The last song of the ancestors

In Midnet Habu, Upper Egypt, on the west bank of the River Nile, near the Theban necropolis, now Luxor, there is a temple built in honor of Ramses III. On the site, there is a bas-relief showing a fencing competition organized by the pharaoh. The Egyptians were celebrating their victory over the Libyans.

The practice of fencing in Africa predates the Olympic games of Ancient Greece by four centuries. Given the cultural exchanges between the Egyptians and the Hellenes, it's possible that the former inspired the latter.

Adopted as a military exercise for the troops of Antiquity, it soon became a major presence in the Middle Ages. But it was with Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers that fencing became popular with the masses.

It wasn't until the 19th century that light infantry replaced fencing as a combat tactic. The sabres remained part of the clothing, or were used in solemn rituals. As a sport, it became as elite as equestrianism, and one of the most contested at the Olympic Games.

Fencing is the only combat sport where bodily contact is forbidden, leaving fencers to rely solely on the dexterity of their blade. Without it, what can a fencer do? That was the question asked by Bloody Mary when Njora Hao-Yu cut off her hand. She let out a gasping cry.

"My… my hand… No!"

Blood gushed from the wound. The Countess's hand fell into the ring, convulsed. She struggled like a spider.

Njora fled, taking her distance. Her condition wasn't the best either. Being pierced by blades like the foil and the saber causes acute bleeding. Difficult to contain, the damage to internal organs and tissues is extensive.

"That's the power of Tie Zhang. The martial artist needs to train hard for several years. If his obstinacy is as tough as his training, he will achieve full mastery of the technique."

According to Njora, by increasing blood flow to a certain area of the body, the muscle stiffens. Coupled with muscle hypertrophy in the hands, the palm becomes as hard and sharp as steel. Tie Zhang's fighter doesn't need to fear anything, as long as he has his hands.

"Hunhunhun, I think I've played with you enough, my boy."

"Madam, give it up. We fought a good fight, we don't need to continue this spectacle."

"Only the lead actress can say when the show is over."

The witch stood up with all her dark clothes splattered with blood. From the laceration on her wrist, the red gush took the shape of a sword. Her fighting style would change, and now her blows would target any part of her opponent's body.

Of the fencing weapons, the heavy sword is the hardest and heaviest. Without the lightness of the foil and the flexibility of the sabre, it compensates for the attack by being longer. They are one hundred and ten centimeters long and weigh seven hundred and seventy grams.

The point is that without one of the limbs, the body tends to be unbalanced. This causes it to lean to the side with the missing limb. Njora soon realized this and used it to her advantage.

The countess would not stop counterattacking, and decided to use the full extent of her witchcraft. The Sanguinis Libels allowed her total control over the blood in contact with her. Whether it was flowing through her veins or coagulated on her skin, the Englishwoman could shape it and change its consistency, making it liquid or solidified like iron.

The droplets of blood on her skin became scarlet needles. They were fired at the Sino-Kenyan. With open palms, he batted them away. It was at that moment that she swung her crossbow at him. The sword was pointed at his heart, and she realized that he would be able to strike back. She used her last trump card, firing the blade of her sword at him.

Njora held the sword like a javelin and threw it back at the countess. The blade hit her right eye. The sword stuck in her eye socket. She didn't move, overwhelmed by the counterattack. Before she could react, her opponent threw the most violent sequence of blows of the fight at her.

Like a maestro of fists, Njora hit her with her palms. She cut through the Englishwoman's skin as if it were paper. Her wounds spewed blood everywhere. Those present turned their faces away so as not to see all the bloodshed.

When it was over, the martial artist's entire body was dyed red. A rusty smell mingled with the acidity of his sweat. He stood in front of the witch, who was sniffling on the floor in a red puddle. Her pale body convulsed epileptically. She rolled her left eye and the blade shattered.

At the same moment, Njora managed to contract her muscles and stop the bleeding. He was yellow, the dark circles under his eyes foreshadowed acute anemia. Victory was declared to Njora Hao-Yu. The paramedics entered the arena and picked them both up. To the medical team's surprise, although he was still standing and his eyes were open, the Chinese-Kenyan had fainted.

On the other side of the ring, while Bloody Mary was being carried away on a stretcher, Arcenoux and Eniac II analyzed the end of the battle.

"If Madame hadn't underestimated the enemy so much, she would have won."

"I'm not so sure about that, Mr. LeBlanc."

"Why not?"

"My data shows that…"

"Oh, no! Enough of that… look here, big man, it looks like it's your time to go to the ball."

"Certainly, Mr. LeBlanc."

Eniac II stood up. He walked slowly to the ring. On the opposite side, there was what looked like an elderly man. He wore a mapiko mask, made of light wood and dyed an earthy color. It was reinforced at the base and had raffia. He wore five pieces of clothing made from different fabrics, the most striking of which was the mesh covering his bust, made up of several ropes with rattles hanging from them.

In front of him was a structure with five drums carved out of logs. Each one had a different shape: a chalice, a mortar, a spike, a cylinder and a tube. The skin of the drums was made of gazelle leather. It was fixed with strips of leather nailed with wooden nails.

The old man began to play the drums slowly and rhythmically. Eniac II analyzed the man with his bionic eyes. The only thing that came up as information was the word 'danger'.