Crossing Swords
Kenji Hiramatsu Lyrics

@rtg_onefourtwoeightfiveseven

Crossing Swords (3:37) — Kenji Hiramatsu
Cutscene track
4/4, 143BPM
G Minor (0:00); Ab Minor (2:42)

This piece plays in the following cutscenes (SPOILERS):
In the main game:
-Rex and Pyra attack Malos aboard Addam's ship.
-Brighid captures Nia in Torigoth.
-Akhos gains the upper hand before Vandham fights him off in Garfont.
-Poppi and Lila duel in the air in Mor Ardain's abandoned factory.
-The party, alongside Mòrag, defeat Mikhail and Patroka.
-Lora and Haze spar with Addam and Mythra in Aletta (flashback).
-Fan la Norne halts the Titan in Temperantia.
-The party frees Pyra from the Titan weapon in Theosoir.
-Jin incapacitates the party at Genbu Crown.
-Rex and the newly-awakened Pneuma fight Jin at the Cliffs of Morytha.
-Garluses attack the party during Dahlia's Blade Quest, Fly in the Ointment.
-Electra recognises the child she shocked earlier being attacked by an Arachno in her Blade Quest, Go for it, Electra!.
-Volffs attack Theosoir in Godfrey's Blade Quest, Flames of Justice.
-The party encounters the Laia in Temperantia during Herald's Blade Quest, The Calm and the Storm.
-KOS-MOS destroys Blade Bots outside the World Tree in her Blade Quest, Artificial Intelligence.
-The party confronts child traffickers at Genbu Port during Perun's Blade Quest, Eternal Spirit.
-The summoned Gluttonous Pterix attacks the party during Vale's Blade Quest, The Ties That Bind.
-The Enraged Gogol throws rocks at the party during Wulfric's Blade Quest, Tender-Hearted Beast.
-Thanatobeast Andraz uses its regenerative powers for the second time in Zenobia's Blade Quest, A Real Challenge.
-A second wave of Indoline monks attack the part during T-elos's Blade Quest, Lingering Resentment.
-Crossette enrages the Ignas in their lair during her Blade Quest, Bright Spark.

In Torna:
-Lora and Jin fight a pack of wild animals in Lasaria.
-Lora and Jin use their weapon-passing technique against Addam and Mythra.
-Mythra duels Brighid in the remains of Torigoth.
-Lora and Haze spar with Addam and Mythra in Aletta.
-The party defeats the Olphen Jagron near Hyber Village.
-Azurda shows up to the fight against Malos, who successfully steals the Tornan Titan's limiter.

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This theme is an interesting case of having a bunch of variety within a relatively unvaried foundation. The track’s got a completely static 4/4 time signature with the same tempo throughout, and (modulation aside) it never strays very far at all from the i chord. And yet, within this 4/4, the rhythm changes from a 3-3-3-3-4 emphasis to 4-4-4-4 and back again (and often both at once); the predominant ostinato accompaniment changes between and combines several different melodies in different ways; there are several points at which many or all of the instruments cut out to be built back up again (although the piece never breaks time); and a healthy selection of electronic instruments are used in conjunction with the more mainstay strings. It’s a somewhat different way of going about things from the rest of the pieces, but I think it works; and arguably, the unadventurous harmony makes the truck driver’s modulation at 2:41 all the better. I've heard some compare it to Unfinished Business of Xenoblade 1; fortunately, this one plays more than twice. A whole lot more than twice, in fact — it's a pretty common sidequest theme, and Torna's most-played cutscene theme.
I have also heard some people say that the ending never gets played. For the record, this is untrue; see the Crossette cutscene for a counterexample.