*WOOSH* *WOOSH* *WOOSH*

The Demi-God's onslaught didn't relent as Chloe darted between the pillars, dodging the seemingly endless barrage of glaives thrown by Deborian and his two remaining copies. Each one struck with the force of a hurricane and the Cat knew well that one well-placed strike would spell her ultimate doom.

"You've done well, Cat. But how long can you keep this up?" Deborian said, the smirk on his lips audible behind his mask. "You've been running around nonstop and burning whatever paltry mana exists in your body just to avoid my attacks. It can't be long until you've exhausted yourself entirely. So why don't you just give up? I can promise you a swift death at the very least. You've entertained me well enough and proved yourself to be a fine warrior, so that's the least I can do."He said as he flicked his glaive, causing two two large flame slashes to appear at each of Chloe's sides, which she barely managed to dodge with a quick drop the floor.

"I'd sooner die than surrender!" Chloe hissed as she quickly leaped to her feet and jumped to safety behind a nearby pillar just in time to avoid an income blast of flame before leaping to the next one once it started to crumble. "Besides, don't you think you're celebrating your victory a bit too soon?" She said as she used her wires to intercept a thrown glaive and fling it back at the copy that sent it flying, impaling it and causing it to vanish in a burst of flame.

{Good, only one copy left. If I can get it down to him and me, I think I can take him down with one shot if I activate Supreme Ability Boost. It's gonna be risky, but its my only shot!} (Chloe)

"Don't get cocky! Killing my copies means nothing!" Deborian roared as glaives reformed in his and the remaining copies' hands, their fiery glow illuminating the entire room as they exploded angry flame.

Despite her provocations and successful elimination of yet another copy, exhaustion was quickly setting in for Chloe, and her movements, while still sharp and calculated were slowing. Her injuries and muscles burned from both pain and overuse, and the Cat's paltry mana reserves dwindled dangerously low as she used them to stave off exhaustion. Yet, despite this, her crimson eyes never wavered; determination fueled her every step and she was prepared to win this fight even if it cost her her life.

Seeing the Cat's exhaustion in her movement Deborian smirked as he and his remaining copy fanned out to corner Chloe as she landed on a pillar, barely avoiding a glaive that speared itself below her feet. "Try and hide it all you like, but it's painfully obvious that you're reaching your limit, little Cat. Your tricks have kept you alive, but I think this battle is over. You fought well, better than almost anyone else I've ever faught. I'll commend you for your bravery and skill, but its time I ended this farce."

Hearing this Chloe gritted her teeth in frustration, spinning her blades in her hands as she leaped to the floor. "We'll see about that." She said as she darted forward, her form reduced a blur as she aimed for the remaining copy. In an instant her blade burned itself into its chest, but it felt hollow as there was nothing actually inside, and the final copy dissipated in a burst of flame leaving the Cat and the Demi-God alone in a one versus one battle that both honestly wanted.

"Foolish." Deborian sneered as he quickly approached her, swinging his weapon with devastating force as he went in for an overhead slam.

*BOOM*

As tired as she was Chloe manged to barely evaded the attack, though the shock wave from the glaive's impact sent her skidding across the floor. Taking a moment to regain her balance Chloe retaliated with a hail of daggers, each one aimed at a vital point. However, just like most other uses of such weapons, the daggers were deflected effortlessly by an arc of fiery energy from Deborian's glaive.

*SWOOSH* *CLANG*

With the copies removed and Chloe's energy running critically low, the Cat decided to go for broke and charged Deborian head on in an attempt to settle things once and for all. Despite the overall power differnce between them Chloe was banking on him not expecting the sudden power spike from Supreme Ability boost and using that split second opening to end his life.

Once she was in range the Cat brought out both her daggers and activated an imbued ability to extend them into short swords and the two began in a deadly dance to the death as their blades slammed together, sparking and shining with each swift strike. Deborian's weapon was ill suited for combat at this distance and Chloe used this to dart and duck between his strikes, landing precise blows where she could and exploiting his overall sluggishness compared to her. But every blow she landed came at a cost; her stamina was rapidly depleting, and Deborian's counterattacks were relentless. The two went back and forth for some time, until a single searing punch from the Demi-God grazed Chloe's ribs, sending her crashing into a pillar which crumbled and collapsed on top of her.

"Face it! Your speed is waning, and energy is fading. It's over!" Deborian's voice echoed as he advanced toward her, flicking his blade and seemingly amping himself up with an explosion of power. "I'll make the offer again. Submit, and I'll grant you a swift death. You've fought well, but this battle is over. Do not disgrace yourself by allowing this to drag on any further."

{What drives this woman? What kind of drive could she have to fight a Demi-God in a hopeless battle to the death? Father did not tell me why she was here but its clear that whatever is pushing her forward is nothing less than fanaticism. I'd be impressed if it wasn't so pointless.} (Chloe)

Leaping out of the rubble, Chloe wiped blood from her lip and spit out a tooth that had been knocked loose, her breaths ragged and rapid from how much she'd exhausted herself. His single blow had done far more damage than she'd expected and the Cat could tell a few ribs had been shattered from that one impact. Her head was bleeding and her muscles were screaming in pain and from the extreme stress they'd been under. Like it or not Deborian was right, Chloe was running out of stamina and wouldn't last much longer if the fight continued to drag on like this.

{This is it. I'll only get one shot to use it... It's Supreme Ability Boost… or death.} Chloe's hand trembled as she activated her final trump card, unsure if it would actually work. Supreme Ability Boost was a creation borne entirely out of Akagi and Imp's experimentation with skills and their interaction with souls, and while its effects were great, as seen in her fight against Superbia, the drawbacks were also equally so. The strain it placed on the body would push her to the brink of death even if the Cat had been completely fresh, but in this state she was in now there was a relatively high chance of death upon activation. However, Chloe had no choice and the Cat was more than happy to take that chance if it meant victory.

"Now, let's go! Supreme Ability Boost!" Chloe roared, a surge of raw, violet energy erupting from her body and engulfing her in a red flame-like aura that whipped and whirled like a storm. Her frame trembled under the strain, her muscles screaming in protest as her eyes went bloodshot. But her speed and strength skyrocketed, surpassing anything she could ever hope to achieve using her own natural ability.

Seeing this sudden explosion of power Deborian's eyes narrowed as he paused his advance, analyzing Chloe's technique. "Oh? You had another trick up your sleeve? Impressive, but your body won't hold for long with that much unnatural power."

"Oh, it's far more than a trick!" Chloe roared as her energy exploded outward, covering the entire room in an eerie red light. "Supreme Ability Boost is basically an energy multiplier! It increases my strength speed and agility and basically everything else one uses in a fight!" In an instant, Chloe flashed forward faster than he could react and she closed the distance, her blade slicing clean through his shoulder before disengaging to prevent a counterattack.

{Impossible!} (Deborian)

"Ahhh!"Deborian screamed in pain as he swung his glaive wildly before sending a blast of flame at Chloe's position only to watch as she, again, vanished before his eyes.

"Over here!" Chloe said from behind him, prompting him to spin around and fire a barrage of blasts at the Cat, who again vanished, dodging each attack the same way she'd dodged the first.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

With her increased speed Chloe easily deflected or avoided his attacks, even taking advantage of the few openings she found to slice his body open and cause blood to pour onto the floor. It seemed even the Demi-God was struggling to keep up with this kind of speed, though the damage he'd sustained was still not as much as Chloe would've liked.

{I need to get a clean strike at a vital point in! I don't have time to play death by a thousand cuts!} (Chloe)

Getting in close in an attempt to deliver a lethal blow, Chloe's enhanced reflexes allowed her to parry several devastating glaive strikes from the Demi-God. The force of the clash sent shock waves rippling through the room, but Chloe held firm, countering with a precise thrust that pierced through his abdomen, putting a hole in his armor that gushed with blood.

“You bastard!” Infuriated from the pain Deborian lunged at her, his glaive wreathed in a maelstrom of flames that seemed to vaporize the very air around it due to the extreme heat. Realizing how dangerous this strike was, Chloe sidestepped the blow, her body blurring as she unleashed a flurry of strikes. Each slash finding its mark, bypassing his heavy armor and leaving deep, glowing wounds across his body.

*SLICE* *SLICE* *SLICE* *SLICE* *SLICE*

"ENOUGH!" Deborian bellowed, slamming his glaive into the ground and unleashing a fiery shock wave around him. The explosion caught Chloe mid-dash, sending her sprawling across the floor, and the next thing she knew the Demi-God's boot was planted firmly in her chest as she was sent flying across the room and into the wall before finding his flaming glaive flying toward her at incredible speed.

*SLAM*

"Ack!" Chloe coughed blood as the glaive impaled her in the stomach, the pain causing her vision to blur as her body began to fail from both the damage and Supreme Ability Boost's recoil.

"It's over. You're finished."

Deborian growled, his form looming over her as his wounds still leaked blood. Ripping the glaive from Chloe's stomach and allowing the Cat to fall to the floor, he raised it above his head to finish her off with one final blow. "You gave it your best, and I respect your will to fight. But this is the end. May you meet whatever God you worship on the otherside."

{Not… yet.} Chloe's body fell limp and it seemed as if it didn't want to move despite the impending doom before her.

{Move! Move! Just a bit more! I won't lose to this guy! I won't lose! I am the Demon Lord's disciple! Her student! If I die here it will be a slap in her face after all she's done for me! I won't allow that I WON'T ALLOW IT!} (Chloe)

Chloe's broken body creaked and groaned as blood poured from her wound, but somehow the Cat forced her tattered body to move, channeling every ounce of strength left in her broken frame. It was as if she was guided by a wellspring passion, no it would be more apt to call this power her faith.

Chloe was the one and only student that Akagi had taken over the years and was probably the only one the Demon would ever teach her ways. The Demon had told the Cat that there was something special about her when they first met, something that caught the Demon's attention enough to take Chloe under her wing. Chloe never understood exactly what Akagi saw in her but she was not one to disappoint the one who had as much faith in her and was not about to let her master down by sullying her name by being the disciple who died in battle so ingloriously.

As the glaive descended ready to end the Cat's life, Chloe activated the final reserves of Supreme Ability Boost, channeling power that seemed to come not just from deep within her, her body screaming in agony as she blurred past Deborian's strike.

In that instance, her blade flashed and time seemed to freeze, as if the whole world was shocked by what had just happened.

*SHINK*

Miraculously Chloe stood behind Deborian, her blade dripping with his crimson blood, a deep gash split his armor in twain, and the flames around his glaive extinguished.

Deborian staggered forward, blood pouring from his wounds as he struggled to understand what just happened. "You… mortal… how…? This... Impossible... Father..." Stammering Deborian fell to his knees, his glaive clattering to the ground before collapsing to the floor, dead.

"Huh... Don't go... Underestimating... Mortals..." Chloe laughed as strength left her body, collapsing to the floor, her body wracked with pain. With nothing left in the proverbial tank she coughed violently, her vision darkening as her body ran cold from blood loss. "I won, Myaster... I... I did it..." Her voice was a practically whisper as she barely had the energy to even stay conscious. "But... I'm sorry... I won't... Be keeping... Our... Promise..." She said before blacking out, death fast approaching due to her injuries.

She'd won against Deborian but in her current shape would soon die herself without immediate medical attention. Medical attention that could not possibly arrive in time. It was a cruel twist of fate, to die on a mission the Demon had sent her on as a test, one that should've made Akagi curse her own foolishness and fly into a fit of anger over her self-inflicted loss of her student. This should've been a teaching moment for the Demon, a moment where she learns that even her beloved student could perish from being pushed too far too soon. However, such a fate was not to be as the Demon, always prepared as she was, had foreseen and planned for just this scenario when she'd sent the Cat on this mission.

"Now, what's this about breaking promises?" Akagi's voice echoed throughout the room, a smile audible on her nonexistent lips. "You know I don't like people that do that." She laughed as a black aura appeared around Chloe's body and exploded into the air before reforming beside the nearly dead Cat. "And besides... Do you really think I'd let you die on me?" The Demon said as the black mist took her shape, her eyes welling with pride. "Didn't I tell you all those years ago that you're mine?" She laughed as she rubbed Chloe's cheek with the back of her hand, repairing the Cat's body in an instant. "And once you're mine... You don't get to leave me."