The Azra-El Series Ch. 19

The murmurs in the stadium went quiet.

Ragna's lips widened into a nasty grin as her eyes developed a mad light.

It sent a shiver down Blaze's spine. Ragna was usually a little reserved around strangers, but once she got to know them, she was quite affable. However, this Ragna almost felt like an entirely different person. Do I look the same when I smile like that?

He drew his hand back and Ragna immediately sent a punch towards his face. Instinctively, he raised his arms to block it. His body reinforcement negated most of the damage, but he still felt it. Through the gap between his arms, he saw Ragna's smile widen even more. A tinge of doubt and fear crept into his heart. He was wary of her punches, but she wasn't!

The next moment, her left crashed into his gut, knocking the air out of his lungs and making him stumble. However, Ragna did not stop. Her right hook ploughed into his right arm, knocking it into his left, and creating a gap in his guard. Her left fist came from below in a deadly uppercut.

If Blaze had stepped back in fear, her uppercut would most likely have struck his chin and knocked him out, or at least done enough damage to end the match. However, the first 'B' of berserking- battle instinct- finally decided to kick in.

With a hefty grunt, he sent his forehead into her fist. It hurt, but he was sure her fist hurt as much. Continuing with his momentum, he rammed his shoulder into her chest to push her back.

In response, Ragna wrapped her arms around his neck and ploughed her knee into his ribs.

Blaze weathered the blow through sheer force of will, and wrapped his arms around her waist, hoping to lift her up and slam her into the ground. Somehow, in the corner of his mind, he realized that Ragna was attaining the berserker state quicker than him, and that he needed to stop her momentum.

However, an elbow into the intersection between his neck and shoulder loosened his grip enough to allow Ragna to wriggle free. She nimbly stepped aside and swiveled around on balls of her feet, to send a reverse sweep at his legs.

It managed to trip him, but he simply rolled over the grass and sprang up to his feet.

He turned around just in time to block a turning kick.

Over the next couple of minutes, Ragna continued an unstoppable onslaught on Blaze. She managed to achieve the peak of her berserking in a little over a minute, and Blaze had no recourse but to remain on the defensive. However, the intense amount of concentration required to ward off her attacks helped him slowly fall into a rhythm. It was her rhythm, but it still helped him attain an unwavering focus.

Slowly, the balance of the fight began to even. However, just as Blaze's mind crossed over the threshold to reach his berserking state, Ragna retreated and stood up in a neutral stance, bringing the fight to an abrupt halt.

"That is enough. I am satisfied," she said. "Thank you, Blaze. You have set my mind at ease."

"Uh... okay?" Blaze said, dropping his guard. He was a little confused, and did not know how to respond to her words.

"I forfeit," she said, turning to the umpire.

"Victory: Blaze Er Lokra!" the umpire declared. The audience, who had not been privy to the earlier conversation between Blaze and Ragna, were even more bewildered by the turn of events.

"Blaze, I do not know how you can do it, but if you can find a way to achieve your berserker state quicker, it may increase your chances against Nikolett."

"How the Hela would I do that?"

"I do not know," she shook her head, suddenly manifesting her wings. "See you in a bit. I am heading over to Siofra's stadium. Maybe I can catch the end of her match."

She took off, leaving Blaze mulling over her words. His entire body was sore, and bruising began to show over his skin. Rubbing his arms, he walked back to his dugout. Suddenly, the idea that he had at the Burghess Palace returned. He had simply wanted some music at his match, but now he wondered...

"Do you guys play any musical instruments?" he asked his minion army.

"Bayou is amazing with the shield drum," Azalea immediately offered.

"I can strum a lyre," said Rachel.

"I sing sometimes, mostly when I am alone," said Kida.

"Az can play the drums too," Bayou ratted out her friend.

"Perfect! I've got the lyrics. Now, we just need to teach Elyssa to play the bass," he said, turning to Elyssa with an evil grin on his face.

***

Blaze and his group reached Siofra's match just in time to hear the result.

"Eitani Aziza, 37 points. Siofra Eoiwagn, 35 points. Winner: Eitani Aziza!"

"What happened?" Blaze asked Ragna, landing beside her. Her cheek was now a little blue from his first punch.

"Does the Pixie Prick require a lot of energy?" she asked.

"Maybe... but it shouldn't be too much, why?"

"I have not seen her use it since I arrived..."

"Maybe she used it before. It must've taken a toll on her," Blaze said, looking at Siofra and her opponent. Both the combatants looked spent, but Siofra held a serene smile. So, Blaze simply assumed that she had tried her best.

oOo

Blaze suddenly found himself with a three-day break in the tournament. He was the first angel in his group to finish all his matches of the tournament. The scheduling had been rigged to ensure that there would be no variables that prevented him from facing Nikolett.

However, Blaze decided to look at the positive side of things. He had three days to have fun and plot against Nikolett. The first day, he spent his time arranging a music band for his fight against Nikolett. He also took his gang out to buy two beanies for Rachel and Kida. The beanies were very important.

On the second evening, when the group returned to the hotel, Blaze found Rebecca and Jie Er at the lobby, along with Splash.

"Aunt Becky!" he cried jubilantly, rushing to the red-haired angel and giving her a mighty hug. He had missed her more than he cared to admit. Splash hopped shoulders, curling up around Blaze's neck and chattering in his ear.

"I hear that you have been kicking butt in the tournament," Rebecca said, lovingly caressing his head.

"Of course. Did ya expect anything different? I am the greatest angel this world has ever seen!"

"Elyssa, dear, make sure to put him in place after he defeats Nikolett. Seems like the thrashing he receives from Jie Er and I is not doing its intended job," Rebecca said to Elyssa.

"Ely would never abuse me like you do!" he laughed, leaning back and looking at Rebecca. She looked like she had lost some weight and there were bags under her eyes.

"Have you aged in the past few weeks?"

Rebecca smacked his head. "It is just that tensions are running high at the border. I have not been able to get much sleep. The demons have not attacked since their retreat, but we are still clueless to their purpose. We do not know when they may attack again. General Sturm will not leave the border, even to come and watch Elyssa's final, though she decided to give me an exception. Thank her for me, Elyssa."

"I will."

"Now, if you guys do not mind, I would like to spend some time with Jie Er and Blaze," she said to his group, before dragging the two of them back to their room.

As soon as they were inside, she slammed the door shut, pushed Jie Er against it, and began to voraciously kiss her. Jie Er held Rebecca's head with both hands and kissed her back with equal passion. For a couple of minutes, the two seemed to forget that Blaze was still around. However, he didn't mind one bit. There was something remarkably beautiful about angels kissing.

"Okay, let us move this to the bed," Rebecca said, when they finally broke apart.

Suddenly, Blaze remembered that he had something to tell her.

"Er... Aunt Becky...," he said, shamefacedly.

"What did you do?"

"Er... I-I sorta did it with your mother. I swear, it was not my intention!"

Rebecca was confused for a moment, before understanding dawned on her. Realization gave way to anger, and she took a threatening step towards him.

"Wait! I can explain," Blaze said, backing away.

Her eyes narrowed. "Explain!"

"It's all granny's fault!" he yelled, and scrambled out of the door.

"Goddess dammit, mother!" Rebecca cursed, inside the room. She asked Jie Er to stay and went in search of Aurnia.

Blaze spied from over the staircase, behind the balusters. When he saw Rebecca leave to the lower floor, he tiptoed his way back to Jie Er.

"Er... Do you think she will forgive me?" he asked her.

"Sooner or later."

An hour passed before Rebecca returned to their room. She still looked angry.

"You!" she pointed her finger at Blaze. "Go sleep with granny for the night. Just sleep, and nothing else!"

"Okay," he agreed, picking up his things. "Are you still mad?"

"Obviously, but that is not why I don't want you here tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems that my mother has some interesting tools in her possession. I am not entirely sure, but I would wager that you do not want to see me wear this," she said, pulling out a strap-on with a smooth, cylindrical stone acting as the phallus.

Without uttering another word, Blaze turned around and fled.

That night, he had the worst nightmare of his life. An army of ginormous dildos and strap-ons waged a war to wipe him out of existence. Private Lone-Wolf Maverick and Lance Corporal Dickhead were left quivering in fear.

***

The next day, Siofra called Blaze to inform him that Aleaya Glitterdust, the Pixie Princess, had arrived in D'Warka. So, Blaze decided to pay her a visit, along with Jie Er and Rebecca.

Unlike the Xian and the Aranyans, the Pixies did not have a separate embassy in D'Warka. Aleaya Glitterdust was housed in the HU Headquarters.

"You are just as I imagined, and more than I expected," the Pixie Princess said in a lilting voice, to Blaze and Jie Er while they sat around the tea table sofas in her chambers.

Her smile was kind and joyful, and there was something mischievous behind it. Her emerald-green eyes were the same, but they also seemed to hide a brooding melancholy. According to Siofra, Aleaya was 281 years old, but physically, she did not appear any older than Jie Er.

Her current attire was simple-- a long white gown, clinched by a green cloth belt. A golden leafy crown adorned her ash-grey hair, which was swept back into a thick braid. Small emeralds lined the outer ridge of her long and sharp pixie ears.

"How so?" Blaze asked, while he observed Siofra respectfully serve the princess some tea, before proceeding to fill the other cups.

"Well, you are an archangel," Aleaya said to Jie Er, and turned to Blaze, deeply gazing at his nirn, "and you are... never mind. It does not matter. What can I do for you today?"

"Nothing, I merely wished to meet you and give you my gratitude for the Txiki Needle. It was very generous," Blaze said, graciously.

"No, you stood up for a pixie more than any angel has done in the past six hundred years. The needle is a mere gesture compared to that. Do you have anything else you wish from me?"

Aleaya Glitterdust was the sole leader of the Eastern Pixies. The only reason she was called a princess was because the throne of the Pixie Lands was currently under the Hela Empire. The princess still hoped for a day when they would be united, and thus, never took up the title of "queen", which would officially separate the Pixies into two queendoms. So, a wish granted by Aleaya Glitterdust was not something to be taken lightly. However, Blaze did not feel like he deserved it.

"No, I don't think so..." he said, but then an idea popped up. "Actually, there is something. Can I whisper it in your ear?"

"You may."

Blaze got up and whispered his wish. The princess' eyes went wide, but soon, a mischievous grin sprouted on her lips. "Siofra, come here," she ordered.

Giving Blaze a questioning glance, the young pixie meekly approached the princess. Suddenly, Aleaya grabbed her arm, pulled her down, and planted a peck on her cheek.

For a moment, Siofra stood like a deer caught in the headlights, as heat began to rise in her cheeks, almost cartoonishly. Then, she swooned. Blaze caught her before her knees gave in.

"You are a good angel, Ms. Blaze," Aleaya said, after their laughter slowly died down. "No matter what the future has in store, I hope you always remain good friends with Siofra."

"I will," Blaze replied, tightly hugging the pixie in his arms, even though she was currently digging her fingers into his arms out of embarrassment and anger.

***

The first match of the elimination round, between Blaze and Siofra, fell on a Joeidie. It was a much-anticipated duel- a fight between two friends, one of whom displayed the Righteous Fury for the other- and as such, thousands of angels and merangels flocked to the central stadium to watch the drama unfold. Joeidie was a day of the week when even the merangels of D'Warka did not have to work.

Blaze entered the Colosseum through the southern gates, along with his minion army, Jie Er, Elyssa, and Alice. Fiora, on the other hand, went over to Siofra's side.

Siofra entered the stadium almost at the same time as Blaze. Ragna and Tonya were by her side, while a large entourage of pixies followed behind her, led by the Pixie Princess in a regal green dress of flowing robes that curved stylishly around her body.

The Pixie Princess was small, not more than six feet, but her presence was gravitational. Everyone in the stadium had their eyes on her, rather than the combatants. Blaze tried to catch Siofra's eye, but he found her wistfully staring at the Princess.

However, she finally did glance at him, and gave him a nod of acknowledgement, before heading to her dugout. Blaze went to his.

"Blaze," Jie Er suddenly said to him, placing a hand over his shoulder and looking at Siofra's dugout. "The two of you must put forth your best tonight, no matter the result."

The excitement among the pixies surrounding Siofra was easy to see. Just the Pixie Princess' presence showed how much Siofra's performance in the tournament meant to them.

"Yeah..." he said, manifesting his wings and pulling out the Txiki needle and a long dagger whose weight was similar to the needle's. How could he not fight his favorite pixie with her favorite weapon of choice? More than that, he wanted to make a statement.

Most pixies seemed to recognize the needle as they stared at it in wonder. Siofra pulled out a rapier and a small rotella.

"Good luck," Elyssa whispered in his ear, and Jie Er patted his back. Stepping forth, he flew into the arena, and Siofra met him in the middle.

"Blazey," she said, hovering like a big butterfly, "if we fight, there is a chance that you may lose."

Her face bore a neutral expression, reminding him of the first time he had met her.

"I know, Siof...," he said. Though he didn't want to lose, he really wanted her to go all out against him.

Siofra had once told him that she would forfeit the match if she ever faced him in the tournament. However, it was different now. Over the past six months, she had grown much more than anyone had anticipated, even herself. Now, she bore not only the weight of her own expectations, but the expectations of all pixie-kind. It had been ages since a pixie had performed well in the HU's martial tournaments, and as such, the hopes of the pixies were burdened on Siofra.

"I am going to fight seriously and to the best of my ability, Blazey," she said.

"I wouldn't expect anything else."

"If you cannot defend yourself properly against my Pixie Prick, you will probably lose."

"Bring it on. I've got the bigger prick."

"..."

Siofra glared at him, before her lips broke into a smile. "Just kidding," she said before turning to the umpire. "I forfeit."

Blaze, the umpire, and the audience were stunned into silence. Asherah Eoiwagn looked aghast, while the Pixie Princess bore a reflective smile on her face.

"Oi!" Blaze protested.

However, Siofra did not even bother looking at him. She turned towards the pixies and gave them a full bow, before hovering straight, with her head held high. "I am sorry, everyone. I am a pixie and Blaze is an angel, but we are siblings at heart. I truly love him, and knowing what is at stake, I cannot possibly put my heart into this fight. Blaze is fighting for his family, and I will not be the reason he loses it.

"I also believe that fighting this duel half-heartedly, only to lose, is a deeper betrayal of your hopes than forfeiting. I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

Though her words were apologetic, her expression held no guilt.

Blaze quickly flew to her side.

"Dammit, Siofra. Why are you doing this? I don't agree with it!"

"Blazey, have you considered the fact that if we fight to the best of our abilities right now, you will have to display the abilities you have been hiding? What is the point of us fighting between ourselves, only for Nikolett to benefit? We can always spar after the tournament and decide on who the real winner is. I do not need a stupid medal," she told him.

Blaze did not have any rebuttal. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand, and raised it towards the pixies.

"From today, the Blazing Fury is a pixie!" he declared, leaving them even more dumbstruck than before.

Siofra pulled back her hand and rapped the back of his head. "You moron. You cannot be a pixie just 'cause you declare yourself to be one."

Blaze reached out and grabbed her pointy ear. "You brat! How can you hit me for my heartfelt feelings?" he said, pulling on it. "Are you saying I can't be a pixie just because I look a little different? That's racist."

"Leggo, dumbass! And, stop spouting nonsense. You look nothing like a pixie."

"Okay, fine!" he said, letting go of her fuzzy ear, and once again turning to the crowd. "From today, the Blazing Fury is an angel-pixie."

"What the Hela is that?"

"An angel who identifies as a pixie."

The Pixie Princess burst out into a peal of clarion-like laughter, and the pixies couldn't stop themselves from smiling. The pure-hearted relationship between Blaze and Siofra was clear to see, and they couldn't say no to that.

The only unhappy person in the arena was Asherah, who was currently staring daggers at her daughter. However, since Siofra had already forfeited, there was little else to be done.

Blaze and Siofra descended to the ground and he wrapped an arm over her shoulder.

"So, lil' pix, you've finally accepted me as the Big Bro, eh?" he laughed.

"Who accepted you as the Big Bro? I said we were siblings. I still wanna be the Big Bro."

"Well, I can't deny that your words earlier did make you seem a little like a Big Bro... but just a little," he sighed.

"I always seem like the Big Bro beside you. The only time I did not was when you had the whole Righteous Fury thing going on. Without it, you are just a brat."

"Don't make me pull your other ear."

"I dare you."

The bickering continued back and forth for a few moments, before Blaze finally glanced at Asherah. "She doesn't look too happy," he whispered into Siofra's ear.

"I don't care. I have done nothing wrong this time. If she is going to punish me for it, then so be it. I am not afraid."

"Do you want me to kidnap you?"

"Not today, Blazey. I wish to watch the rest of your matches, so I am going to go and face my mother."

"Do you want me to come with?"

"No. I will give you a call later tonight. Do not worry about it, with the princess around, my mother will not do anything drastic."