Emrys remained motionless in the air as the last fairies repositioned themselves around the village.
He could sense each of their presences and follow their movements without needing to look directly at them. The giants were still on the hill, with Goldard at the front, while Montante floated higher up, observing the situation with a caution she had not shown at the beginning of the attack.
Emrys, meanwhile, kept his attention on everything around him.
The village was still behind him.
That was the most important thing.
He could afford to fight those two, but he could not simply use his most powerful projections in their direction. One badly aimed attack and Fondval could suffer the consequences of the battle.
"Are you really planning to just stand there?" Goldard asked.
Emrys did not answer.
The giant leaned forward slightly before disappearing from his position.
He was fast.
Much faster than Emrys had estimated.
Goldard's fist appeared in front of his face and Emrys leaned backward to avoid it. The blow passed within a few centimeters of his mask, and the wind created by the movement made his coat flap behind him.
Emrys immediately followed with a Blink.
His body disappeared and reappeared a few dozen centimeters away before he immediately did it again.
Another Blink.
Then another.
And another.
He continuously moved around, chaining short-range teleports together to change his position every instant. His movement had become natural enough that he could use several in succession without even having to think about it.
Goldard struck again, but Emrys avoided the attack with ease.
Another burst of Blinks allowed him to move behind the giant, and he instantly materialized a Drainda in his hand.
"Black Slasher."
A black slash cut through the air.
Goldard turned just in time and raised his arm to block.
The anti-magic blade struck his arm and part of the magical energy covering his body was nullified.
Goldard was pushed back several meters.
"A sword that can negate magic energy..."
He looked at Emrys more carefully.
"Interesting."
He's smarter than I thought, Emrys thought.
He did not give him time to catch his breath.
He created an air platform in conjunction with Blink to propel himself toward the giant and appeared in front of him in a burst of speed. Drainda struck again, but Goldard dodged the blade and attempted to grab Emrys.
Emrys disappeared.
He reappeared to the side.
Then behind him.
Then above him.
His movements were fast and unpredictable, but Goldard was already beginning to adapt. He swept his arm through the space around him and forced Emrys to retreat.
At the same time, several presences moved around the village.
The fairies.
Emrys sensed them moving.
"Trace On."
Several swords appeared in the air.
The weapons appeared directly in front of the fairies attempting to approach the village.
Some were immediately pierced, while the others managed to dodge at the last moment.
Emrys made the swords that had reached their targets explode.
BOOM!
The explosion forced two fairies to abruptly change their trajectory.
Emrys had deliberately limited the power of his Broken Phantasm. He had no intention of allowing an explosion that was too large to reach Fondval.
But this required more attention from him.
He had to fight Goldard.
He had to keep an eye on Montante.
He had to prevent the fairies from entering the village.
And above all, he constantly had to keep Fondval's position in mind so that he never used an attack in the wrong direction.
That was what was beginning to cause him problems.
He had too many things to manage at once. The timing was becoming tighter and tighter.
"You are distracted."
Montante's voice came from behind him, and Emrys immediately turned his head.
A light appeared in the fairy's hand.
He sensed the magical energy gathering before the spell was even cast.
Emrys used an air platform to quickly move away.
The magic passed through the place where he had been a fraction of a second earlier.
"You have good reflexes," Montante said.
"Thanks."
Emrys materialized a sword directly above Montante, but the fairy, already alert, dodged it.
A second one appeared immediately behind her.
She turned around and avoided that one as well.
A third appeared to her left.
Then a fourth.
Montante moved quickly between the blades.
She was small, but her speed was impressive.
Emrys slightly frowned.
He had underestimated both of them.
He had expected Goldard to be powerful because of his size and race, but he had assumed Montante would mainly be a support fighter.
That was a mistake.
She was fast.
Very fast.
And unlike the other fairies present on the battlefield, she seemed experienced enough to quickly understand how his projections worked.
"You can't keep doing this forever," Montante said.
Emrys did not answer because she was right about one thing.
He could continue fighting them.
He could also continue eliminating their subordinates.
But doing both at the same time was becoming increasingly complicated.
Goldard attacked again.
Emrys canceled the air platform he was standing on, allowing gravity to do its work. After avoiding Goldard's attack, he immediately created another one and used it to attack him.
The giant dodged, and at the same time Montante launched a magical attack that Emrys avoided simply by tilting his head.
At the same time, three fairies were heading toward Fondval.
Emrys materialized three swords in front of them. Since he could not give them too much attention, the trajectory of his blades was simple and their speed was low by his standards. Because of this, one of the fairies managed to escape.
Emrys had to interrupt his movement to create another weapon in front of her.
The fairy was pierced.
But Goldard was already in front of him.
His fist came flying.
This time Emrys could not avoid it and took the hit directly, sending him flying several dozen meters.
The blow was powerful. The armor had not managed to stop it completely, so I had to slightly rely on Armament Haki.
In a series of Blinks, he reappeared above the giant and struck with Drainda.
Goldard blocked.
And a deep cut appeared on his arm.
Emrys was stunned by this.
Even after reinforcing my body, I still couldn't cut his arm off.
"You're annoying," Goldard said.
"The feeling is mutual."
Goldard roared and released a large amount of magical energy.
Emrys immediately retreated.
He could sense the power gathering.
He could not simply allow Goldard to use a large-scale attack.
Fondval was behind him.
So he had to continue limiting his movements and attacks.
That was precisely what was beginning to cause him trouble.
Emrys stepped onto the air, using it as a platform, and launched himself forward at full speed.
Goldard threw his fist.
Emrys used several Blinks.
He appeared to the right.
Then to the left.
Then directly in front of Goldard.
Drainda struck, but Montante took advantage of Emrys's distraction to attack. Of course, he had expected it and dodged the magical projectile while sending a Black Slasher that cut Montante.
He also created a sword behind a fairy that had managed to get around the village.
The fairy was pierced.
Emrys was beginning to understand that he would not be able to maintain this situation for very long.
He had to completely change the situation.
But before doing that, he needed to be certain of one thing.
He looked toward the sky.
Or rather, he simply raised his head in the direction where he knew the sky was.
His Observation Haki now allowed him to see approximately ten seconds into the future.
He used that ability.
For several seconds, his mind observed the possibilities that were about to occur.
Goldard would attack.
Montante would take advantage of the opening.
Several fairies would attempt to enter the village.
Another would go around his position.
Emrys saw all of it before the movements even began.
He returned to the present.
Goldard charged.
Emrys moved before the giant had even truly begun his movement.
A Blink.
Then another.
Then another.
Goldard struck the place where Emrys should have been.
The giant frowned.
"That coward's technique again..."
Emrys appeared behind him and struck.
Goldard turned just in time.
Drainda collided with his arm.
The anti-magic came into contact with his magical energy and nullified part of it.
Goldard retreated.
Montante took advantage of the opening.
Emrys sensed her attack before it arrived.
He ducked.
The spell passed over his head.
He used a Blink to appear behind Montante and materialized a sword in front of a fairy approaching the village.
The fairy was pierced.
Emrys made the sword disappear.
He turned around.
Goldard had already returned.
He struck.
Emrys blocked with Drainda.
The impact pushed him back.
He used several Blinks to regain his position.
Another fairy approached.
A sword appeared.
She was pierced.
Another.
Another sword.
Then another.
Emrys eliminated the fairies one by one without taking his eyes off Goldard and Montante.
This isn't sustainable in the long run.
An attack from Goldard.
A dodge.
An attack from Montante.
A Blink.
A fairy.
A sword.
A giant.
Another movement.
The village.
Always the village.
Emrys could manage all of this.
But he did not want to spend the next few minutes doing exactly the same thing.
He had something else.
Something that he was certain would completely change the course of the battle.
He retreated after dodging another attack from Goldard.
Montante moved closer.
The fairies were still scattered around the village.
The giants were ready to intervene.
Emrys remained still for a few seconds.
"This will be the first time I use it in a real battle."
Montante frowned.
Goldard prepared to attack.
Emrys slightly raised his head.
Then he spoke.
"Sacred Treasure Release."
Immediately, a dark aura began to escape from his body.
It rapidly spread around him.
Montante did not immediately understand what was happening.
Neither did Goldard.
Then the darkness expanded.
It covered the sky.
It enveloped the hills.
It swallowed Fondval.
An enormous black dome formed around Emrys and expanded to a radius of one kilometer.
Inside the dome, everything became silent.
Montante could no longer see anything.
She could no longer hear anything.
She could no longer feel the wind.
She could no longer feel the ground.
She could no longer sense the other presences.
Even the magical energy around her had disappeared.
She could still feel her own magical energy, but everything outside herself had become inaccessible to her senses.
She did not know where Goldard was.
She did not know where her subordinates were.
She did not even know whether the village was still there.
Goldard was in the same situation.
He could see nothing.
He could hear nothing.
He could feel nothing around him.
His own magical energy was the only thing he could still perceive.
He tried to move.
He had no idea which direction he was going in.
Then something crossed his mind.
An intention.
A murderous intention.
That was all.
He could not know where it was coming from.
He could not hear any movement.
He could not sense a presence.
But his instincts told him that there was someone here who wanted to kill him.
Montante felt the same thing.
She could not know where Emrys was.
But she knew he was there.
And his murderous intent had become impossible to ignore.
Emrys, however, was perfectly comfortable.
He was the only one who knew exactly what was happening inside the dome.
His armor had created a zone in which his opponents' senses were locked.
Sight.
Hearing.
Touch.
Smell.
Taste.
Even their perception of magical energy outside their own bodies.
Everything was blocked.
This was the true ability of his Sacred Treasure.
Emrys no longer needed to monitor the battlefield.
He no longer needed to worry about Montante or Goldard.
While the dome was active, they were unable to perceive anything around them.
Emrys simply raised one hand.
And an overwhelming number of swords appeared above the fairies.
The fairies could see nothing.
They could hear nothing.
They could not sense the weapons approaching.
Some only felt a wave of murderous intent before the blades reached them.
But it was already too late.
Emrys continued.
Swords appeared directly in front of the fairies and pierced them before disappearing.
He did not even need to move.
He simply controlled the positions of his projections.
One fairy attempted to fly away, frightened by the overwhelming bloodlust.
A sword appeared in front of her.
She was pierced.
Another tried to descend.
A blade appeared.
Another tried to escape in a different direction.
The same result.
Emrys methodically eliminated every enemy within the dome.
The giants were different.
They were too resistant to simply be pierced by an ordinary sword.
Emrys created a blade in front of the first giant.
The tip pierced through his body.
The giant could not see the weapon.
He could not hear its arrival.
He could not sense the magical energy of the projection.
Emrys then activated Broken Phantasm.
BOOM!
The explosion erupted, but no one could hear it.
The giant disappeared in the blast.
A second giant.
A sword appeared.
It pierced him.
Broken Phantasm.
BOOM!
A third.
Another blade.
Another explosion.
Emrys continued without stopping.
He felt no particular difficulty.
His mental energy was sufficient.
His magical energy was sufficient as well.
Physically, he was perfectly capable of continuing.
But he had to hurry.
The dome was not going to remain active for long.
He did not know exactly how much time he had left, but he had no intention of taking the risk of allowing even one of Montante and Goldard's subordinates to survive.
Another sword appeared.
A giant was pierced.
Broken Phantasm.
Then another.
One final explosion erupted.
Emrys quickly checked the surroundings.
He could no longer sense the presences he was looking for.
All the subordinates were dead.
Only two presences remained.
Montante.
Goldard.
The darkness gradually receded, revealing the sky and hills once again.
The sounds returned.
The wind.
The noises from the village.
The breathing.
The movements.
Montante staggered backward slightly when she suddenly regained all her senses.
She looked around.
Her face froze.
There was no one left.
The fairies were gone.
The giants were gone as well.
She quickly turned her head in different directions.
"No..."
Goldard had also regained his senses.
He looked around.
His expression immediately changed.
"What..."
He looked toward the places where his companions had been only moments earlier.
No one.
All their allies were dead.
Montante felt genuine panic rising within her.
She had been unable to see what had happened.
She did not even know how Emrys had eliminated them.
All she knew was that in a matter of seconds, her entire force had disappeared.
Goldard clenched his fists.
"What did you do to them?!"
Emrys did not answer immediately.
He was still in the air.
His greaves allowed him to stand on the air, and he simply walked toward them.
One step.
Then another.
He was walking through the sky.
Goldard stepped back slightly.
Montante did the same.
They had just realized something.
Until now, they had believed themselves to be the hunters.
Now, they were the only two remaining targets.
Emrys stopped in front of them.
He still held both Draindas in his hands.
Montante looked around.
"You..."
She still could not understand what had just happened.
Goldard, meanwhile, looked at the bodies of his subordinates.
There was no one left to support them, no one left to attack the village, no one left to help them.
Emrys looked at the two remaining enemies.
"Well, now that the distractions are gone, the real fight can begin."
Goldard let out a roar and charged at him.
Emrys disappeared.
Blink.
Then another.
Then another.
He reappeared to the side and struck with Drainda.
Goldard dodged.
Montante immediately attacked.
Emrys ducked.
He sensed the attack before it reached him thanks to his Observation Haki and already knew where he needed to position himself.
He used several consecutive Blinks and ended up behind her.
Montante turned around.
Too late.
Emrys did not strike.
He retreated.
He wanted to fight them separately.
Goldard arrived.
Emrys blocked his attack with Drainda.
The impact was canceled out by his armor.
He used several consecutive Blinks to create distance.
Goldard pursued him.
Montante as well.
The fight resumed.
This time, Emrys no longer needed to watch their subordinates.
He could finally focus entirely on them.
Goldard was powerful.
Montante was fast.
Both possessed enough experience to make the fight interesting.
But Emrys had also evolved since his early days.
His Observation Haki now allowed him to predict their movements several seconds in advance.
His Armament Haki had increased tremendously in power.
His Blinks and platforms made him practically untouchable.
And his two Draindas allowed him to nullify the magic they touched.
He dodged one of Goldard's attacks.
Blink.
Another.
Blink.
Another.
He appeared in front of the giant.
Black Slasher.
Goldard blocked.
Emrys immediately followed with a second attack.
Then a third.
Montante intervened.
Emrys sensed her attack ten seconds before it happened.
He had therefore already anticipated her movement.
He used several Blinks to move between the two opponents and sent a Black Slasher toward each of them.
The giant and fairy dodged and ended up in the same area.
They did not realize that this was exactly Emrys's plan.
Emrys raised both Draindas, and this time, he was not going to use an ordinary Black Slasher.
He concentrated his mental energy into both blades.
The anti-magic gathered inside the swords.
Then Emrys added his Armament Haki.
The two Draindas began to become even darker than they already were.
Montante immediately sensed the danger.
Goldard did as well.
They charged at the same time.
Emrys remained still.
He already knew what would happen next.
His Haki did not lie.
He raised both arms.
Then he crossed the blades.
"Black Cross."
Two slashes combining anti-magic and Armament Haki were simultaneously projected.
They crossed through the air, forming an enormous black cross.
Goldard attempted to block.
Montante attempted to avoid it.
They did not have enough time.
The two slashes struck them head-on.
The anti-magic and Armament Haki tore through their defenses, cutting through Goldard while Montante was completely obliterated.
The attack continued far beyond their positions.
Emrys had carefully chosen a direction that kept the attack completely away from Fondval.
The two slashes continued through the valley before striking a mountain much farther away.
BOOOOOOM!
The mountain was deeply cut.
An enormous cross was carved into its surface, visible from several kilometers away.
Emrys remained in the air for a few seconds before looking toward the mountain in silence.
"I may have gone a little overboard."
It's only now that I realize I haven't named her sacred treasure. I'm terrible at choosing names, so leave suggestions in the comments and I'll choose the one I like best. Names of Celtic welsh and Britannic origin are preferred for greater consistency with the Nnt universe.
I wanted to try a new writing style for the fights and I can't say I'm very convinced by this style. If you don't like it either, tell me and I'll go back to writing like before.