Chapter 21 S2

Niris had no idea how long he'd been like that. He had waited until the tears had dried up on their own and he felt so empty inside that he straightened up and, like a robot, made his way back to the ceremony hall.

Empty-eyed, he didn't even care how he looked. With his hair in disarray and his cheeks chafed by the salt water, he returned to the festivities. But he wasn't really there anymore. Inwardly, he was invaded by a nothingness so intense he doubted he'd ever existed.

He stepped into the great hall where the party was in full swing. Around him, drunken guests danced and laughed. No one took the slightest notice of him, and he suddenly found himself in the middle of the great hall, illuminated by the immense chandeliers that bathed the entire space in intense light, leaving no escape for the shadows.

He looked up at the ceiling. It was as if he had become the invisible character in a novel of which he was not the hero. Everything was moving around him, but he was motionless. They were all acting out a scene for which he alone had no script.

He partially came back to reality when Lirum shook him hard enough by the shoulder, calling him to reconnect.

-Niris, are you all right? You don't look well... he asked worriedly.

Beside him, his fiancée Cérine watched him with a curious, astonished look. The angel nodded energetically.

-The trip's exhausted me, I'm going to bed," he finally said to extricate himself from this uncomfortable situation.

-All right, see you tomorrow? Have a good rest," he continued, once the recalcitrant angel had confirmed their appointment.

Niris moved away from the great hall, whose festive atmosphere was making him nauseous. The further away he got, the less music and laughter he heard, and the better he felt. He let the solitude of the night wash over him, and suddenly exhausted by too many emotions in so little time, he began to climb the stairs with heavy steps.

He had almost reached the middle landing of the mansion when cries from outside alerted him. A little worried, he walked over to the window to take a look outside. In the distance, he saw a glow that strongly resembled that of elves using natural energy. More specifically, that of the sylvan elves who inhabited Liore.

He leaned over a little more and tried to get a better look at what was going on by squinting. It didn't take him long to recognize a silhouette he could make out from any distance. His heart raced in his chest.

Suddenly, his weariness had vanished like snow in the sun. Without wasting another second, he ran down the stairs and out the door.

On his way, he came across a group of guests who had been sobered by events and were running around in a panic. He slalomed between them, speeding up as he went. Once outside, he summoned Flaming Charisma and activated his energy connection.

He was now a hundred meters from the scene. Some twenty sylvan angels formed a circle at the center of which stood Seiran, held down on his knees by one of them, a sword beneath his neck. Before they could notice his presence, the angel used his natural energy to strengthen his muscles and fluidify his movements. In a fraction of a second, he was in front of the angel threatening the demon's life and, with the tip of his energy-infused blade sliding along the back of the sword, he shattered it.

The latter jumped back in surprise. If he had sensed the angel's presence, he had been too slow to react. The natural energy condensed on the angel's blade had instantly pierced the metal, making it brittle and, inevitably, shattering it.

With infinite caution, Niris caught up with Seiran, who fell forward under the impact. The demon was still conscious, but looked completely stunned. Marks of blows to his temples and cheek showed that he had tried to resist without much success.

Niris bit his lips. His eyes were filled with a fury he didn't even try to contain. Before him, he recognized several members of the Liore elf council, including the woman he presumed to be the president. They all radiated the same green-tinged yellow light characteristic of sylvan angels. Their all-yellow eyes gave them the appearance of spirits, enhanced by their floating above the ground.

-Prince Niris, this matter concerns elves and elves only, you must not interfere," threatened the president of the council. Otherwise you risk jeopardizing relations between our two peoples through your unreasonable behavior.

-I don't give a damn about relations between our two peoples, and I don't care if you have business to settle with the celestial angels! he replied with undisguised rage.

His aggressive response caused the elves in the circle around him to recoil. Behind them, demons dressed in cloaking suits lay on the ground. They must have been the men Zorkiel had sent to watch Seiran.

-You've just attacked the person I love, so you're my direct enemies!

The angel intensified the flow of natural energy through his channels, electrifying the air around him. The elves gasped in surprise at his statement.

-You mean...you and Prince Seiran are committed to each other? I thought you were after Zorkiel," said the president, obviously not expecting such an announcement.

-Call it what you like, but if you go after Seiran, you'll have to deal with me, is that clear? And as for Zorkiel, I'll have that bastard's hide one of these days, just for taking Seiran prisoner!

The elves exchanged worried and surprised glances. They had obviously foreseen that their plan, whatever it might be, would not go off without a hitch, and especially not by such a formidable opponent as Niris. Without waiting for their response, Niris lifted Seiran and concentrated the natural energy beneath his feet to leap above the angels standing in a circle and land further apart. There he gently placed the demon, who was struggling to regain his senses, and made sure he was comfortable.

-Niris...I...they have..." he tried to say, but his state prevented him from making a proper sentence.

-Shhh," said the angel, stroking his cheek. I'll take care of it, don't worry. Wait for me here, I'll be back soon.

The demon nodded without adding anything. Determined, the angel rose to his feet and strode towards the elves. They seemed to have reached an agreement on how to approach the situation. Calmed by the fact that Seiran had been taken to safety, he let them talk.

-It's a misunderstanding, Your Highness," continued the President, suddenly remembering her etiquette.

-You have ten seconds to explain to me what you intended to do by capturing Seiran," the angel cut her off curtly.

-We object to the engagement of Lirum de Nêsle and the high mage Cérine," began the president with a hint of stress in her voice. The sylvan elves of Liore consider that the celestial elf Lirum is not suitable for the title of elf representative, even though he is a member of the revered family of celestial elves. That's why we decided to take Prince Seiran hostage and force him to surrender his title.

-That was ten seconds too long for you," said Niris, without waiting for her to finish her explanation, and invoked Flaming Charisma again.

The blade crackled under the surge of natural energy emanating from Niris' body and took on a beautiful glowing hue. The angel advanced towards the elf, threatening.

-Listen, I understand that you're offended by the attack on your lover, but it's all just a misunderstanding," the president tried to calm him.

-A misunderstanding? You threaten the life of the man I love and you want to strip my friend of his title? I don't think it's a misunderstanding, no," he laughed. And don't think I've forgiven you for the lie you told us in Liore when we came to see you.

The president frowned. It was the first time he'd seen her expression change since the beginning of their exchange. He smiled. It was proof that he'd succeeded in pissing her off. He was pleased. Elves were so self-confident that it was very difficult to irritate them. He was proud to have succeeded in this challenge.

-In that case, I can see we won't find common ground without a direct confrontation," she blurted out between her teeth, clenched by the contempt she was no longer even trying to hide.

Just as they were about to pounce on each other, an almost transparent veil blocked the first attacks of natural energy, causing a few sparks to fly among the elves.

-Wait! Wait! Wait! Niris! Let me fight her, I'll take care of this! Lirum ran to Niris, looking worried despite his determination.

Niris, who had stopped in his tracks, turned to his friend. The elf was a terrible fighter. It was ridiculous for him to offer to beat the obviously powerful Sylvan elves.

-They went after Seiran, that's my business," he tried to reassure him.

-But I...

-Lirum, I'll take care of it," interrupted Niris, who was becoming impatient. If you want to help me, go and protect Seiran while I fight.

The elf hesitated for a moment, then nodded and moved towards the demon, which reassured Niris. Lirum was very bad at fighting, but he had developed impressive defensive skills. His shield could stop any attack, like the one he had intercepted just before. With him at his side, Seiran risked nothing. Niris could fight with complete peace of mind.

Once again, he faced the elf who had already begun to launch his attack.

-Oh, you don't change good habits and play dirty I see? he ironized.

But the president didn't react. She had obviously given up trying to hide her evil intentions.

Niris prepared himself. There were at least seven of them, if there were no others elsewhere in the building.

Seven high-level sylvan elves, bearing in mind that the president was certainly a doyenne. The fight was shaping up rather badly for him. But the anger bubbling up inside him gave him a formidable energy.In fact, he was excited about this fight. He was finally going to be able to put into practice everything he'd learned over the last few months. He couldn't wait!

Without further ado, he dodged the president's first attack. For the moment, she was the only one attacking him. He glanced at the others and noticed that they were doing some kind of incantation. He had to try and finish the fight before their incantation was over.

After a second's thought, he made up his mind. Without hesitation, he launched himself at one of the incanting elves, to the surprise of the president. He saw the fear in her eyes as he lowered his Blazing Charisma on him. The president intervened, but too late. The blade had severed the elf's arm and he was writhing on the ground in pain. The yellow light that had enveloped him was gone.

Niris was satisfied. He'd managed to put one of them out of action by surprise. He knew that the President had expected him to attack her after his first attack. Banking on his speed and reaction time, he had managed to reduce the number of his enemies to six.

But this technique would only work once. The elves didn't seem to be able to change their posture during the incantation, but the president wouldn't be fooled twice.

-You... she swore between her teeth.

The natural energy of her yellow aura intensified. She seemed at last to be taking this fight seriously, which was not to the angel's displeasure. Without giving her time to launch another attack, he braced himself on his left foot and propelled himself forward. The elf saw him coming and brandished his spectre.

Small, sharp arcs of natural energy shot out of it, hurtling towards Niris, who parried them all without damage. In his turn, he gored his sword with natural energy and launched a long-distance attack that tore through the ground as it passed.

The President parried it with ease. But he had created an opening with this diversion and had closed to within a meter of the elf in a few leaps, forcing her to parry the next blow directly from her specter.

They exchanged a few blows, then the elf regained his distance. Niris had expected this. Elves excelled at ranged combat but were very bad at close quarters. They perfected their technique by making themselves unapproachable by their attackers. By keeping them at a distance, they exhausted them by trying to get closer while dodging their attacks.

They expended far less energy, since by keeping the enemy at a distance, attacks were inevitably less dangerous and easier to parry. At least it worked for a close-combat specialist like Niris. But no matter. He was ready. Especially as this wasn't a one-on-one fight. It was six against one. He had a margin of maneuver that would push the president out of her shell at a distance.

Without further ado, the angel charged towards one of the incanting elves. Galvanized by adrenalin and his thirst to fight elves since his time in Liore, he felt his body responding better than before to his injunctions to move. Natural energy was also flowing better through his energy channels. His intensive study of Selanpe had paid off. He had become much faster.

Seeing the attack coming, the President reacted immediately and repeated her previous attack, increasing the number and size of the arcs. Niris intercepted them all and continued to target the incanting elves, to which the President responded by invoking a temporary shield around them.

Niris smiled with all her teeth. At last, she was expending her natural energy in large quantities. Ceasing his dance around the five motionless elves, he put one foot on the ground and hurled himself forward directly at the president.

He had checked how close he could get to her with his previous attack, so all he had to do was make an opening. And by having the president create a shield around the other five elves, he had limited her natural energy input, since she had to power the shield. Otherwise, Niris would immediately attack the elves. He had her cornered.

The elf tried to stop the angel's advance by multiplying the projections of natural energy in the form of sharp arcs, but Niris dodged or parried them all. As he drew closer, the small energy projectiles became more numerous and faster. Then there was a gap in the attack.

Without wasting a second, he rushed through it and found himself at the feet of the elf who towered over him. Raising her spectre, she lowered it onto the angel, reinforcing it with natural energy. But Niris had expected this. He knew she'd created the opening to bring him closer. With a fluid movement, he spun around, avoiding the specter and throwing his blade against it in an attempt to cut it.

The natural energy that enveloped him stopped the blade a few centimetres from the instrument. Niris wanted to force the blade to test the resistance of the energetic envelope, but he felt a sensation of danger coming from above him.

He looked up just in time to see the elf brandishing a dagger in his direction. With a flick of his shoulder, he propelled himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade. Once he had one foot on the ground, he immediately distanced himself from the elf.

-Still up to your old tricks, I see..." he quipped sarcastically.

He knew that the deans had all developed a close-combat technique to protect themselves in any situation, but he hadn't expected it to reveal itself immediately. Perhaps the elf had hoped to hurt him by surprising him like this? Niris smiled inwardly. Fortunately, she was still underestimating him. He might have a chance to end this fight before the invocation was over.

He needed a blade more resistant to natural energy than Flaming Charisma. He made his sword disappear and summoned Key of Style instead. He closed his eyes for a moment to accelerate the movement of natural energy in his body and increase the flow to his blade.

The elf used this moment to attack her again. She raised her spectre high above the ground, and with a powerful forward movement, made it form a vertical arc. A huge projection of natural energy materialized in a sharp arc and shot towards Niris at high speed. He had no time to dodge it and took the blow.

Firming his grip on the hilt, he raised his blade horizontally. The shock reverberated through all his muscles, and the power of the attack sent him reeling back a few meters. But finally, the natural energy quenched and the attack ceased. A crevasse at least a metre deep had opened up in front of him.

This attack was nothing more than pure energy materialized to have a physical effect on the environment. This was typical of elves. They were masters of an energy use that was close to ancestral. It was therefore often very open-ended, unlike what other species were experimenting with. Typically, the President had just resorted to an energy use that was somewhere between creative and supportive, since projection was an extension of the natural energy infused into her spectrum.

The spectrum was merely a medium to give shape to the angel's natural energy, not a source. Only the elf was the source of natural energy. Niris knew this, but it didn't make fighting her any easier. But he had an idea.

Less than a metre from impact, he raised his katana so as to split the projection lengthways, rather than from the front.

Unlike Flaming Charisma, Clef du style was a sword that cut through natural energy like butter. It was a hard feature to use and rarely useful in combat, which is why he rarely used this katana, but for this kind of situation, it was the ultimate blade.

As expected, the katana sliced through the projection without difficulty. Before the elf's shocked eyes, Niris continued to run towards her unhindered, and once again found himself face to face with her at blade-point.The small dagger stopped his katana in its tracks as he brandished it in a deadly movement, but Niris kept up his attacks. The last thing he wanted was to give the President time to catch her breath and regain her composure.

Cornered, she stepped back. She let out a cry of rage, fending off the angel's attacks as she saw that her persistence could prove fatal. Suddenly, she parried a final blow with her spectre. A second before impact, Niris sensed the danger and propelled herself backwards.

A violent ball-shaped shockwave formed around the elf, but went no further than two meters from her. The angel swallowed. Had he taken this attack head-on, he would not have escaped unscathed. He tightened his grip on his katana. The last thing he needed was to let his guard down. The elf was powerful.

-Niris d'Egea! Where do you get off talking down to us and thwarting our plans? You don't even know what you're doing or why you're doing it! the elf howled in anger.

-You should never have taken on Seiran or Lirum! he warned her.

She began to laugh wildly.

-You're a representative of an empire, and not just any empire! Do you realize the consequences of your actions on the intergalactic situation? Aren't you ashamed of bringing war to our world? When everything could be so peaceful if you'd just sit back and do as you're told and stay out of other people's business! If everything goes to hell, it's your fault!

Niris didn't answer immediately. The elf's words had stirred up a long-simmering anger that he thought he'd buried deep inside, but which was in fact still very much present.

-Who gave you the right to order me about?" he said menacingly. You're the one who attacked an intergalactic dignitary, and you accuse me of stirring up trouble?

He felt something welling up inside him, spreading slowly through his veins. A form of controlled anger that was both familiar and life-saving. Gorged by the energy it gave him, he let it rise while keeping it under control so that it didn't cloud his mind.

-If you didn't exist, the world would be better off! retorted the elf who was now openly displaying her disdain for him. You and the Master of Blades are the cause of all our misfortunes, and you want us to stand idly by? The sylvan elves didn't choose to recluse themselves on Liore to be threatened with anexion by a madman no one can control!

Niris didn't really know what she was talking about, but there was one thing he was certain of. He was angry. Cold, rumbling anger. Healthy anger. As much as he felt angry, he felt soothed inside and in control of himself. It was a sensation he'd never felt before, and one he savored.

-I don't care about your stories or your excuses! I don't care what happens to elves! You're just selfish bastards who think only of yourselves and your own well-being! A people who could let the world die while they survive is not a people who deserve a place in our world! We've built peace and democracy together, and you're parasites who've come to suck the benefits of our construction while destroying its foundations! Go to hell, you hypocrites!

As he spoke these words, he felt something inside him unlock. Something clicked inside him, and a new energy poured out of him, mingling with his natural energy. He didn't know exactly what it was at first, but then he recognized that familiar sensation that had taken hold of him.

"Niyari!" he panted. But as the demon's energy poured into him, he didn't feel the presence of his spirit like last time. He remained totally in control of his mind and body. Intrigued, he raised a hand in front of him and observed. Black lines ran across his skin in straight, angular lines.

He wanted to inspect himself further, but his enemy wouldn't let him. Scalded by their exchange, she lunged at him with a powerful blow from her energy-enhanced spectrum, which she used like a scimitar. Detecting the attack a second before impact, the angel propelled herself with a powerful leap to the ground and, with remarkable ease, swung her katana at the elf's exposed blow.

The elf turned, but too late. She was caught completely off guard by the angel's sudden speed and had just enough time to raise her spectre to parry the blow. Clef du style was stopped in extremis by a shield of natural energy. But as Niris pressed his blade, it sank into the shield with dangerous ease.

The elf winced. She didn't understand the transformation the angel had undergone, but she did understand that he had become even more dangerous. She electrified the air inside her shield, but the sword cancelled the effect. A crease marked her forehead as she realized her attack hadn't worked.

Persisting in her movement, Niris continued to put all her strength into slicing through the shield. Her blade was only a few centimetres away from the elf. Cornered, the President finally deactivated her shield to flee from her assailant. But in doing so, if she had dodged the blade early enough so that it didn't hit a vital point, she hadn't completely avoided it. A thin red streak ran down her arm from her shoulder.

Niris' katana had left a trace in her skin, yellowed by the natural energy surrounding her. Niris smiled at the wound he had caused.

-One to zero," he said with an air as cruel as it was playful.

The elf seemed unsettled for a moment, but quickly recovered. She grabbed her specter with both hands and unleashed a phenomenal amount of natural energy, which she directed directly at the specter. The latter transformed into a mobile bearing holding a circle from which small golden drops hung, resembling tears.

The angel watched the transformation with intrigue. She was taking it to the next level. It was perfect. He needed to test this new mode he was in. This was the perfect opportunity. Concentrating, he moved into attack position, his katana at cheek level pointed forward.

He couldn't let the fight drag on too long, either, or risk seeing the invocation come to an end. Without wasting any more time, he launched his first ranged attack, which took the elf by surprise. With a powerful horizontal thrust, he propelled a deadly energy attack in the direction of the president.

Unlike her attacks, his was much simpler. It was simply a shockwave caused by the condensation of natural energy in his blade and its release into the environment by the mechanical movement made by the angel. This was not at all the same as the projections of natural energy created by the elf, which were pure energy creations.

But even so, this shockwave could be very dangerous, especially for someone whose fighting technique relied essentially on creative natural energy and projections. A shockwave was much harder to stop than an energy projection.

As expected, Niris' attack destabilized the elf, who was unable to completely dodge the blow with her energy shield. Then Niris launched himself at her at breakneck speed. Even faster than before, he could clearly see her every move and projection as she created them, thanks to his enhanced eyesight.

The elf had no more openings for attack and was reduced to parrying blow after blow, minimizing damage. But each of the angel's attacks was accompanied by a considerable shockwave. She therefore had to keep her shield active at all times, which demanded considerable energy given that she also had to keep the shield protecting the other five elves active.

Gradually, her body became covered in wounds. The red blood that ran down her skin had no time to dry, as Niris continued to attack without stopping. The elf's projections became more and more elaborate, taking the form of arrows or pylons, requiring even more energy.

After a while, succumbing to fatigue, his shield weakened. Niris, who had been watching for this moment, didn't waste a second and propelled himself in the direction of the chanting elves. There, before the shield could resume its effects, he cut the knee ligaments of two of them.

They collapsed, screaming in pain. He tried to disable the other two, but the president put the shield back in place just before he could.

-Aaah...you don't know when to give up," he taunted her.

But the elf didn't even have the strength to reply. Niris watched her for a moment. She looked exhausted. He knew he'd pushed her too far, but he was astonished all the same. The elf was a doyenne, one of the most powerful members of her people. Elves were powerful beings, perhaps not as innovative as angels, but at least as powerful in terms of technique and mastery of natural energy. And their natural predisposition made them particularly adept at complex manipulations.

The angel was astonished to see her beaten so easily. He looked again at her hands and the strange black lines that ran across them. This new power was indeed sensational, but it didn't seem to him to be up to the task of defeating a high-level elf. Something was wrong.

But he didn't know what. So for the time being, he was content to fight her until he'd won the fight before the incantation was over. Tightening his grip on his katana, he lunged again.

The deadly dance resumed. The elf deployed considerable energy in all his attacks, increasing their number and scope. But the angel was elusive. He would weave in and out of smaller attacks, and effortlessly slice through larger ones. Whenever he got close, she had to activate her shield again. He had become devilishly fast and prodigiously powerful. Each of his blows generated a wave of prodigious force.

Once again, the shield around the three remaining elves failed, and the angel knocked out another elf. Only two remained, but the incantation was coming to an end. Niris could feel it. He had to give the elf no respite.

He decided to further strengthen his katana with his natural energy. The process covered it in a violet aura typical of Niyari's natural energy. The weapon had become indestructible. This time, Niris didn't beat about the bush. He charged straight at the elf, not dodging his attacks. With a powerful blow, he pierced her shield and planted his blade directly into her shoulder.

The president had no time to react, and was only able to take a few leaps backwards to put some distance between herself and him. Once a little further away, she fell to her knees and grabbed his bruised shoulder.

But Niris took no notice. He immediately turned towards the two remaining angels and swooped down on them like an eagle on its prey. Without mercy, he planted his katana in their flanks one after the other to make sure they were out of harm's way. The two elves fell to the ground with a groan.

Victorious, Niris stood on the earthen floor, six elves lying at his feet. In the distance, the president of the council was kneeling on the ground, her shoulder bleeding and her body covered in wounds.