His breathing is less worrying, and that's what keeps Skulduggery there more than Akito's words themselves. Regardless of what Akito may believe, some part of him is willing to keep going; some part of him is calming down. Some part of him can be reached.

"Many of us were," Skulduggery tells him. "He was in my head too. I fought him out. I watched two friends of mine fight him out. If I'm not mistaken, I narrowly missed watching you fight him out."