Dance with the Nightingale-Chapter 63 - 62: His fight.

-CRACCKKKK-!!

-BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!

"Hmm? Thunder?"

The woman-in-black wondered out loud as she turned to gaze up at the sky.

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Her expression showing confusion as she saw nothing but a clear sky filled with stars, with no signs of dreary clouds.

-CRACCKKKK-!!

-BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!

Then she heard it again, the sound of the sky rumbling.

Squinting her eyes, she looked up at the sky, only to catch it. A star, a golden star flying in the sky.

Getting closer and closer with each blink of her eyes.

And before she knew it, it was on her. The golden star, or the person she thought to be the golden star.

With glowing eyes and a determined look, his hand moved towards the sword hanging on his waist, as he slashed while calling out...

-LIGGHHHTTTTTT!!!!!

-FLASSSSHHHHH!!!!

And seeing that she just smiled, a smile that was full of madness.

A mad smile not belonging to someone, whose very being was about to be purified.

[Rayne’s POV]

I attacked. Without thinking anything complicated I just attacked. And moved.

Accelerating again, as I tried to close the distance between us, while the woman was still engulfed by my attack.

I didn’t think much when I attacked, but I clearly saw, the woman held a flute. A flute giving off large mana fluctuations.

Enough of a proof for me to think of her as a ranged magic user, causing me to rush at her.

I landed on the ground a few steps away from her. Still not crazy enough to just plunge at her with acceleration.

Then, I used the wind element to conserve as much of my momentum as possible, while gathering fire and light element on my sword.

With just two steps, that sent green shockwaves on the ground, I reached her.

Slashing at her, who had just dealt my first attack, on the waist.

Someone who wasn’t supposed to be as unharmed as her.

My instincts exploded again screaming danger, and I got to know why. As soon as my sword touched her body.

It dissipated; her body instantly dissipated.

Fragmenting into several black wisps, that came straight at me, reminding me of the excruciating pain I had just experienced. And really, I didn’t want to experience it again.

’An illusion.’

Thankfully, I was prepared this time, all my skills activated from the start of the battle, giving me the time to properly react.

And reacting was what I did.

Instead of falling back, I pushed forward.

Detonating the fire and light elements on my sword, I pushed back the harrowing wisps for a second. Creating an split second’s opening that I promptly seized, accelerating the hell out of there.

"Hoh!! That weird spell again!!"

I heard a voice from behind me, causing me to instantly turn around.

And there she was, the real preparator.

With a portion of her robe blown off, probably due to my first attack, I could finally see her face.

An ordinary looking face of a young woman, with no extraordinary features. If you didn’t count her expression, that is.

With brown hair and blue eyes, she looked like any other woman, you could easily find anywhere.

Her eyes locked with mine as she asked me with a strange obsessiveness in her eyes, "Tell me, tell me, what was that spell again!?"

"Tell me and I might just let you live~~"

Not wasting a thought to consider her offer, I just focused on the battle. Her state, her mana, and her mental avatar, all of them under my watch as I readied my next move.

Hers came earlier than mine though, and in a completely unexpected form.

The ground under me suddenly split up, a gigantic pair of jaws appearing around me, wide open. And before I knew it, I couldn’t see the moon anymore.

I was swallowed whole.

’Oh! Fuck! She’s smart!’

I cried inwardly, as I realized what just happened.

’The fucking bitch was wasting time. She kept me distracted, while actually calling for her frenzied slaves!!’

’And here I thought I killed them all before!’

-Ugrh.

The monster moved around, jumping and twisting around.

Where I don’t know, but its movements disoriented me big time. Not only was it difficult for me to slash, the attack itself would leave me vulnerable to unexpected attacks.

-SLASHHH!!

But I slashed nonetheless. A monster’s mouth whose inner jaws were trying to eat you up, wasn’t really the ideal place to stay, especially not during an intense battle.

Blood spurted out.

-PUCHI!!

A cloud of dark mist exploding from the monsters now dead body, thanks to the water and darkness that I imbued my sword with. Creating an opening for me to slip out.

Or so I thought...

The black wisps, hundreds of them surrounding me, arranged in a neat formation.

Shining and scouring, brightening the dark sky with an eerie light, as a melody giving off the same eeriness resounded in the area.

Each one of the wisps, ready to attack me at any moment.

While I was there, hanging mid-air thanks to [Float], completely unprepared. Still trying the cope up with the sudden change of surroundings.

And with a single glance, I knew.

As things stood, there was no escape.

"Show me~ Show me~ SHOW ME HOW YOU SURVIVE THIS!!"

The woman practically screamed. Her face red, as she held it with both of her hands.

’A C ranked crazy bitch who’s still cautious against someone of the lower rank?’

I cursed my bad luck as I didn’t bother to try and escape.

For I couldn’t.

I readied myself for the incoming attack, instead.

And then, the wisps moved.

The harrowing black wisps moved, almost looking like a black net, blanketing my surroundings while closing on me.

None of its weak points in sight.

’So, I just have to create one myself!!’

I cheered myself up, while planning to hold nothing back.

And then, we clashed.

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

I slashed, repeatedly.

One after another, each one of my slashes carrying the power of elements, pushing the black wisps back.

But pushing back was all it could do... While the wisps just kept coming.

Up, down, left, right, back or the front...

They came from all the sides, while disappearing in a bunch of them, making it extremely hard to keep track of one wisp.

And as if that wasn’t enough, they got faster.

Faster, and faster with each second.

Coming up at me in waves, whose in-between intervals got smaller and smaller, till I was pretty much being attacked at all times.

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

-SLASSSHHHHHH!!!

I continued slashing. Keeping up to the pace while trying to go faster, even faster...

But soon, my sword couldn’t keep up, I couldn’t keep up...

With each of the black wisp being invisible to my senses, while also being extremely fast, I just couldn’t.

And even a single touch being a death sentence, I couldn’t even just give up.

So, I continued, holding on. Trying to be faster, trying to be stronger, trying to hold-on with each passing second.

My mind roaring, ’Faster! Faster!! Just a bit Faster!!!’

-BANNGGG!!

-BANNGGG!!

-BANNGGG!!

-BANNGGG!!

With my sword being unable to keep up, I added punches, kicks and anything else I could, while unfolding the Ellsworth sword technique with a single hand.

Small but powerful bursts of energy accompanying each of my attacks, that kept the energy at bay.

But that, was really draining.

The energy was like a leech, it attached itself to my energy, and infected it.

Meaning, with each attack, with each contact, I had to tear off, I had to explode a part of my mana to keep myself from being infected.

And that, as I already said, was really draining.

The only reason I could still go on was due to the spell I casted. It constantly absorbed a ton of natural elemental energy, using it to fuel its powerful effects while the energy I condensed was mainly used for control.

-BANNGGG!!

-BANNGGG!!

-BANNGGG!!

-BANNGGG!!

Slashing at another wave of wisps, I turned my body, twisting it slightly to kick yet another group black wisps, blowing it away with a powerful green wave. Using the kick’s recoil to turn, I slashed downwards, a fiery explosion resounding as I did.

I didn’t stop though, turning around I did a counter slash releasing a blue wave, followed by an normal slash imbued with the power of earth.

And then again, I didn’t stop and just continued, linking one move after another.

Upward slash, sideways punch, a turning slash, roundhouse kick, followed by a downwards slash and so on.

But no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t end the stalemate, nor could I escape.

So, I waited. Waited for my next move to be ready while continuing to parry each wisp.

Me being surrounded by all these wisps was actually crippling situation.

Crippling because it took away my most important strength, my mobility. My mobility which far exceeded my rank thanks to the unique use of [Acceleration] spell.

So, what I needed right now wasn’t me doing better at linking moves, instead what I desperately needed now was a breakthrough.

A breakthrough that I had underway.

And just as I was sweating bullets, just as I was about to be overwhelmed, I felt it.

My move completing, my breakthrough approaching.

And as soon as it did, I didn’t wait.

More like I couldn’t wait, any longer.

I started my spell, my sword once again being covered by futuristic runes, as the light element trapped in the sword showed itself.

And without waiting for a moment, I triggered it.

The orb of light twinkled, golden flashes surrounding it for a half an instant before...

-FLASSSSHHHHHH!!!!

Light far greater than any before burst into the canopy, litting it up the whole.

Light so intense that all eyes closed up, while the black wisps were rendered immobile, clearing a way for me to accelerate through.

And that was exactly what I did.

I accelerated again rushing madly at the woman, while my previous burst had yet to dissipate.

The woman who was still standing in the same position.

Reaching her while the world was still white, I stabbed my sword straight and surprisingly, I cut straight into her abdomen.

"Hmm~ Was that all~ Disappointing..."

I heard, as the woman in front of me disappeared into more wisps while a silhouette appeared from my right.

It was the silhouette of the same woman.

The black wisps engulfed me, infecting my body faster than ever before eating it up from the outside and the inside, but I didn’t seem to care.

A neutral expression adorning my face during the whole process.

And a second later, just when there was only my head left I mouthed, ’Behind you.’

The bitch’s eyes widened as she felt a spiking of mana in nature. Turning around in a hurry she was ready to muster any and all of her defenses, but unfortunately for her, she just listened her opponent’s advice.

A foolish thing to do.

"Peekaboo!!"

I screamed just when my sword, which had a glowing blue flame on it, was about to touch her back.

-TINNNGGGG!!!

A metallic sound rang out as on the last minute she somehow managed to intercept my sword with her flute.

But even then, she was overwhelmed.

The blue orb which was at the center of the blue flames exploded on my will. A massive blue wave rising, that washed her away before freezing to form a massive ice spike that trapped her.

Not for long though, not with hundreds black wisps heeding to her will. With the burst of light over, its effect washed off.

Meaning, the annoying black wisps were back in the game.

They pierced through the ice, going for their owner, going for rescue.

And I didn’t stop them, I didn’t have a way to. Instead, I prepared my next move.

Four orbs, red, green, yellow, black, were floating, revolving around my sword, as I took an Iai stance.

Overloading just my sword.

[Overload]

My sword burned again, this time burning with a bright purple light. Its enchantment circuit shone as the elemental orbs rotated faster, as I waited.

Waited as I saw the black wisps mining through the ice, enveloping it in darkness. My mind focusing only on my spell and their movements. My concentration reaching its peak as all the irrelevant thoughts were cleared out from my brain.

And then, just before the wisps reached her, I slashed.

-SLASSSSHHHHHH!!!

The air stilled for a moment, just for a moment, before a massive gust of wind swept past me, swaying the tree tops.

But none of that really mattered, none of it cause the spell had already left my sword.

The four rotating orbs, flew at her like a chakram, leaving a small trail in their wake before reaching her.

Reaching, and exploding.

[Personal Spell: The Lore of Elements]

[Final Form: Blitzkrieg]

The elementals balls twinkled, before merging. Creating a violent sphere that looked like it could explode any moment, just for it to shrink. The shrunken ball moved, arriving right before the woman who had just cracked the ice, before it flashed with a four colored light and then-

-BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!

A blinding flash, a terrifying wind storm, and undulating earth.

Even though the spell was far away from me, I could feel it.

It’s terrifying power. Its terrifying temperature. And the sheer amount of mana conglomerated in the explosion...

With the hair on my neck standing up, I stood there eyeing the multicolored explosion without as much as blinking. Drinking all three kinds of potions as I did.

And soon it was over, the explosion.

-Thud

As a ragged body of woman fell on the center of a large crater.

***

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I was kinda stuck on this chapter.

I wrote and rewrote this chapter almost 3~4 times.

The problem was balancing the explanations of how the powers worked, their effects, and the fight.

Too much of anything would feel bland, I felt that way when I read the first version of this.

And though I tried my best to write this, please tell me how you felt it to read.

And add my work to your library.

Give me your power stones.

Send me gifts.

And most importantly read my work.

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it.

Stay tuned.

My not-so-usual jargon...