Madan no Ou to Vanadis - Volume 16 - Chapter 4.7

And even if that were to be an optical hallucination, it was plenty for either of them.

Elen only possessed one longsword, but it had a longer reach than Figneria’s weapons, and it also allowed her to handle the reins with her left hand. On the other hand, Figneria excelled against Elen in the number of moves as she used two short swords as weapons, but she had to basically leap into the bosom of her opponent, on top of having the movements of her left hand restrained as she had to hold the reins in addition to her draconic tool.

Figneria received or turned aside Elen’s slashes, which were like storms blowing away everything, with the blades of her short swords while not showing a single change of expression on her face. And without missing the tiny chances when Elen pulled her longsword back, she fiercely thrust out her short swords.

Even if the blades themselves didn’t reach, the flames unleashed by Bargren’s blades attacked Elen. But, those flames were disturbed and scattered by the squalls created by Elen’s Arifar.

Neither wind nor fire reached their respective opponents, but the tension hadn’t vanished on either faces. They knew that they’d likely get cut the instant their sight got blocked, if they lost focus.

Slash, sweep, and stab. Slamming down from above, slashing from the side, or thrusting from the front. Each time whirlwinds gouged out the ground and flames raced through the air, scattering countless sparks into the vicinity.

The soldiers of Leitmeritz and Legnica tried to reinforce their respective lords at the beginning of the battle, but at this point no one could approach the two women. If they did carelessly approach, they got blown away by winds or got roasted by flames. Even throwing stones or shooting arrows didn’t change anything.

A death zone had formed around the two Vanadis.

Figneria made her move around the time when they had violently clashed for the umpteenth time, and the atmosphere started to be tinged with a midsummer-like heat as flames and winds raged about. No sooner than letting go of the reins, Figneria fully swung the short sword with the crimson blade in her left down from above. The crimson flames surging out of the blade spread to the ground like a wave, startling the horses and causing them to rear up while neighing wildly.

Elen reflexively pulled on her reins, turning her attention towards controlling her horse. It was just for a mere moment of a breath, but Figneria used it to pull her feet out of the stirrup. The horse she was riding was naturally rearing up as well, confused by the flames, but the black-haired Vanadis didn’t care at all.

And once she crouched down atop her saddle, Figneria leaped towards Elen. Elen likewise freed herself from the stirrup, shouldered Arifar, and kicked the saddle. All three actions were performed at almost the same time. Elen, who flew up much higher into the air than Figneria thanks to the power of her draconic tool, slashed at her opponent from above while clad in wind.

“──Piercing Fire Lance ColumnPlamoak.”

Figneria swung her two short swords without moving from the spot. 1 Many flame pillars were created around her, blowing their fires straight up into the sky so as to protect her. Now it had taken the shape of Elen flying into those pillars, but she didn’t falter. Responding to her fighting spirit, Arifar strengthened the wind layer protecting Elen.

The pillars flickered violently. Immediately following, Elen pierced through them, slashing away at Figneria. A shrill, metallic noise reverberated, and in the next moment, Elen’s body danced through the air.

“──Wind ShadowVuelni.”

It wasn’t as though Elen lost the competition and was sent flying. She skilfully altered her posture in the air, and launched a thrust from another angle. The two shadows crossed, and a metallic sound, this time heavier than before, pierced the ears of the soldiers who were watching the fight between the two Vanadis.

Elen landed behind Figneria while whirling up a cloud of dust. A bunch of silver hair strands soundlessly fluttered through the wind after getting cut off by the two short swords. And, a single slit on Figneria’s cheek had blood run from it as she turned around towards Elen.

“Did you stop being a mercenary and become an acrobat?” Figneria readied her short swords without even trying to wipe away the blood, and glared at Elen.

Elen also fixed her hold on her longsword, and glared back at Figneria.

The two Vanadis slashed at each other from the front. The battle arena had shifted from horseback to ground. The winds blasted clouds of dust, sand and dirt into the air while the flames burned the soil. When Elen aimed a low kick at Figneria while wielding Arifar, Figneria swiftly kicked up the soil at her feet, trying to blind Elen. Both of them very naturally used the dirty way of a mercenary’s fighting.

Figneria blocked Elen’s slash with the blade in her left hand while releasing flames from the blade in her right. Arifar scattered the flames with its wind, but attacking the instant Elen’s view got blocked, Figneria closed the distance and delivered a kick.

After crossing blades up to twenty times, Elen had no choice but to admit that she had miscalculated. Figneria could defend against Elen’s two-handed slashes with one hand. Elen believed that Figneria’s stance might fall apart from exhaustion if she kept attacking in succession, but Figneria’s face showed no change whatsoever. It also annoyed her that the longsword’s reach was thwarted by the flames. Even when Elen scattered them with Arifar’s wind, Figneria used it to her advantage. Elen couldn’t come up with a means to best her.

Longsword and short swords clashed. Blue sparks were born, but immediately vanished within a torrent of fire and wind. As if synchronized, both Vanadis leaped back at the same moment. Their faces were drenched in sweat, shoulders heaving.

“──Sure hasn’t changed,” Figneria suddenly muttered.

Elen grimaced, “What?”

“Your fighting style.” Figneria indifferently pointed out. “You’ve started to hop around a bit, but basically, it’s the same style as back then. A sham-imitation of Vissarion. That’s why it lacks any surprising or frightening elements. The rainbow-eyed Vanadis and that Tigrevurmud Vorn were far more terrifying than you are.”

With Vissarion’s name mentioned, Elen felt anger well up in herself, but another shock prevented her emotions from bursting out.

Figneria continued, “I don’t know whether you remember or not, but I have changed my style of fighting. After all, I believed that my previous style was no good as it was back when I competed against Vissarion. So as to definitely win the next time I would fight against that guy.”

Elen couldn’t find any words to reply with. Figneria’s comment had hit bull’s-eye. Elen didn’t change the way she fought ever since her time as mercenary. Deliberately. She couldn’t do so. For the sake of getting as close to Vissarion as possible.

However, now stood a warrior in front of her who continuously refined her martial arts in combat while repeatedly adding new tricks to her repertoire, trying to surpass Vissarion’s swordplay.

──I’ll win against her. I must win.

Persuading herself like that, Elen mustered her willpower.

At that moment, Figneria moved. From stepping in to closing the distance, she was abnormally fast. Elen swiped her longsword from the right to the left. Figneria endured by overlapping her two short swords.

“──Heat HazeAuresque.”

Figneria’s body swayed, looking to Elen as if it split in two. The silver-haired Vanadis wavered with her decision. She wondered whether she should use the wind to take some distance, or──

The two versions of Figneria thrust out the short sword in their right hand. Elen narrowly dodged that. A light pain ran through her shoulder, but it wasn’t anything that would register as a problem.

“──Wind ShadowVuelni.”

Cladding herself in wind, Elen leaped at Figneria with a force as if trying to bump into her. She soundlessly broke through. Immediately following, Elen kicked the ground, and brandished her sword while rotating like a tornado. Even Figneria was surprised by that, and tried to protect herself with her two short swords.

A metallic sound reverberated, and the short sword with the golden blade danced through the air.

Elen believed to have found an opening. Without lowering the momentum, she slashed away. Figneria’s crimson blade blocked that.

In the next instant, a silver light gleamed in Figneria’s right hand, and a dull pain ran through Elen’s flank, causing the hand holding Arifar to faintly weaken its hold. Figneria swung the short sword in her left, aiming at that moment. Clad in crimson flames, the crimson blade assailed Elen. Elen barely repelled that blade, but unable to block the flames as well, her stance fell apart, and she fell to the ground.

Without a moment’s delay, Figneria went after her with a sharp kick.

A short scream escaped Elen’s lips. The silver-haired Vanadis swept her sword sideways. She didn’t do so to cut Figneria, but to retreat with the power of Arifar’s wind while at the same time trying to keep her opponent in check. However, the reason why Figneria didn’t attack was her picking up the golden blade from the ground.

Finally having taken some distance, Elen glared at Figneria. Her left side was dyed red from blood, and the blood oozing through her clothes ran down towards her waist.

“You don’t rely on any other weapons but your draconic tools. That’s the bad habit of you Vanadis.” Figneria said over her shoulder to Elen while sheathing the dagger in her right hand into the scabbard hanging at her waist belt.

Back when she had blocked Elen’s slash with the short sword in her left, Figneria had swiftly drawn a concealed dagger. This had taken Elen completely by surprise. After picking up the short sword with the golden blade, Figneria readied her stance. Leitmeritz’ soldiers stared at the duel with shocked expressions. Their trusted Vanadis had been cornered. They couldn’t help but feel shaken.

Figneria closed the distance step-by-step. It was at that moment that the thundering of hooves reached her ears.

Lim had shown up, pushing her way through the soldiers, while spurring on her horse. She galloped her horse in an attempt to pick up her lord.

“Eleonora-sama…!”

Figneria kicked off the ground. Lim removed her feet from the stirrup, and barely wedged herself between the two Vanadis while tilting her body on the horse.

The horse cried alongside the fountain of blood spraying out of its body. Its belly, which had suffered Figneria’s slash, dyed dark red, and its entrails spilled out alongside a huge amount of blood. The horse’s legs buckled, and it died then and there. As for Lim, she had fallen off the horse the second it got slashed, and rolled across the ground while covering Elen.

“Coincidence? Or a sharp intuition?” Figneria muttered as if holding a monologue while staring at Lim.

If she hadn’t removed her legs from the stirrup, Figneria’s attack would have severed Lim’s left leg alongside the horse. But then again, Lim’s left shin protector was torn apart, dyed in blood. She couldn’t completely avoid Figneria’s slash. Fortunately, the wound was shallow, allowing her to move her leg without an issue, despite the pain.

“Eleonora-sama, are you alright?”

“Lim…?”

Elen gawped at Lim, who helped her up while readying her sword, in surprise, even forgetting about the pain at her side.

“What about the command?”

“I left it to Rurick.” Lim answered while glaring at Figneria without sparing Elen a look.

She had called over Rurick and given him that exact order right before the battle.

Even if they won the clash between the armies, Leitmeritz would lose in the end if they lost Elen here. Lim couldn’t afford to let Elen die under any circumstances.

“I will buy you some time, so please get away in the meantime.”

Lim stood up without waiting for Elen’s reply, and pointed her sword at Figneria. The black-haired Vanadis directed a bored look at Lim.

“Do you have no intent to win against me?”

“It is not my role to do that.” Lim answered while feeling admiration and fretfulness over Figneria not showing even the slightest opening. “My duty is to allow my important person to win by supporting her.”

“──You’re wrong about that, Lim.” Those words came from behind Lim. Elen stood up with a pained expression. She stout-heartedly straightened her back, and stepped up to stand next to Lim. “We walk together, and win together. Right?”

After casting a surprised look at Elen, Lim muttered, “You’re right,” so that only Elen could hear her. Elen and her best friend stared at Figneria.

“What’s going to change by you being joined by someone who’s not a Vanadis?” Figneria knitted her eyebrows.

Elen burst into laughter even while twisting her face in pain.

“We’ll show you. ──Come.” She provoked Figneria with her red eyes glowing.

Even the longsword in her hands created a wind as if to cheer on its mistress.

Figneria let her eyes wander as if pondering, but then stopped thinking while shaking her head. She readied her short swords. She didn’t plan anything like bringing both of them down in one go. Instead she planned to accurately take out one after the other.

When Figneria kicked off the ground, Elen met her square without moving from her spot. Their fellow draconic tools clashed, scattering rainbow-colored sparks into empty space once more.

Lim set up her sword without budging. As if trying to find the instant of an opening.

At that moment, something soundlessly fluttered down around those three. Snow similar to white petals, so small that it seemed as though it would immediately melt upon touch, began to obscure their field of vision. Right now, the snow hadn’t even touched the three women. The raging winds and flames didn’t allow the snow to get close.

But, sooner or later the battle would come to an end. Yet, no one could predict which of the two Vanadis would get buried by the snow at that time.

Or maybe even this kingdom would disappear within this season’s snow. Or maybe it’d get enveloped in night, darkness, and death.