But Irene ranks above Isaac. She should have more jurisdiction." I argued.

"I know." Cyrus nodded. "That'd be the case if it wasn't for him."

"What-?" I wondered, before I realized. The pieces all connected.

Oh god.

I understood why Cyrus betrayed them. It wasn't a good reason, but I completely understood. And this has so many effects on the future. So much more than I realized.

"I see." I nodded. "I don't agree with you. Not one bit. But I understand."

Cyrus smiled. "Keep them safe for me. Personally I didn't want to do it, but I tried to push those feelings away."

"What are you going to do?" I asked him.

"Go back and report my failure. It's the only thing I can do." Cyrus responded.

"I won't let you do that." I replied.

"You'll have to. Any moment now, they should appear." Cyrus stated.

"Who?" I wondered.

"The second force of assassins." Cyrus revealed.

What? That never happened in the anime? Is it a lie? Cyrus isn't the type of lie, not to an enemy.

Could Lily, Irene, and Iris take them on?

"And we both know we didn't use all of our Tiers." Cyrus stated.

He's right. I'd don't use my Tier 3 Disguise, and Cyrus likely only used three of of his five abilities. Not to mention abilities aren't a "one-time a battle". It depends on the wielder's stamina.

Cyrus could likely use the Holy Strike at least one more time against me, and I can't think of a way to stop it.

Basically, he's proposing a ceasefire.

...

Fine. I better go to the others just in case. I don't doubt in their ability, but I don't know how many will be in that second round, or if they have Arcana's.

I'm woefully uninformed.

And I'm not sure if I could take down Cyrus by myself right now if he uses his full ability.

"Go on." I said to Cyrus.

"Thank you." He nodded. He walked away, bloodied and bruised.

I hate to let him walk like this after everything that has happened, but I need to make sure the others are okay.

I stared at Eric. I know what I need to do.