This academy island is an artificial island, but that doesn't mean it's devoid of nature. There are green areas scattered all over the island, including conservation areas for endangered plants and animals, areas for new plant varieties, and survival training areas for Butei (armed detectives).
There are also recreational areas, like a campsite.
Even on an artificial island, you won't have any trouble finding outdoor activities.
But no one expected to find a former world champion camping out in one of those areas.
While washing her face in the river, Sieg-Linde's device received a call.
"Sieg, good morning. Are you up already?"
"Yeah, I am, Victoria."
Victoria was a fellow top-ranked fighter who had become friends with Sieg-Linde at the previous tournament. Her butler, Edgar, was with her.
"I've come to pick you up. Let's go together."
"Breakfast is also ready."
"Okay. Thanks~"
Sieg-Linde folded up her tent and headed for the designated meeting place.
At the same time, in a different location, Einheart's room.
Einheart, the owner of the room, stood in front of a full-length mirror.
"My opponent is a top-ranked fighter who has never lost. If I can win this match, I'll be one step closer to the Hāō-ryū's long-cherished dream."
She hugged Tio, who was sitting on the bed.
"Let's go, Tio."
"Meow!"
Finally, the match between Hāō-ryū's Einheart Stratos and former world champion Sieg-Linde Jeremiah was about to begin.
---------
"It's so hot...!"
"It's especially so today."
There were far more people here than during the preliminaries. This match was a big deal.
And for good reason. One of the fighters was the champion from two tournaments ago, Sieg-Linde Jeremiah.
Of course, there had been other matches with champions before, but until now, the champion's fights in the main block tournament had been one-sided.
But this time, the opponent was different. The way the crowd was buzzing, it seemed like everyone thought so too.
Her opponent was Einheart Stratos from Team Nakajima, a super rookie who had been winning with unstoppable momentum.
This was a highly anticipated match between two notable fighters. I felt bad about bringing Her Highness Saintly Emperor into this crowded match, but I thought she wouldn't enjoy watching a match between people she didn't know.
I wasn't enjoying it myself.
"Your Highness, please stay hydrated."
"Yes, please drink this, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Cocoro-san."
Her Highness Saintly Emperor accepted the water from Cocoro and drank.
"It was a good idea to wear a hat."
"Yes, when I told the guards about the match, they gave it to me."
At Yukina's words, Her Highness Saintly Emperor placed a hand on her head. A straw hat that hadn't been there yesterday was now there.
Her outfit was also on a rotation, and today she was wearing the white dress I had seen on the first day. Or maybe there were some small differences.
In any case, the straw hat suited her very well.
Those three are so considerate. They anticipated that we would be going somewhere crowded and hot and made preparations beforehand.
We somehow pushed our way through the crowd and reached our seats.
The match was about to begin.
---------
This was the fighters' waiting room, specifically Sieg-Linde's. Inside the restricted area were Victoria and Edgar, and Jeremiah, who was eating the meal Edgar had prepared.
"Is it okay to eat before a match?"
"Mm. If I don't eat, I won't have any strength."
She had her second rice ball of the day in her hand, and it was quickly disappearing into her mouth.
"Well... no need to ask, but it looks like you're ready."
"Yep."
Victoria was exasperated but also relieved by Sieg-Linde's completely unchanged demeanor.
"I watched that girl's match again yesterday. The successor of the Belka ancient martial art, Hāō-ryū, Einheart Stratos. Her matches are short, so it's not obvious, but her body movements and striking are outstanding for a girl her age."
Victoria nodded quietly, seeing the truth in Jeremiah's words.
"Her thoughts for her ancestors, her pride in her style... She must have gone through grueling training."
"Mm... she must have a strong will. I wonder if she's also had a lot of pain and loneliness... The reason she doesn't smile when she wins is probably because of that."
"..."
Only the sound of Sieg-Linde chewing echoed in the waiting room.
A moment later, the door was knocked.
"Champion! Please get ready soon!"
It was Elth Tasmin, who had been defeated by Harry Tribeca, who opened the door and came in.
After losing her own match, Elth had been serving as Jeremiah's second. There was no rule in this tournament that you couldn't participate without a second.
But Sieg-Linde wasn't affiliated with any team and basically lived outdoors. Because of this, she had been fighting alone throughout the tournament. Elth had offered to be her second.
"Ah, wait, I'll finish this right away..."
"N-No! There's no such rush!"
Sieg-Linde finished her rice ball and put her hands together.
"Thanks for the food. All right. Well, Victoria, I'm off."
"Yes, good luck."
With a small wave, Sieg-Linde ran to Elth's side.
Meanwhile, this was Einheart's waiting room.
"Okay, it's time."
"Yes."
At Kuro's words, Einheart, who was already wearing her BJ and concentrating with her eyes closed, opened her eyes and stood up.
As teammates, not only Kirin, who had a match, but also Vivio, Rio, and Corona, who had already been defeated, came to cheer her on.
"Einheart-san! Kirin-san! Team Nakajima will be cheering for you with all our might!"
"First, it's Einheart-san's match!"
"Please go defeat the champion!"
"---Yes!"
Receiving encouragement from her younger teammates, Einheart headed for the ring.
---------
"It's starting."
"I'm getting nervous just watching...!"
Her Highness Saintly Emperor was usually so composed, but she seemed to be completely caught up in the atmosphere of the venue. She was looking back and forth between us and the ring with a fidgety expression.
"Einheart-sama's match is first, isn't it?"
"Her opponent is the former champion..."
As we were talking, the announcer's call began.
"Everyone, thank you for waiting! Let's get to the next match that many of you have been looking forward to!"
First to enter was,
"In the Blue Corner, 4 wins, 4 KO's! Three of those wins were instant knockouts with a single blow! From Hāō-ryū, Einheart Stratos!"
Einheart was greeted with the biggest cheer yet, but she looked as calm as ever. Behind her, Kuro and Nove-san followed.
"And in the Red Corner, the champion from two tournaments ago, the still undefeated champion! Sieg-Linde Jeremiah!"
" " " !? " " "
"Whoa..."
The cheer was so loud the entire venue seemed to shake. Einheart was popular, but Sieg-Linde's popularity was on a different level.
"Is Einheart-sama going to be okay...?"
"Yes... it's like a hostile away game..."
Cocoro and Yukina sounded worried... But a little way off, we could hear the voices of children.
" " " " Einheart-san! Good luck! " " " "
The voices belonged to Vivio-chan and the other members of Team Nakajima who had unfortunately lost yesterday, as well as Miura-chan and Yuuki from the Yagami Dojo.
I had heard they were in the fighters' waiting room a little while ago, but it seemed they had moved to the spectator stands.
In response to the cheers from Vivio-chan and the others, Einheart lightly thrust her fist to the side.
"It looks like she's okay."
Even Her Highness Saintly Emperor, who didn't know Einheart very well, seemed to understand. Einheart's expression as she stared straight at Sieg-Linde showed no unnecessary emotion.
It was clear that she had no issues with her nerves.
Now all I could do was hope that this match would end safely.
---------
"Oh! A powerful cheer from her teammates! And Einheart-san responds silently, yet surely! This must be a huge source of support!"
Even though everyone except Miura had lost, all of Team Nakajima were fighters who had put on a wonderful match. A thoughtful staff member displayed their faces on the large monitor.
Only Miura looked flustered at being suddenly shown on the big screen. The others were either giving a peace sign or waving.
"Heh, they look like they're having fun."
"They do. So, Champion. What's your game plan for today?"
Sieg-Linde, who had been watching them with a gentle smile, hardened her expression.
But there was no tension.
"Mm, same as always. I'll use Jeremiah's techniques to put on a fun show. For the people watching and for the girl I'm fighting."
The two faced each other in the ring.
They were, of course, wearing their BJs. It was possible to start fighting like this. But Einheart went a step further,
"Build Burning Gundam...!"
Armor appeared and attached to various parts of her body. It was a figure with a red and white base, and blue clear parts on various parts.
This was Einheart's new form, which used both her Hāō-ryū and the Dimensional Hāō-ryū imprinted in the Gundam.
"The 'armor' she showed us in her last match! Einheart-san is wearing what should be her trump card from the very start of the match! This shows just how much she respects the champion!"
Jeremiah knew the power of the armor, but she was still smiling. She was happy that she could fight at her full strength.
"Then let the match... begin!"
Right from the start,
"Hāō---"
Suddenly,
"---Dankū-ken!"
"Mm!"
Einheart's finishing move exploded.
It was a heavy-duty charge that combined the thrusters of the Build Burning with the power of Hāō-ryū.
The impact passed through to the space behind Sieg-Linde. But the attack did not hit Sieg-Linde. With a superb evasion, her left hand coiled around Einheart's arm like a snake, deflecting it.
With her other arm, she formed a magical energy bullet and pressed it against Einheart.
It didn't have much power, but it stopped the momentum of the Dankū-ken.
"Even so...!"
Just because her move was blocked once didn't mean she could retreat. Einheart hardened her forward defenses and advanced.
"Fuh."
"!"
What came back from Sieg-Linde was not a strike.
Jeremiah's arm slipped between Einheart's arms, which were held in front of her face. Her fist was not clenched. She then grabbed the chest of the BJ, which was protruding from the Gundam's armor, and Einheart's body was lifted.
"Heave-ho!"
"!"
Immediately after, Einheart's body was slammed onto the ring with a beautiful shoulder throw. The completely unexpected attack instantly drained 20% of Einheart's life.
And then, her right hand was grabbed for the next technique---
"This...!"
Einheart released an aerial strike with her free left hand, barely managing to escape.
Sieg-Linde was left with only a slight bit of damage and the remains of the Gundam's armor. She had not let go of the hand she had grabbed while defending against the attack.
In just an instant, even though Einheart had been the one to attack, the result was a reversal.
The crowd erupted in cheers for the champion's technique.
"A-A throwing technique...!?"
"It looks similar to Japanese Judo..."
"Ah, Sieg-Linde Jeremiah is a true all-around fighter. She has ranged magic and close-quarters combat skills. And now we've seen her zero-distance grappling. If Einheart hadn't done anything, it would have turned into a chokehold and ended the match."
Shou also thought she was an opponent he didn't want to fight. He had no idea how to deal with throwing or choking techniques.
"(Yeah, I don't know... but I guess I do, a little? Aria's put me in a few...)"
Even so, it was impossible to fight with just that much experience.
Although he had fought Servants in the Fourth Holy Grail War, Sieg-Linde's strength was close to theirs. In fact, it was possible that she could defeat an ordinary Servant.
"Master, you're quite knowledgeable."
"M-Mm, well, yeah. She was the champion two tournaments ago, after all."
"Hmm, I see. Is that so."
Yukina narrowed her eyes, as if she had figured something out. Her Highness Saintly Emperor and Cocoro, who still had little experience with Shou, didn't notice anything.
"Oh? It looks like Jeremiah-sama and Einheart-sama are talking?"
"They are... It looks like the camera here isn't picking up the audio from the ring."
The two who knew nothing were fixated on the scene in the ring.
Einheart and Sieg-Linde were indeed talking. Talking during a match was not explicitly forbidden. Of course, excessive provocation was, but this conversation didn't fall into that category.
What was unusual was that Sieg-Linde was the one who had initiated the conversation. Furthermore, the content was rather vague.
"I've been wondering ever since I saw your match. I think we're a little bit alike."
"Alike...?"
Einheart tilted her head, confused.
"Well! We're in the middle of a match now. Sorry for bringing it up, but let's talk more about it after the match."
Sieg-Linde held her right hand out to the side with her index finger raised, and one magical energy bullet after another was created, unfolding while rotating.
"Are you ready for Jeremiah's techniques?"
She was still holding back more techniques. She said this with a laugh.
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