Chapitre 64: Lupin vs Virgil
Present Helgarde, in the baron's chamber.
Virgil and Lupin stood face to face, the weight of their shared history and the horrors of the night thick between them. The room was a cacophony of emotions—betrayal, anger, and a deep, unspoken grief. The candlelight flickered, casting erratic shadows on the walls. The tension was palpable, their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills.
"Before I kill you here and now," Lupin snarled, his voice a low, primal growl that seemed to shake the very stones of the chamber, "answer me one question... Why did you do this to us?" His eyes, once a warm yellow, now burned with a cold, furious light. The once proud leader of the Tonkilla Lycans was now a man on the edge of madness, driven by the loss of his world.
Virgil, his features twisted into a sneer, took a step back. "Your world was already lost," he spat. "You were blinded by your faith in a goddess who never cared for you or me."
"Let me ask you something, why are you still supporting the humans? They were the ones who almost wiped you out, not me. They were the ones who labeled you evil, not me."
"What happened was very bitter... But don't blame me for the misdeeds that happened to you! You welcomed me without knowing who or what I am. Your goddess punished you, the humans killed your race instead of finding a logical and rational solution to that situation..."
He paused briefly before he said with a serious expression, "I found help when I needed it most. Not you, not Mari and especially not the false goddess helped me... No, it was someone else."
"In the shadows of ambition, sacrifices grow like wilted flowers - inevitable, but necessary for the dark garden of ambition to blossom." Virgil added.
With those words hanging in the air, Lupin attacked him without hesitation, his claws aimed at Virgil's chest. Virgil blocked the attack with a swift, precise move.
Virgil looked him deep in the eye, "You know, I gave you a chance... I was trying to make things right. That's why I sent the boy to you, but you were stubborn and remained loyal to your outdated and stupid ideals..."
"But you know... It's a good thing," he added. "You appearing makes things easier for me!"
Lupin pushed away from him, "What do you mean by that?" His eyes burning with confusion and rage.
Virgil's smile lingered on his lips, "I would have to deal with other cities of the Iconi Empire and come up with endless explanations to explain this situation..."
"But that's no longer the case... You and the Lycan cult, the red blood moon, dead people, creatures of darkness... It will be easy to turn this situation back on you. In the end, I'll be the hero and can continue to pursue my goal in peace."
His smile widened, "And once again you are responsible for your own downfall! You should know the humans well enough, they will accept this version without hesitation.... That's just the way they are."
The room grew even tenser as Lupin's rage boiled over. He lunged at Virgil, his claws slicing through the air with the force of a tempest. Virgil, despite his exhaustion, moved with an inhuman grace and speed, dodging and weaving through the attacks like a shadow. His red eyes gleamed with cold amusement as he observed Lupin's feral rage.
Virgil's mind raced, calculating the angles and the force of Lupin's attacks. His body, a testament to his unyielding power, bore the marks of the battles he had fought. The room was their battlefield now, the opulent furnishings shattering and splintering under the weight of their fury. He parried Lupin's blows with a series of swift, precise strikes. The air grew thick with the scent of burning oak and the acrid tang of spilled blood.
Virgil took advantage of Lupin's rage-filled lunges, using the Lycan's own momentum against him. He twisted, dodging a swipe that would have decapitated a lesser man, and kicked a heavy chair into Lupin's path. The chair smashed into the Lycan's side, sending him staggering into a marble column. The column cracked from the impact, chunks of stone raining down upon them as the room echoed with the sound of their battle.
With a roar, he swiped at Virgil, his claws leaving a trail of fire in the air. Virgil, ever the tactician, parried with his hand, he absorbing the fire as if it were a mere trickle of water. He countered with a swift strike, aiming for Lupin's throat.
The two crashed through the chamber's grand windows, the sound of shattering glass piercing the night like a symphony of shards. They plummeted into the courtyard below, their forms silhouetted against the crimson moon's ominous light. Lupin and Virgil, hit the ground in a roll.
Virgil's eyes searched the courtyard, assessing the landscape for anything that could serve as an advantage. The statues, the fountain, the meticulously trimmed hedges - every element was a potential weapon in his skilled hands. Lupin, on the other hand, was driven by pure, unbridled fury. He leaped over the fountain, its water arcing gracefully in the moonlit night, and slammed into Virgil with the force of a bull.
Virgil met Lupin's charge with a fiery resolve, his red eyes gleaming. He raised his hand, and a barrier of shadowy tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around the Lycan's body and momentarily halting his advance. The tendrils grew taut, straining to contain Lupin's might as he roared and thrashed within their grasp.
Taking a step back, his breath came in short gasps, his body aching from the exertion of the night's events.
Lupin, now free from the shadowy tendrils, crouched low, his eyes glowing with a mix of anger and grief. His claws dug into the earth, leaving deep grooves as he prepared to charge once more.
Virgil, though exhausted, remained unfazed. He had anticipated Lupin's fury and had been conserving his strength for this very moment. As the Lycan leader bolted towards him, Virgil took a deep breath and focused his power. The very air around him grew dense and heavy, thick with the scent of ozone.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of shadowy energy hurtling towards Lupin. The blast struck the earth, sending dirt and gravel flying in every direction. Lupin, mid-leap, was caught in the wave and sent tumbling through the air, his body contorting in a desperate attempt to dodge the dark projectile.
As he rolled to a stop, Lupin's eyes narrowed into slits, his teeth bared in a snarl. The ground trembled as he pushed himself to his feet, his muscles straining with the effort. He knew that his survival and the fate of his people rested on his ability to bring down the man who had destroyed everything he held dear.
Virgil, though weary, was not one to underestimate his opponent. He knew Lupin's strength and the depth of his anger. The shadowy tendrils that had once held Lupin now coiled around his own arms and legs, a silent testament to his power. The air grew taut with anticipation as the two adversaries circled one another, the only sounds the harsh breathing of the combatants and the distant wails of the dying.
Lupin lunged again, his claws slashing through the air like scythes. Virgil, with a swiftness that belied his exhaustion, dodged and rolled, his tendrils lashing out to ensnare Lupin's ankles. The Lycan leader stumbled, but with a snarl, he broke free, leaping over a statue of a long-dead emperor. The statue toppled, its marble head shattering against the cobblestone with a deafening crack.
Virgil took advantage of the chaos, his eyes searching for an opening. He spotted it as Lupin's claws swiped through the air where he had been a moment before. He darted forward, his hands a blur. He ducked under Lupin's guard and scored a shallow cut across the Lycan's ribs.
Lupin bellowed in pain, his eyes flashing with a feral light. He clutched at the wound, but Virgil was already retreating, his movements fluid and precise. The Lycan's breath came in ragged gasps, each inhalation bringing a fresh wave of agony.
When Lupin looked at his injury, the sight was more disturbing than he had expected. Two ribs were gone, as if they had never been a part of him. The skin was pulled taut around the gaping hole, the muscles beneath quivering with the effort to keep his body from collapsing in on itself. The absence of bone was a stark reminder of the inhuman power Virgil wielded.
Lupin launched himself at Virgil once more. His eyes were wild, his mind consumed by rage and despair. Virgil watched him come, his own gaze cold and calculating. He knew that Lupin had nothing left but his fury, and he was ready to use it against him.
As Lupin's claws swiped through the air, aiming for Virgil's neck, Virgil raised his hand and whispered an ancient incantation. The space around Lupin's body grew darker, as if a shadow had been cast by an unseen eclipse. The Lycan's eyes widened in horror as he felt his very essence begin to unravel.
Virgil stepped aside, the arc of Lupin's attack passing harmlessly by, leaving nothing but a vacuum of shadow in its wake. The dark tendrils grew thicker and more substantial, wrapping themselves around Lupin like a malevolent embrace. The Lycan's howls of anger morphed into a scream of primal fear as he felt himself being erased from existence piece by piece.
The shadows grew denser, swirling around Lupin's form until he was fully enveloped. His fur, his muscles, his very bones began to dissolve into the void, leaving only the desperate, pleading look in his eyes.
Virgil watched it with a twisted sense of satisfaction. His power was absolute, and with each passing second, Lupin's existence grew weaker. The screams of the Lycan leader grew fainter, his form less substantial, until all that remained was a whisper of a man, fading into the night.
"I'll see you in hell, old friend!" Virgil added as the shadows disappeared, leaving nothing left of Lupin.
....
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone