Noble shot into the sky, far away from the broken ground.
It was risky, considering she had just sent her echo away from her with Mirage's mirror. If she was wrong and her copy valued the looking glass as a higher value target, then Noble would not be quick enough to double back before the copy collided with her friends.
Noble wasn't too worried, though. She had seen the Others' desire to replace those whom they were mirroring.
If she needed any more proof, the reflection had completely ignored Roan and Aether, even though they had been heading toward her.
Just now, the copy's murderous intent was far greater than her desire to get back the relic.
'If only that hatred wasn't aimed at me!'
"Come back here!" The Other Noble ordered. "There is nowhere to run that I will not find you!"
Reaching the apex of her upward climb, Child of Promise stopped suddenly and flipped on her head. They were far enough from everything here that Noble was sure no one else would be harmed by their deadly duel. She had seen how the copy had used her power against her cohort members, and it was not something Noble wanted to repeat.
"Find me?" She locked eyes with her twin. "I'm not the one who is lost."
In the hand of its owner, the Zenith raced down at the reflection.
If the Other wanted to deflect her blade, she would have to move all of Noble as well. The two continued to head towards each other, waiting to see who would blink first.
Neither of them backed down. The Zenith met the relic sword. The blades rang out, and Noble braced herself for the thunderous shockwave.
But none came.
The relic ran the length of her sword as Noble plummeted down. She pushed the blade away from her body, following it up with another swing at the Other's torso. The cape might protect the copy from being stabbed, but any good hit to the armor still bruised and battered the body underneath.
The strike landed, sending the copy sideways as she moved upward. The Other wrapped her arms around Noble's ankles, dragging the floating Master with her on her sideways journey.
The result was an acrobatic tumble of arms and legs. Noble kicked and hit her opponent with the butt of her sword, unable to get enough reach to stab her properly.
The Other took the flat of her blade and slapped it across Noble's feet. The delayed shockwave rattled through the upside-down Master, cracking more than one of her bones and likely causing damage to Noble's internal organs.
'Blasted Quick Study. She's learned how to control that boom.'
Why oh why did Noble have to have that particular Attribute?! Maybe if she were less clever, her copy would not be such an adept learner!
Noble shoved the sword between the copy's knees and twisted it like a corkscrew. The Other's torso torqued to one side, dislodging her from Noble's legs.
At last, she was able to right herself after flailing in every direction.
The feeling of relief did not last long. The opening exchange was over. The real battle was about to begin.
Noble called on every tactic she had ever learned from the Dreamscape. She dodged, parried, and advanced like she never had before. The relic and the Other controlling it pressed their advantage whenever possible.
Noble quickly learned how to avoid the aftershock of the blade before it came.
However, she had been unable to cut the Other's skin after her first successes. As such, she had been unable to inject the copy with any more of the Zenith's insidious poison. So far, the reflection had resisted the effects of the drug flowing through her system.
"You are good," Noble admitted, a small amount of admiration leaking into her voice. "I was not this skilled when I started out. Yes, very good for a fraud."
"A fraud?" The Other clicked her tongue, her uppercut missing Noble's body by a hair's breadth. "You are mistaken. I am the improvement. Syrce is going to love me. And the best part? Unlike you, I will never leave her."
Noble felt a smirk form on her lips as she spun to deflect the shockwave and return some of its energy back at her enemy.
"As your predecessor said, don't make promises you cannot keep!"
The copy sailed forward, her blade locking with Noble's as she narrowed her gaze.
"You!"
"Who, me?" Noble felt the woman's indignation. "I don't think we have been properly introduced. I am the one and only Queen Bee…and you, imposter, must relinquish my face!"
Noble banged her helmet into the offender's visage, breaking the Other's nose and sending blood pouring down the copy's face.
In retaliation, the hilt of the relic hit her across the visor, cracking the headgear and denting it inward. Noble's vision was obscured by the twisted metal, forcing her to dismiss her helmet.
'Not the smartest thing I've ever done.'
The loss of part of her armor was a hefty price to pay, but Noble was not sorry. Like the Prince, she felt indignant at the Others' existence.
The copy wiped her nose and spat blood from her mouth.
"Is that the best you have got? Cheap tricks?" She ducked as the Zenith tried to complete the job the helmet had begun. The Other chuckled dryly. "Pathetic…"
Noble shook her head.
"You creatures really need to expand your vocabulary. If you were as creative with your insults as you are with your fighting, you could be eloquent."
The Other Noble did not respond, and the pair became locked in a vicious cycle. Each time one gained the upper hand, the second would find a way to counter it and escape with her life.
The battle raged across the sky, occasionally lighting it with the sparks from the clash of the swords.
Noble could not stay still for more than a moment before engaging her copy. If Syrce had taught her anything in battle, it was the importance of keeping an adversary on their toes. While Noble couldn't fully utilize the Saint's fighting style, especially in the sky, she could incorporate elements of Syrce's frenetic fluidity into the aerial exchange.
The combination of her usual measured cadence and the wild abandon of her Saintly friend made for a deadly and unpredictable combination.
Yet somehow the copy was able to keep pace. No matter how many hits Noble landed on the Other, the otherworldly copy did not yield.
Noble sighed inwardly. 'The saying is true. I'm my own worst enemy.'
The only positive is that she wasn't expending essence. The pair had realized early on that the battle of powers was an effort in futility.
Not that their current feud was much of an improvement. They might not be using their magical reserves, but they were still suffering mental and physical exhaustion. Noble's attributes were very helpful in combat, but remaining focused for so long was taking its toll.
For now, the two fighters had reached an equilibrium, each taking and giving in almost equal measure, but that could not last.
Noble would get sloppy, and a single wrong move would be her last.
At that moment, the floating Master knew one thing.
The balance had to change.