Chapter 6: The Duel of the Fates
Kirimi just betrayed Athor’s trust. This seems to impact the young Ecleray who was hoping to make a friend.
Athor and Kirimi now face each other in a death match voted by the audience.
The last one standing will be the winner of the Vanguard Challenge.
Will their determination be worthy of their ambition?
The news seemed to divide the assembly, but the numbers won out.
Some wondered if Namarus had gone too far for a show.
But most were excited to see the fight to the death.
It couldn't have been a more dramatic ending to the Vanguard Challenge.
"They're just Eclerays," one could hear here and there.
But it didn't end there.
The VYDER has the particularity to have grandiose arenas
In a concern of loyalty, CLASH Productions had deployed the means.
The public vote turned to the mobile flamethrowers.
The Eclerays being made of bark, the choice was obvious and sadistic.
Namarus took a heavy voice.
“Athor, Kirimi, you are facing your fate. The winner will win crystal fragments. But woe to the defeated.
"At first, there were 100 of you, now there can be only one."
Kirimi seemed serene, Athor, on the other hand, was impacted by the recent events.
Strangely, it was silence that reigned in the arena.
Everyone was holding their breath for the final outcome.
Namarus broke it.
"Please activate your energy weapons," Namarus said.
An unstable yellow blade lit up the faces of the Oloma natives.
The crackling of this flame was mesmerizing, but it also gave the feeling that it could explode in the hand of its bearer.
Those blades were unstable not so close copies.
They were as dangerous for the ennemy as for the bearer.
They could explode at any moment.
For many, it was the first time they had seen energy weapons in real life.
The charismatic host announced the beginning of the event, following the tradition of his home planet.
“LET’S GET REAAAAAAADY TO RUUUUUMBLEEEEEEEE!"
The crowd went wild as Kirimi threw herself first on Athor
He was surprised by her speed and dodged this first attack in extremis.
The blade of Kirimi came to plant itself in the sand of the arena which boiled before transforming itself into glass.
Athor understood that there was no room for any mistake.
But Kirimi quickly followed up with an upward blow.
Athor stepped back to dodge and fell backwards.
He found himself on the ground while the next attack of Kirimi was already launched.
He raised his weapon to counter the blow before kicking his attacker in the leg.
This gave him time to step back and get up.
He held his weapon up, his body leaning slightly forward, ready for the next part of the fight.
Kirimi held hers down, moving forward, serene.
Athor tried a blow but Kirimi was too fast.
She countered him with an easy move.
She was borderline disdainful
She followed up with a blow to the right and then to the left before carrying out a two-handed assault.
Athor managed to parry all the blows but still found himself on the ground, once again.
Around them, the pillars spat out their powerful flames and distorted the vision.
In the commentator's booth, Namarus' assistant approached him, handing him a note.
"Do you want us to play the video recording?"
"No, not right now," the announcer replied.
Athor rolled to the side to dodge another blow but one of his nodes was hit.
He stood up and touched the wounded area with his right hand.
The weapon had cut him cleanly and his wound was still burning.
"I am an Olkir, I am better than her! I can't lose to a simple Ecleray!" he thought.
Athor's face had changed.
There was now determination in his eyes.
He pushed on his legs to project himself forward and counterattacked with a terrifying scream.
He was no longer in control. Kirimi parried all his blows.
The blows were fast.
She could hardly keep up.
She was late on one of them and was thrown to the ground, in her turn.
Athor rushed towards her to strike a new blow.
But Kirimi threw sand in his face, blinding him temporarily.
With a kick, she pushed back her assailant who came to crash against a pillar.
The flamethrower activated and Athor could not avoid it.
He was on fire.
He started to run and to roll on the ground to extinguish it.
Kirimi took the opportunity to get up and slowly approach her opponent.
He was motionless, covered with burns and his bark was smoking.
She raised her weapon to finish him.
But this is the moment Athor was waiting for.
He gave a circular blow which touched Kirimi in the leg.
An agonizing scream spread through the arena.
Kirimi dropped her weapon and fell on the hot sand.
She was writhing in pain holding her knee.
The wound was deep.
Athor had just taken a considerable ascendancy.
Kirimi seemed to be in no condition to fight.
The young Ecleray walked towards her, fear had changed sides.
"Now!" shouted Namarus to his assistant.
On the big screens, the broadcast was interrupted. Two Eclerays appeared, talking.
Athor immediately recognized the voice of his parents, also Olkirs.
The camera angle suggested that they were being filmed without their knowledge.
"Are you sure he's got what it takes?" asked the first one.
"Don’t say “he", this is a weapon, this is no Ecleray being, don’t ever forget it.
“We need to win this war, whatever it takes. We’re so close to it, we’ll finish what Dermo started." replied the other.
Athor fell on his knees, devastated.
He started to cry.
"I can’t trust no one…"
He looks like he just had given up.
Kirimi stood up and rose her blade up in the air.
She addressed Athor:
"Fight for the future you want to see or suffer the one that others will impose on you."
Before smashing her weapon down.
Athor raised his head.
"From now on, I won't fight for anyone but me!" shouted Athor rising his sword to counter Kirimi.
An explosion of light illuminated the arena.
Everyone was dazzled.
When it disappeared, only Kirimi was left.
"FIRST, WE THOUGHT THAT ATHOR HAD COUNTERED THE STRIKE BUT KIRIMI ABSOLUTELY DESTROOOOOOOYED HER OPPONENT! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE'VE GOT A WINNEEEEEEEER!" shouted Namarus
Athor had been disintegrated.
His weapon deactivated, on the ground.
Namarus went down into the arena to congratulate the winner.
Her knee injured, she could barely stand.
The entire audience was on their feet to celebrate the new winner.
A stage was set up and Kirimi was helped to get on it.
Namarus walked towards her with a box. It contained the personal belongings of the Ecleray.
He handed her the necklace she had left behind.
"Here, I believe this is important to you."
Kirimi thanked him and, very moved, put her necklace back on.
The jewel came into contact with her chest.
A new explosion of light flooded the arena.
Kirimi was no longer there…
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