Chapter 123: Iris vs Ronel (2)
The notes followed one another, weaving a soft, intoxicating melody.
Iris had closed her eyes, immersing herself completely in her art.
Ronel, however, was not lulled by the music in the slightest. Her attacks did not stop, and her madness did not subside.
Even so, she now struggled to reach Iris, who moved with a dancer’s grace, carried by the melody.
To those watching, the confrontation looked less like a fight than a dance.
A silent ball where Iris led, dictating every step, every movement.
---
Witnessing the scene, Elizir’s eyes filled with tears.
" It’s beautiful. "
No one could contradict him. The melody reached everyone without distinction.
Gracia could only express her admiration:
" It’s the Méditation from the opera Thaïs, played during the interlude. It tells the story of an inner transformation.
It’s one of the most well-known melodies for bringing peace and calming inner turmoil. I’ve never seen it performed with such mastery... let alone in the middle of a fight. It’s simply breathtaking. "
Fidri, Rana, and even those who knew nothing about music could only nod in agreement.
The beauty and elegance of the scene reduced them to silence; they too let themselves be carried by the rhythm.
---
As for Ronel, she was not spared for long.
Like a leaf carried away by a peaceful river, she found herself drawn in despite herself.
Her madness slowly faded, her murderous impulses dulled, without her being able to resist it.
In Iris’s eyes, Ronel’s attacks were becoming predictable.
Ronel was now dancing to her rhythm.
Iris guided her, step by step, until she felt serenity settle in.
Then, without warning, she delivered a violent kick to Ronel’s jaw.
Ronel was thrown backward and crashed to the ground.
The gesture shattered the musical immersion.
Disappointed groans escaped from the spectators, who momentarily forgot that what they had just admired was, above all else, a fight.
---
Ronel burst out laughing from the ground. Her murderous impulses had vanished, bringing her back to her initial state.
" You... you’re not just a pretty face. That pisses me off. "
Iris stopped playing and looked at her.
" You’re not bad either. "
Ronel stood up with a grimace, holding her jaw.
" Ouch... that hurts. Fine. How about we get serious now? I’m tired of this little comedy. "
Iris smiled and adopted a fighting stance, ready to truly fight.
Ronel did the same.
They stared at each other for a moment, then charged.
---
The fight resumed slowly before brutally accelerating.
Iris first used her violin as a shield, blocking Ronel’s unpredictable scythe strikes.
Then she went on the offensive, wielding the bow like a sword, clashing head-on.
From the very first seconds, both women demonstrated exceptional skill.
Ronel shone through her unpredictability and the savagery of her blows.
Iris, like a conductor, combined control and elegance, never letting Ronel so much as graze her, while regularly carving thin cuts into her skin, making her bleed slowly.
---
" This is incredible, neither of them is giving up! " exclaimed Elizir.
" Iris seems to be gaining the upper hand... Is she using her resonance to manipulate Ronel and throw her off? " Fidri wondered.
Sirius shook his head.
" Iris must not underestimate her. Ronel is still hiding her true abilities.
Iris has already revealed her cards, while Ronel has shown nothing yet. She isn’t trying to finish the fight. On the contrary, she’s enjoying it. "
---
" Tell me... has anything ever been stolen from you? " Ronel asked between two attacks.
" No. But you can try. I’d like to see how you do it. " Iris replied without stopping her assault.
" Then watch closely. " Ronel said as she struck again.
<< Pickpocket >>
Her scythe traced a wide arc, aiming for Iris’s flank.
Iris raised her violin to defend herself.
The weapons collided.
To everyone’s shock, the scythe passed straight through the violin... and then through Iris’s body, cutting her in two.
The impact was so brutal that Iris froze, bringing one hand to her chest, then to her groin.
For the first time, her smile vanished.
---
" What just happened? " Elizir asked, receiving no answer.
The scythe had passed straight through Iris without inflicting any wound. As if a ghost had gone through a wall.
" No, look... there’s something at the end of the scythe. " Fidri said.
All eyes followed his gaze.
A second shock hit them.
A piece of black fabric, light, lacy, dangled from the blade.
" A... pair of panties? " Elizir stammered, glancing at Iris, then at the fabric.
" She stole her panties... but how? " Fidri murmured.
---
Ronel seemed to savor Iris’s frozen expression.
She grabbed the underwear and twirled it around like a trophy.
" So? How does it feel? What does it do to you? "
Iris did not answer.
Her face had hardened.
Without returning what she stole, Ronel attacked again.
<< Pickpocket >>
This time, Iris dodged.
But Ronel suddenly sped up.
The scythe passed through her again without harming her.
Another piece of fabric appeared at the tip of the blade: a black bra.
Some male gazes lingered a little too long in the wrong places, immediately earning a sharp glare from Gracia.
Lucy, meanwhile, slowly reloaded the cylinder of her revolver until the boys looked away.
---
Back in the fight, Ronel savored every second.
Iris’s expression shifted from shock to anger.
" So? You want to know? " Ronel sneered, placing a finger to her lips.
" It’s a secret. "
---
For the first time since the beginning of the fight, Iris felt truly threatened.
She had understood the essence of the attack.
(" When her scythe passes through my defenses, even if it doesn’t hurt me, it can steal something that belongs to me. But is it random... or does she choose? ")
Iris stepped back slightly.
(" Stealing my underwear is tolerable... as long as I still have clothes on top. But if she steals the scarf on my head... ")
Fearing that possibility, Iris decided to end it.
She took a deep breath, straightened up, and adopted an offensive stance.
Eyes closed, she raised the bow like a sword, then, placing all her faith into the motion, she brought it down with all her strength... into empty space.
<< Blade of Faith >>
Ronel, intrigued, watched the scene.
The distance between them made it impossible for her to be hit.
And yet.
A violent pain struck her.
As if an invisible blade had slashed her.
She collapsed to the ground, under the stunned eyes of all the spectators.
---
" Did Iris win? How did she do that? Ronel fell as if she’d been hit, but nothing touched her! " Elizir cried out.
Once again, everyone turned toward Sirius, waiting for an explanation.
He thought for a moment, searching for the right words.
" Iris first used her Soul’s Eyes on herself to strengthen her resolve... no, it goes beyond mere resolve. It would be more accurate to call it faith unshakable faith.
She believed Ronel was in front of her and that she had cut her. Then, by executing her attack in a way that overwhelmed Ronel, Iris made her believe she had been struck. "
" Wait... do you mean Iris believed Ronel was hit, or that she made Ronel believe she was hit? " Fidri asked.
" Both at the same time. It’s like someone holding a cold iron but pretending it’s hot. If you bring it close to the skin of someone convinced it’s hot, their first reflex will be to feel the burn. Right now, Ronel must feel seriously wounded. "
" In other words, whether Iris actually hits Ronel or not, the result is the same. " Gracia concluded.
" So... is it over for Ronel? Did she lose? " Elizir asked.
Sirius shook his head.
" No. It’s only just beginning. "
At that moment, Ronel slowly got back up, touching the spot where the pain gnawed at her.
No wound was visible.
She lifted her head toward Iris, amused.
" You still had that trick up your sleeve... "
Iris did not smile.
She had hoped the fight was over, but Ronel was still standing.
" You’re tougher than you look. "
---
This time, before more questions could be asked, Sirius spoke up.
" Ronel’s scythe... look at it closely. "
As everyone examined it more carefully, the scythe appeared more sinister, darker.
" What’s happening? "
The answer came from Kritos.
" She transferred her injuries to her weapon again. "
" Again? " Gracia asked.
" Yes. The first time, when Iris kicked her in the jaw, she shouldn’t have been able to get back up so easily. If you pay attention, the energy contained within that scythe has increased. "
Kritos paused before concluding:
" That scythe must have the ability to absorb Ronel’s injuries, convert them into energy, and eventually release it all in a devastating attack. "
---
The two fighters faced each other once more.
Iris kept her distance, avoiding being touched by Ronel’s strange attack. Each time Ronel got close, Iris struck from afar using << Blade of Faith >>.
Ronel, for her part, endured it all, smiling, as if everything was going according to plan.
By using << Reaper’s Retribution >>, she transferred her damage to her scythe.
The pain accumulated for Ronel, despite the total absence of physical wounds.
Finally, when her scythe had absorbed a terrifying amount of energy, becoming more sinister than ever, she spun it above her head before hurling it at full speed toward Iris.
<< Reaper’s Harvest >>
" This time, I won’t miss you. "
---
Iris stood still, watching the scythe hurtle straight toward her.
When it came within range, the scythe veered off, as if Ronel had missed again.
However, when the blade, after passing her, turned back to come at her once more, Iris’s eyes widened.
" The Harvest of the Great Reaper cannot be dodged. No matter how far you run, it will chase you to the ends of the world. " Ronel warned her.
Realizing this with dismay, Iris had no choice but to take the attack.
She raised her violin, pouring all the faith she could into it, as if it were an unbreakable shield.
<< Unbreakable Shield >>
The collision with Ronel’s dark energy was violent.
The shield managed to contain part of the impact before Iris was thrown backward.
Blood ran down her forehead, though the wound was superficial.
Ronel, meanwhile, collapsed to her knees, crushed by the backlash.
" I’m sick of this. " she growled.
" Me too. " Iris added before turning toward Gramm.
" This fight is heading toward a stalemate. It’s impossible for me to defeat Ronel without killing her in a single attack. And she can’t defeat me either. "
Gramm nodded.
The fight came to an end.
" Good. Let’s move on to the next duel. Lucy and Gracia, step forward. "
