The Azra-El Series Ch. 19

So, the pixie and the angel-pixie separated, and walked back to their sides. Though the match was a forfeit, the audience got a show, so most left the stadium satisfied.

"I am sorry..." Blaze said to Jie Er, when he reached his side. "We could not show you our best."

"Oh, but you did," Jie Er said, with the proudest of smiles.

Thus, ended the first match of the elimination round. That evening, Nikolett Lovag won against Dohna Llamo, and qualified for the quarter-final match against Blaze. Two days later, Blaze faced her in the main stadium.

***

"Caledonia Forever!", "Long Live Nikolett Lovag!", the delirium-filled crowds, lining each of the marble steps of the massive stadium, shouted in the early afternoon sunshine, dressed in bright summer clothes and waving flamboyant hats, Gryphon feather fans, and bison tails at Nikolett.

"Bla-zing Fury!", "Bla-zing Fury!", chanted the Aranyans filling the southern stands. The merangels who sat nearby were not as vocal, but no one could mistake the subject of their support. Blaring trumpets, blowouts, squawkers, and the excited cries of young angels added to the cacophony.

The noise only kept getting louder as the stands kept getting fuller. The stadium was hot and muggy, but except for the posh nobles seated in the upper rows of the stadium, few seemed to care.

A cool sea breeze blew from the east, bringing some relief from the heat. One could taste the salt in the air, and it mixed well with the smell of roasting seafood, covered in rich, greasy oils and sauces, cooked along with succulent vegetables and fruits that were garnished in the most fragrant of herbs, being sold throughout the stadium.

Over seventy-five-thousand angels from all over the Heavenly Union came to watch the duel. The audience included many dignitaries, including the Cardinal Superior of the Malakim, Gabriel Sephirah, who sat with her cardinals, one of whom was Amanah Tudor. Amanah caught Blaze looking at her, and she returned his gaze with a scornful smirk. Her deep-set hazel eyes were beautiful yet unpleasant.

The highest row was split into 14 separate blocks, representing various nations of the HU, including the Pixies and the Fairies. All the blocks, except the one reserved for the Fairies, were occupied. The Malakim sat right above Nikolett Lovag's dugout. Duchess Burghess and various Caledonian nobility sat around them. CG and her mother sat at the Xian block, surrounded by their royal guard, while Aleaya Glitterdust sat with her pixie contingent. Duchess Anastasia Marigold sat at the center of the Aranyan block.

It was to be a historic moment, and Blaze felt it as he sat in the middle of his dugout, surrounded by his friends and family. He closed his eyes and tried to tune out the din of the stadium, as well as the din in his brain.

To the left of the dugout, his minion army busily arranged the instruments and tools required for the first performance of The Blazing Band. Robyn and a friend of hers helped them set up the instruments.

Kida was the lead singer, Rachel was on the lyre, Azalea and Bayou worked the drums, Elyssa was on the bass, and Aahna and Bi were the background dancers. Ragna, Siofra, and Tonya stood nearby, unable to decide on what they were going to do.

Blaze had taken Anastasia's help to procure the required permissions. The Caledonians and the HU had allowed it, thinking that it was going to be a small show before or after the match. They didn't think it was going to have any influence on the match.

When it was time, Jie Er placed her hand on Blaze's shoulder, and broke him out of his meditation.

"You guys ready?" he opened his eyes and asked his friends.

"Yeah!"

"Do not worry, we will take over if required," Robyn reassured him. However, Blaze needed his friends to play for him, not a hired band.

As the clock struck eleven, he manifested his wings and jumped. Nikolett did the same, from the other side.

As he flew towards her, a multitude of questions popped into his mind. Are you truly a Malakim? Are you intolerant towards the pixies? Do you think the Undine are inferior creatures? Do you... care? But, only one question really mattered in that moment.

"Are you intent on taking Sky from me?" he asked her, imitating Siofra's expressionless countenance. Nikolett's silver wings posed a strange contrast to his red and white- more so than any other color.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I am a knight and I am better qualified to be the first quetzal rider," she told him, unwaveringly. "I like you, Blaze, but some things are more important than our feelings. You are not suitable to be a quetzal knight. You are erratic and emotional. Qualities that are antithetical to what a knight stands for."

Her words only served to strengthen his resolve. "I am sorry," he shook his head. "Sky is mine. You can't have him. Let me ask you something else, though. Have you ever considered whether a quetzal is a suitable steed for a knight?"

"He is just an animal. He will be trained."

"You are wrong, and Sky will never be trained by the likes of you. But, I guess there is no point in further conversation. Let's begin."

"Whenever you are ready," Nikolett said. She hovered in mid-air with a straight back, full of confidence. Except for a bardiche, she held no other arms.

"Begin!" called the umpire.

Blaze glanced over his shoulder, raised his arms horizontally to the skies, and pumped them up.

Rachel began strumming her lyre in a rhythmic beat. The sound of her instrument silenced the crowd.

Blaze held the Txiki needle in his right hand as he began to manifest a second weapon in his left. Though the duel had begun, Nikolett simply watched, giving him time to prepare himself. It looked like she wished to ensure that no one held any doubts of her martial superiority over Blaze.

Azalea began striking her drums. Powerful strokes resonated through the air and sent reverberating booms across the stadium. Bayou's fingers, fitted with wooden caps, began to dance over her shield drum, producing deep, clear, resonating notes.

The 8-beat tune he had taught them was a simple one, but Bayou decided to add her own unique twist to it. It was flighty and playful, yet somehow inspiring.

Kida's head began to bob to the beat, her entire body bouncing in rhythm. Her black hair swished around the grey beanie that Blaze had purchased for her. Rachel, wearing a similar but black beanie, stood by her side as she strummed Jie Er's golden lyre.

As the steady percussion of the instruments brought the entire stadium into their rhythm, Kida brought the voice projector up to her mouth. Bobbing her other hand in the air, she yelled-

~YO!

Her tiny crystalline voice blared through the sound-horns that surrounded the stadium.

~YO!

Her second "yo" made everyone focus on the tiny angel.

~Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity

To seize the only Quetzal you ever wanted, in one moment

Would you capture it, or just let it slip?

Her voice was a little tentative to begin, but with each word, her confidence grew along with her volume.

Suddenly, the drums blasted forth, along with Rachel's lyre.

~Yo! His fists are mighty, knees deep, arms are heavy

There's energy on his chest already; it's all steady

He's not nervous, he looks calm and ready ...

The angels of the stadium looked bewildered. Was this supposed to be music? It sounded like somebody was merely speaking in rhyme. However, everything, including Kida's and Rachel's buoyed motions, had a strangely invigorating effect.

The Undine who had come to support the Fury, slowly began to nod and bob their heads and bodies to the beat. The Aranyans in the audience followed.

Blaze began to smile as the flap of his wings began to sync up with the beat. He couldn't have been happier with his choice of song. Adrenaline coursed through his body like it never had. He had never been so nervous, so excited, and so absolutely itching for a fight.

He wasn't looking behind, but he knew that the "evil" grins on his friends reflected his own. Two, especially, were over doing it.

Ragna stood beside Siofra as the two curled their arm muscles and scowled at Nikolett. It suited the young and brawny Viking, but Siofra simply looked funny.

Nikolett looked between her opponent and the musicians on the ground, and understanding slowly dawned upon her. But, Blaze didn't care whether she realized it or not. It was not intended to be a secret. His grin only got wider and madder as he condensed a falchion in his left hand.

There were two reasons for Blaze not choosing a zweihander in the match- the best counter against a bardiche. The first, was that he could always manifest it if it was needed. However, he couldn't replicate the quality of a real Txiki needle.

For some reason, he had a gut feeling that the needle would help him in the match; after all, the Pixie Princess had sent him the needle right after his duel against Nikolett had been announced. He felt like there was a reason for it.

The second reason was that he simply had the urge to fight with two weapons, and to go madly berserk.

~He needs no two-hander, to smack her from down under

He's gonna set the stad in flames like Michelle's light banner

She opens her mouth, but the words won't come out

She's choking, now? No angel will be joking now

The clock's run out, time's up, over— blaow!

He shot towards Nike like his wings were on fire. He didn't feel obligated to give her any forewarning. Kida's shout was enough.

Clang!

Three weapons collided. Blaze had swung his weapons from the top right as hard as he could, and he was glad that she chose to defend instead of taking a sweep at him. It ensured that he could keep going. More importantly, she was already inside his range.

He was already in the zone, and the music was the reason.

~ His whole back's to these ropes, it don't matter, he's dope

He knows that he's swole, he's so gallant, he knows

The real surprise of the first clash was how strong Nikolett was. She took Blaze's attack head-on without even being pushed back. Though it would've helped her to use the momentum to back away from him, she held her ground. Knights do not retreat. Knights do not play tricks. Knights stand their ground or charge ahead. To her, running away was for cowards.

Blaze hooked his falchion against the base of her bardiche blade, and powered it to the side, before thrusting his needle at her face.

Nikolett turned her bardiche around, unlocking it from the falchion within a fraction of a second. Quickly changing her grip, she thrust the butt of her bardiche into his face, uncaring about the approaching needle.

There was no mercy in either of their eyes, and they preferred it that way.

Blaze noticed the hole in the butt of the bardiche as he raised his left gauntlet to guard against her thrust. It pushed him back, but in the last moment, he opened his fist and caught the staff.

With a loud grunt, he pulled her towards himself, shoving the needle towards her.

"Hua!" Nikolett grunted, and flapped her wings heavily, pulling herself and her bardiche away from his thrust.

"Show this pixie-lover her place, Ms. Lovag," someone screamed from Nike's dugout, as Nike pulled out of Blaze's range. "You are the strongest. A mere Aranyan brat cannot defeat you!"

Blaze did not stop. How could he? He was just beginning his dance.

~ The moment, you own it, you better never let it go

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow

This opportunity comes once in a Blaze-time, YO

As Nike pulled away, she used gravity to bolster her movement, thus ending up lower than Blaze. Folding his wings behind him, he dropped down on her, swinging his weapons, but they weren't meant to hit her. He was still out of range. Instead, he used the momentum of his swing to twist around in the air, before opening his wings and swiping his steel wing at her.

Nikolett blocked it. Her weapon's blade dug into his feathers despite their hardening. However, Blaze was berserk, and he was already spinning. He used his wing to sweep her weapon away, before he spun around and clocked her shoulder with his other wing.

The solid contact slowed his descent, while it sent Nike diagonally away towards the ground.

Alarm and uncertainty sprouted in Nikolett's eyes for the first time that tournament, as she hastily tried to regain her balance. If she could stop his momentum, she would have the chance to counterattack.

The distance between the two increased to fifty feet.

BOOM, a sonic boom echoed through the stadium.

Blaze disappeared. The Steel Wing Dash combined with the Blazing Pirouette.

Instinct made Nike thrust her weapon in Blaze's direction. She missed him.

Thwick, the sound of something being penetrated followed the boom.

Blaze reappeared in Nike's spot with the Txiki needle extended outwards, while she shot towards the ground.

Thud

~Snap back to reality, ope there goes gravity, ope

There goes rapid, she choked, she's so mad but she won't

Give up that easy, no, he won't have it, he knows

Nikolett landed on her feet and the butt of her bardiche. Dust rose around her as she staggered and fell to one knee.

The umpire simply watched.

Somehow, the song matched reality, and it had nothing to do with how Blaze had planned the fight. Kida was simply matching the lyrics with his moves. He didn't even think he would end up using his dash so early in the duel, but he saw an opportunity, and he took it.

However, he wasn't the only one with a special technique. A fraction of a second before Blaze's needle reached Nikolett, a silvery, translucent screen of energy, two inches thick, had popped up between them.

It shimmered in front of Nike before collapsing.

Slowly, Nikolett got up to her feet, glancing up at Blaze. She was rattled, but other than momentum, she hadn't lost much. However, the same could not be said about Blaze.

Any keen-eyed angel could tell that Blaze's move utilized massive amounts of energy. It was impressive that an angel of twenty years could accomplish such a feat. However, performing it a second time during the same match was something that most would bet against.

Nikolett wasn't sure if Blaze could use it again or not. He was certainly talented, but she was sure that he needed a rest period to imitate it again.

Blaze saw from her expression that she'd realized his weakness.

As she pushed her wings to regain flight, he dove down on her. A grounded angel was a weak angel, and he needed to keep Nikolett grounded.

~ She nose-dove and sold nada, and so the soap opera

Is told, it unfolds, I suppose its old, partner

But the beat goes on: da-da-dom, da-dom, dah-dah, dah-dah

She swiped her weapon, not giving him room to dodge as he descended.

Blaze did not use his weapons to block. Instead, he raised his arms and took the bardiche blade against his gauntlets. She tried to force him away, but he let go of his needle and grabbed the blade by the hollow space between the blade and the shaft.

He landed and pulled her down with him. She was grounded once again.

The audience watched the duel with rapt attention. Priscilla, who was standing along with Tir's students, had her fists gritted, and held an unfathomable expression. She knew how dominant Blaze could be on the ground. Nike needed to get back up in the air, but at that moment, she wasn't sure if she whole-heartedly wanted the Malakim to win.

Letting go of the bardiche, he rushed towards his opponent, while grabbing his needle along the way.

Nike tried to block his incessant charge, but she couldn't stop herself from being pushed back. Blaze gave her no chance to regain her composure.

His swings on the ground were stronger and more stable, but Nikolett was no amateur at fighting on the ground.

She had been forty by the time her wings were long enough to fly, so she had spent most of her initial years rigorously training, either on Pegasi, or fighting on land. Despite being an angel, she possessed more experience fighting on land than Blaze did.

~Baby Malakim drama, screamin' on and too much

For him to stay on one spot, another jam or not

Has gotten him to the point, he's like a slayer of god

To formulate a plot to end up winning or shod

Success is his only motherfreaking option -- failure's not

The fight soon devolved into a rapid melee.

Blaze's falchion broke through her guard and swept at her neck. A thin, silvery shield popped up and blocked it. It wasn't as thick as the one from earlier, but it served its purpose. It seemed that, unlike Blaze, she could use her technique multiple times.

The benefit of external shields over body reinforcement was that they negated the immediate physical effects on the body.

The music continued to play in the background, but Blaze didn't need it anymore. He had reached the peak of his focus, and only the duel's end could break it.

~His whole back's to these ropes, it don't matter, he's dope

He knows that he is swole, he's so gallant, he knows

~When he goes back to his home in Varan, that's when it's

Back with his Sky yo, this whole rhapsody

Better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him, and

As Nikolett tried her best to keep the berserking angel at bay, it soon became apparent to her, and everyone else, that they had severely underestimated the Blazing Fury.

Nothing about his usual demeanor made one think that he was so strong. The Caledonians had seen his impulsive and childish side, but now, they realized that there was a more focused and serious side to him as well.

Everyone knew about berserkers. When they were in the zone, they could not be stopped until the fight was over, one way or the other. There were no pauses, and Nikolett couldn't expect one. She couldn't hope to find a moment of relapse that might help her regain control of the fight. She began to regret giving him a chance to build up his momentum. She had known that he could berserk, but she didn't even imagine that he would attain the state so quickly.

Blaze's strikes were stronger and faster than they had been while they were in the air, and Nikolett couldn't match his raw power, especially as she was now on the backfoot.

~The moment, you own it, you better never let it go

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow

This opportunity comes once in a Blaze-time, yo

Those words kept echoing in her mind, making her constantly think about that part of her weapon. She had hoped she wouldn't have to use it. Though it was approved, she still felt it was wrong. However, she could not see an alternate option.

[Chorus]

~You better lose yourself in the music

The moment, you own it, you better never let it go

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow

This opportunity comes once in a Blaze-time, yo

You better...

His berserking began to gain a new tempo, and he only seemed to grow faster with time. Or maybe, it was Nikolett that was growing slower. It was almost as if he could recognize her movements. The music made her fall deeper and deeper into his rhythm.