"Your finale," he steals the word from Haruto's lexicon without a moment's hesitation, "is a cacophony of nothing. Struggle that drowns faster than acceptance would have. Sound and fury, sound and fury..."

He is, perhaps, coming a bit unraveled. His body morphs, growing taller, armored; his neck lengthens and his head shifts inhuman even as he speaks, and as he trails off, he stands at his full height, ax summoned from his mana.

"Shall I lower the baton?" he asks, and a fireball rips from his mouth at her. If she can't shrug that off, she is no worthy opponent.