Sieg-Linde's Arsenal
Sieg-Linde's attack was completely different from before, and Einheart's expression grew serious.
The swirling magical energy bullets in the air were no mere bluff. They moved with a smooth, deadly grace.
"The density of each shot is incredible..."
"If they hit, they could penetrate... even that armor."
"A direct hit would be fatal. A part of her body would be rendered useless."
Kuro and Nove, the seconds, were analyzing Sieg-Linde's technique. Whether she chose to dodge or defend, it was clearly a difficult attack to handle.
But Einheart had her own plan.
"Geweia Kugel... Fire!!"
"Hāō-ryū..."
The magical bullets swarmed toward Einheart, landing one after another and tearing up the ring.
"Kanon..."
Sieg-Linde focused a final burst of magical energy at her fingertips. Einheart's figure was obscured by a cloud of dust, but that didn't matter—she would simply blow everything away.
But before the cannon could fire,
"---Sen Shō Ha!!"
The Hāō-ryū Sen Shō Ha. A move familiar to her teammates, Einheart threw the bullets back at Sieg-Linde.
The Sen Shō Ha, which involved grabbing and throwing an opponent's projectile, was effective no matter how powerful the bullet was.
"Mmff!"
"W-What on earth?! Einheart-san has grabbed the bullets and thrown them back?!"
The first time she had used the move in the tournament was against Corona's golem, but throwing back a magical bullet was different from throwing back a rock.
Unfortunately, the attack was negated by the cannon Sieg-Linde had prepared, so it did no damage. However, it was the first time in the match that Sieg-Linde's expression had changed.
"Hmm? I see. So I shouldn't use ranged attacks on you."
Sieg-Linde laughed, clearly enjoying herself.
"Then..."
Sieg-Linde lowered her stance and charged at Einheart like a beast. The speed she generated from that low position was incredible.
(How will the old-style martial artist handle a low-altitude tackle?)
Einheart's answer to Sieg-Linde's question was:
"Haaaaah!!"
A full-power kick aimed at the face. Sieg-Linde's head had conveniently lunged into the perfect position for a kick. At that speed, Einheart's reflexive counterattack was inevitable.
"Heh!"
"!"
But Einheart's answer was rejected.
Sieg-Linde caught her leg firmly. Using that as a pivot,
"The champion has thrown her! And now she's going for a submission hold!"
"Ugh... nngh..."
No matter how much strength Einheart used, the hold didn't loosen. In fact, the more she struggled, the more her joints screamed.
The Clash Simulate perfectly replicated the pain of a submission hold. Einheart's forehead was slick with a cold sweat from the throbbing pain.
"Tch...!"
"Whoa!"
Einheart used her free foot to land a heel drop. In the brief moment Sieg-Linde was startled, Einheart wrenched her pinned leg free.
"Einheart-san somehow escapes the submission with a powerful kick, but..."
"Ugh... ugh..."
A dull pain shot through the knee that had been locked in the hold.
She had no experience with the pain of submission holds, so she instinctively looked at the spot. But even if it was a submission hold, this pain was a simulation. From the outside, there was no visible injury.
(Crap!? The champion is...)
It was a fatal mistake to take her eyes off her opponent during a fight. Einheart paid for it immediately.
Sieg-Linde, who should have been in front of her, had disappeared.
"I won't let you get away."
"!"
The voice came from directly below. Sieg-Linde had closed the distance in a low, animal-like stance. She had a firm grip on Einheart's waist, and—
"G-gah..."
The next moment, Einheart was slammed to the ground.
"Not yet!"
Einheart staggered to her feet. Sieg-Linde passed her hands under Einheart's legs from the front, gripping her waist tightly.
Unable to resist, Einheart was slammed to the ground again.
No matter how many times she got up, a hard impact with the ground was waiting for her.
"I-Incredible! Two consecutive throws assault Einheart-san! And Einheart-san is... she's... still standing! Her life has been significantly drained, but she's on her two feet!"
Since she was standing on her own and in a fighting pose, the referee didn't even need to check. The match resumed.
"That's good. Einheart-san seems to be okay."
"But her life has been significantly drained..."
"Yes. And she doesn't seem very used to throwing techniques, so if she gets grabbed again, the match might be over..."
Her Highness Saintly Emperor, Cocoro, and Yukina each gave their thoughts on the recent exchange.
Shou wasn't worried that Einheart's spirit would break. He was worried about something else.
"Well, this is still the beginning. You still have more to show, don't you?"
Sieg-Linde rolled her shoulders.
Even after being hit by such clean techniques and having her life drained, Einheart's fighting spirit showed no signs of fading.
Sieg-Linde couldn't contain her joy and relief. She bounced lightly, excited.
"Is that smile a sign of your confidence?"
Einheart's tone was unintentionally thorny.
"Oh... sorry. Was that rude of me? Fighting a strong girl is fun, and I just want you to have fun too..."
It was rude for the person who was dominating to be smiling and saying how much "fun" they were having. That was true in any sport, even if the person didn't mean it that way.
Sieg-Linde waved her hands apologetically.
"Actually, can I ask you something in return?"
She reversed the question.
"---Why don't you smile?"
"...Huh?"
Einheart was undefeated from the preliminaries until now, but she had never changed her expression during a match other than from pain.
The only time she had changed her expression was in her last match against Corona, when she was concerned about her injured teammate.
She had never shown any sign of enjoying the match.
This was a sport, not a fight for their lives. If you win, you should be happy, and if you lose, you should be frustrated. Those emotions should be there. But Einheart didn't have them.
"I... am not supposed to smile."
"Hmm? Why not?"
"That's..."
"...Sorry. That wasn't a good thing to talk about during a match."
Sieg-Linde usually didn't pry into others' lives this much. But the sight of Einheart fighting as if she were cornered was something she couldn't ignore.
"Ah, then how about this? If I win, can I talk to you for a bit?"
"If you want to force me, then do as you please."
The loser follows the winner. It was a simple truth, and Einheart had no objections. It was also Einheart's way of showing that she had no intention of losing to the champion.
"Great. Then let's have a good old brawl! This is how I became friends with Victoria and Harry, too."
She kissed her right index finger, which was clenched in a fist.
And then,
"Iron Arm, release---"
With that one phrase, Sieg-Linde's BJ changed.
Her previously light equipment now had gauntlets that covered both her hands up to her elbows.
(Defensive equipment that covers up to the elbow... It's not rare. I've seen it many times in match footage.)
Einheart swallowed.
In essence, the Iron Arm was Sieg-Linde's powered-up form.
This equipment wasn't a secret like Einheart's Build Burning. She had shown it many times in previous matches. Just as Sieg-Linde had said, she had used it in her past matches against Victoria and Harry.
(But... seeing it with my own eyes and feeling it in my skin, I understood... No, I 'remembered'! This equipment! And the stance that goes with it!!)
A memory that wasn't her own was seared into her mind. It was screaming.
(My memories know it well!!)
The world of old-style Belka martial arts was surprisingly small. Many different origins had mixed together to form what they were today.
Among them, the techniques that Sieg-Linde used were called "Black Jeremiah." In an age where the concept of martial arts was vague, a clan sought the technology to crush the human body with their bare hands, perfecting it during a chaotic era.
"Jeremiah!!"
"Yeah! Go ahead and take on Jeremiah's 'Iron Arm'!"
Sieg-Linde still hadn't noticed the change in Einheart's eyes.
The first round was now under a minute left.
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