Enjoy!
“Amazing… it’s so pretty…”
Nowa’s voice quivered with amazement, looking up at the magic circles disappearing in the sky.
"So that's what happens when you do a preliminary at midnight...”
Fio observed the event by the girl’s side, his eyes open wide in excitement.
As the magic circles faded completely, the crystal balls hanging in midair emitted a beam of light - materializing a statue of a woman with two swords. It was the referee statue - serving as the umpire for the fight.
The statue slowly landed on the arena. Ripples appeared in the mud, right around the two warrior's feet.
“The preliminary will begin. I expect both of you to devote yourselves to the fight and give it your best effort.”
A lovely, calm female voice sounded from the statue - marking the end of the audience's silence.
“Menace! Menace!”
And once again, the stadium filled with cheers of support for the brunette.
“Long live the Princess!”
Leina’s only allies here were Fio and Nowa. She was fighting in an overwhelmingly hostile territory.
[Will Leina be able to win without the Sword of Unicorn?]
Fio curled his toes to stop the trembling in his legs.
“It’ll be okay.”
Nowa must have noticed that, as she gently placed her hands on top of his.
[How many times will she have said “it’ll be okay” by now?]
The half-elf smiled to encourage him.
“Miss Leina will be okay. Nowa guarantees it.”
***
Facing Leina, with her sword poised, Menace took a deep breath.
She couldn't start a preliminary without fulfilling her promise:
"Everyone who enjoys the Queen's Blade, how about a magic disk or statue after the preliminary? You can count on Souvenir Shop Manager Hans for all your needs!"
Leina's knees buckled on hearing that idiotic speech.
“W-What was that about?”
Oddly enough, Menace invariably repeated this message whenever facing someone in a preliminary.
"Uhh, I promised Mister Hans. If I say that before a fight, I get modern money. Wait, why do I have to explain it every time?"
“Don’t ask me.”
Leina dropped her shoulders in disappointment for a second, then took a deep breath and steadied her sword.
[Whatever she says, the preliminary has already begun. If I get caught up in her pace, victory will slip through my grasp.]
As soon as the fight started, the scepter Setra jumped from Menace's hands into the air - emitting a pale light!
“Let’s go, Milady!”
“Yes, Setra!”
The scepter did a loop around the stadium and back, and then the princess jumped on him!
“We’re charging, Setra!”
Following her instructions, Setra released the light again and charged at the blonde warrior - with Menace riding him!
For her part, Leina was counting on a charge. She lowered her body, dodging the flying duo! Taking advantage of her momentum, she threw a sharp thrust at Menace!
“Hoh!”
A yell full of fighting spirit came along with the blow!
Menace jumped off her ride early to avoid it - making Leina once again marvel at her skills and judgment!
[Still, I can’t keep on admiring her.]
Leina had no intention of letting her opponent readjust her stance. She quickly swung her sword, cornering her!
Likely mortified after Leina dodged their first charge, neither Menace nor Setra made another aggressive move...
“What’s wrong? You don’t need to hold back.”
Leina spoke to Menace as she swung her sword.
"Or are you looking down on me since you've beaten me before?"
Anger mixed into her tone.
[...It's true I've lost to Menace once, but I wasn't in my best shape. I don't feel like I'd lose on equal footing...]
"No, I'm not looking down on you! Not even a bit!"
"...I'd like to go for that bit myself, though..."
Menace was taking Leina seriously, while Setra was poking fun at her.
[This is going to get annoying, fast.]
“Menace, silence that scepter!”
“Unfortunately, I can’t shut Setra up.”
The princess flatly rejected Leina’s demand
*Whoosh!*
The scepter rushed through the air in a large arc!
Leina avoided it, circling in and cutting into Meance's flank!
“I have you now!”
Leina made a big swing into Menace's unprotected side! The scepter had made a full swing to the opposite side; Menace couldn't pull it back in time!
However, something unexpected jumped into Leina's view - Menace's fist, cloaked in a blackish-blue radiance!
The punch would hit Leina before the sword would hit Menace!
[Not good!
I can’t get hit by that radiance!]
Reflexively, Leina slid back!
Despite this, the heavy impact penetrated her armor!
It wasn't just the impact - the blow was soaked in a chill that seemed to steal away her body heat!
The chill was... familiar. It was the same chill that came from Airi's fingertips when they fought in the Sheldan Underground.
“Here I go!”
“Yeah! Go, Milady, for a better tomorrow!”
Setra cheered his companion on.
“I shalt strike you down! Definitely!”
Menace’s sharp punch chased after her, anticipating Leina’s reflexive dodge!
“Kuh!”
Dodging the punch by the skin of her teeth, the Vance heiress struggled to try and get back to a favorable distance!
***
“This is bad! Real bad!”
Fio didn’t notice how far forward he was leaning in his seat.
“What’s bad?”
“Leina hasn’t been able to fight at her preferred distance for a while now.”
Fio explained the ongoing battle to Nowa. Leina mainly used a sword, while Menace was a martial artist - as such, they both had different distances that were advantageous to them.
And right now, they were at a distance where Leina was at a complete disadvantage.
“She has to take some distance one way or another.”
If Leina couldn't get back to her effective range, she was as good as a punching bag.
***
“Kuh!”
As Leina dodged the punches, she eagerly tried to find a breakthrough. The blows themselves weren't such a big deal - but each time she was exposed to that blackish-blue shine, her body got heavier.
"Aaalright Milady! Bring out the big guns!"
Leina couldn't miss his voice.
“Certain kill move! Shining Pyramid!”
Menace’s knee drew the vertices of a triangle while approaching the blonde!
[I can’t stay on the defensive forever!]
Leina went for a gamble; She swung her sword with all her might, leaving herself wide open!
“!!”
Her bet paid off; her sword approached Her opponent faster than Menace's attack!
“That ain’t good!”
Setra saw Leina's attack, her resolve to keep fighting, and injected energy into his handle - abruptly changing Menace's stance!
“Hyaah! S-Setra!”
Menace screamed at the unexpected shock.
“Sorry, Milady!”
Setra's action made the both of them fall to the ground!
*Splaaash!*
The pair loudly splashed into the mud! It flew at Leina, staining both women's bodies!
“...When the battle is over, I’d like to take a bath.”
“I’ll offer a massage as well.”
Slowly, Menace stood up.
They were back to square one. Leina wiped away the mud on her face, and turned the tip of her sword to the princess.
She’d be hard-pressed to call it an advantageous situation. However, she had gotten a glimpse at victory.
***
*Droop*…
Her right arm had no strength in it. The joint had popped out of its socket due to Setra’s harsh movement to protect Menace from Leina’s sword.
“Sorry… Milady…”
Menace stayed silent, and shoved the joint back to its original position with her left hand.
*Creeck*
She could hear the sound of bones rubbing throughout her body.
“Setra… do you, who was once a priest, wish to disgrace the spirit of a fight in the Holy Arena?”
She chided him while mud dripped off of her body.
"Fights in the Holy Arena are a dance devoted to god. Even if I were to get hurt, it only means my ability was below hers."
Seeing her ooze the dignity of a country ruler, Setra resolved to follow her once again:
“I understand, Milady. I’ll devote myself to being your weapon.”
“No, you don’t need to go that far. You’re my precious friend, Setra… let’s fight together. We must show the people of Amara the strength of she who will become queen.”
“Milady…”
***
“Have you finished talking?”
Leina asked, turning the tip of her sword towards the princess.
“Yes. Now I will be able to enjoy my fight with you, Miss Leina.”
Seeing her opponent's bright smile sent a chill running down the blonde’s spine. Her eyes didn’t have any life in them; Leina could only see a void.
To Leina, it seemed like some sort of fighting spirit - with the unique chill only those who had seen death had - surrounded Menace.
“Since it’s a ritual, let’s enjoy ourselves.”
Her lips curved into a smile, and she allowed the bandage wrapped around her upper body to flutter in the wind like an angel’s raiment.
It was the secret technique of the murderous martial arts handed down the Amara dynasty: Bind with Cursed Bandage!
Leina made a big leap, jumping over the bandage coming at her.
“Milady!”
Setra yelled.
Leina jumped up, held her sword overhead, and brought it down in a big swing!
*Thump!*
The heavy blow had Leina's weight behind it - making the mud in the arena bubble up!
Though Setra had - barely - parried it, he couldn't neutralize the whole blow, and Menace fell to her knees!
“Wonderful, you’re wonderful, Miss Leina. You've even brought me to my knees.”
Menace was trembling in delight.
“You’re amazing as well, Menace. You didn’t fall to that blow just now.”
Leina replied with a delighted smile of her own.
***
Fio and Nowa didn’t miss any details of the battle. Every clash of weapons, every drop of scattered mud, it all drew smooth lines that only emphasized their gentle curves.
“They kinda look happy.”
That’s what it looked like to Nowa.
“Yeah, it’s like they’re dancing, not fighting.”
Before Fio realized himself, he was singing a song:
“Fight, fight, fight
Dance, dance, dance
Hold your sword, Holy Maiden
Clench your fists, Ancient Princess
You mustn’t lose
For justice
You mustn’t lose
For courage
Strike, cut, roar
Run, advance, jump
Make your trained body cry out
Use your beautiful body as a weapon
Aim for victory
For yourself
Aim for victory
For the formidable enemy”
Leina and Menace fought back and forth, as if matching the beat of his song, both getting covered in mud. Their expressions, however, didn’t show a speck of hopelessness or frustration.
They were smiling. They were having fun in their fight.
“Say, Fio.”
When he finished singing, Nowa poked his shoulder: *tap tap*.
“Nh? What?”
“What’s that there?”
And just as Nowa pointed to the sky…
“Falling Star Kiiiiiiick!!”
A star fell with a loud scream.
***
“Falling Star Kiiiiiiick!!”
A shooting star fell screaming into the arena!
The mud made a huge splash along with the flash and thunderous roar!
“Wha!”
“What’s that?”
All Leina and Menace could see was a mud tsunami stretching toward them!
***
Mud rained in the Khan Oasis. The star that fell into the arena had blown away the mud within.
“An emergency has occurred. Due to a third party’s interference, continuing the match is no longer possible.”
The referee's voice echoed in the stadium after the shockwave of that veritable storm of destruction had passed.
“I’m not a third party!"
The perpetrator of the destruction kicked the referee statue's head, floating in midair with her arms folded, her back to the moon.
“…Angel of Light Nanael, your actions constitute sabotage against the preliminaries. Consequently…”
Before the statue could finish talking, the magic sword, Celestial Saber, flew on its own through the air and cleaved it in two.
“I don’t feel like playing by your rules this time.”
Without even a hint of regret, the angel gave a last glance to the remnants of the statue, then turned to look over the stadium.
“What, there’s only mud here. What a mess, huh?”
That she was the one who had caused it didn’t even seem to cross her mind. She looked around with a frown, then stopped her gaze at one specific spot.
“Foooound youu!”
***
“Buhah!”
Fio finally was able to get his face out of the mud and take a breath.
[Did it a star fall, or is someone ambushing us?
In any case, Leina and Menace's fight has been interrupted, that’s for sure.]
“Nowa?”
He looked around for the elf girl, who had been beside him until a moment ago.
“I’m here~”
A small distance away, the elf showed she was fine by raising her staff above the mud.
“What happened?”
Fio tried to get to Nowa’s side, but felt a strong gaze upon him. The gaze of a hunter.
“Foooound youu!”
A blue-haired angel was floating in the middle of the arena, the very place that had been filled with mud until just now.
“An angel?”
It was an angel - with shining silver armor on both hands and feet, lightly flapping her pure white wings as a sword floated around her.
“A one-winged angel...”
Her wings were mismatched - it was no wonder he made the mistake.
“What did you just say…?”
The angel didn’t let his whisper slide.
"I only planned to grab that thing, but I've changed my mind. Little girl, let me carve the sin of making fun of the great Nanael into your body!"
As Nanael pointed at Fio, the Celestial Saber charged towards him!
“Hiah!”
He wouldn’t be able to dodge. He grasped the Sword of Unicorn and braced for the worst. Soon, his body would get chopped up, white hot pain assailing his senses...
He waited for the pain, his eyes tightly shut.
...However…
“Huh?”
Instead of pain, he instead felt a cool breeze tickling his skin.
The clothing he was wearing fell down, fluttering in the wind.
"Hohohohohoho! Face the humiliation of exposing yourself to the masses!"
The angel laughed loudly, recalling her weapon.
Among rustles, the audience had regained their composure, and they all turned to look at Fio. The Saber had only cut through his clothes - not putting a single scratch on his body.
“A-Aah!”
He hurried to cover his crotch. Nanael also stopped laughing, and looked closely at him.
“So... you're a boy?”
The angel rested her eyes in a certain part of his body, her face twisting in confusion.
“I-Is is that bad?”
“It’s not bad! Yuup, it’s soooo good! I’ll take you to Heaven, sword and all!”
The angel’s voice got lively all of a sudden, her eyes turning into hearts.
“Now, come with me. A child like you shouldn’t be here.”
As soon as she found out he was a boy, she pulled a 180 and beckoned at him.
“Even if you tell me to go... I can’t move like this.”
He backed away, fidgeting while hiding his crotch.
“Besides, I’m Leina’s! I've decided not to leave her side!”
“I see…”
The smile left Nanael’s face.
“Then, either I beat this Leina up, or I knock you out and kidnap you, huh…?”
Kicking through the air, the angel flew to his side in one motion!
[I don’t have any choice but to fight!]
Fio held the Sword of Unicorn with both hands - enduring his embarrassment.
“Wah!”
Nanael’s eyes went to his crotch. Nowa - who had finally crawled out of the mud - used that chance to get between the two of them!
“What’s this, little girl!?”
“My name is Nowa. I will protect Fio!”
Giving no further warning, she thrust her staff and hit the angel’s waist!
“Awawah!”
The small bottle shook violently, Nanael scrambling to hold it in place. If all the Holy Milk inside it spilt, she’d have to leave the surface.
The angel had managed to get a bottle that was difficult to spill... but a direct hit would still prove quite fatal.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Enraged, the blue-haired girl gave her weapon an order.
“Wah!”
The Celestial Saber came at Nowa from an unexpected direction! The half-elf skillfully parried the flying weapon with her staff!
“Fio, run before it’s too late!”
The girl rotated her weapon, scooping up mud and flinging it at Nanael!
“Kyaah, what are you doing? That’s dirty!”
The angel reflexively turned in midair, avoiding the mud.
‘If I can fly freely in the sky, no matter how many surface fighters come at me, they won’t be a match for me’!
That’s what the angel sincerely believed, in her heart of hearts.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment