A long time ago, on a battlefield strewn with countless corpses, two young people stood facing each other.
Even amidst the foul stench of burning flesh, the good upbringing of the young man and woman was unmistakable.
"Let's stop, Klaus. If we continue, I'll really hurt you."
The one speaking with a troubled, downcast expression was the first Holy King, Olivier Segebrecht.
"I won't let you pass! If I do, I'll be abandoning you to your death!"
One of the two, the first King of Destruction, Klaus G.S. Ingvalt, held his sword, blocking the path of the girl, who was two sizes smaller than him.
Olivier held nothing in her hands. In fact, both of her hands were prosthetic. Still, when Olivier took a step forward, Klaus recoiled half a step.
This was partly due to their simple difference in strength, but it was also because Klaus didn't want to hurt Olivier. And the feeling was mutual.
These two were not enemies fighting to the death.
"But I have to go. If I become the 'King of the Cradle,' I might be able to end this war."
"Are you going to lose everything for an 'experimental' 'maybe'?"
Klaus threw his sword aside and desperately tried to persuade her.
"That's just a puppet to protect the throne! You'll never be able to get off the ship again! You won't even be able to move your body of your own will! That's what it means to become the 'King of the Cradle'!"
"Even so,"
Olivier's will was firm. If she could bring peace to this long-warring world, she wouldn't hesitate.
Her expression remained unchanged, a troubled smile that showed her mind was made up.
"Please, just listen to me—"
Klaus judged that words were no longer enough. He lunged forward, using the best technique of his own King of Destruction style: Hao Dankuken.
"—please!"
However, Klaus's full-force attack was easily parried.
"I've already made up my mind. If I don't do this, someone else will. I couldn't even live without these arms and the 'Holy King Core' that **** gave me. I've been overflowing with happiness, living with everyone until now. So, it's enough."
It was a beautiful smile, the face of someone who had accepted their fate.
"It is not enough!"
Klaus swung his fist, almost in tears—but the result was obvious.
As Olivier walked away, he thought about her disappearing back in his fading consciousness.
(My power, my fists, are too unreliable to even cloud her smile... My weakness is why I couldn't stop her.)
But, still.
(Who made her this strong? Who gave her the strength to stand by her conviction? Who forced this fate upon her?)
---------
"This is a precious prosthetic hand that 'Elemea' made for me."
"'Elemea's' techniques are amazing! Klaus, maybe you should learn a bit from them too?"
"My strength is all thanks to you and 'Elemea'."
---------
That memory was shared, a resonance between the fighting Einhart and Vivi, who was cheering in the stands.
Vivi's consciousness momentarily faded from the unfamiliar sensation of a memory that wasn't hers being forcefully streamed into her, or being recalled.
"Ah…!?"
"Vivi!?"
"Are you okay!? What's wrong!?"
"Wh-what should we do...!"
"For now, we should contact an adult..."
Rio and Corona rushed over, worried.
Miura was flustered by the sudden turn of events, and Yuki, comparatively calm, took out her terminal to make a call.
And Einhart, who was fighting,
"ELEMEAAAAAAH!!!"
"Huh!?"
With a roar, the blue clear parts of Build Burning turned a fiery red.
It was a function called Assimilate.
In the original Build Fighters Try, it's a phenomenon where a Gunpla fighter, through a powerful self-hypnosis, shares their five senses with their Gunpla, enhancing its performance.
In this world, it was a phenomenon that drew out the Gundam's performance to its maximum and beyond through intense concentration.
It was activated in response to Einhart's mental state. It was a fierce fighting spirit directed at her opponent, far from a state of "clear and calm mind," but it was activated for sure.
"Aaaahhhhhh!!"
Furthermore, the damage she took was being healed by Tio.
"Jigen Haoh Style—Hurricane Thrust!!"
An attack like a hurricane. The speed and power were overwhelmingly higher than before.
The impact was even felt outside the ring, but—it couldn't break Elemea's guard.
"Holy Fist Thrust!! Azure Crimson Fist!! Holy Spear Kick!!"
A fist that pierced the enemy, a corkscrew uppercut, and a sharp kick using the momentum of a jump. Elemea dodged all of them with minimal movement.
"Whoa, whoa...!"
Elemea furrowed her brow at the aggressive assault.
"Meteor Spiral—"
Einhart wound up for a big attack. A move with nothing but an attack on her mind, like a charging boar. Her wide-open torso was exposed right in front of Elemea.
"Could you calm down a bit? —Spear-Fist."
"Wh...!??"
Einhart's body was destroyed.
The piercing fist easily shattered the Gundam's armor. It penetrated the Ball Joint underneath and broke all the ribs protecting the right lung. The simulated pain overwhelmed Einhart.
"Ring out, knockdown!! The champion's strike hits Einhart directly!! The damage to Einhart is immense!! She's been completely destroyed by the Iron Fist of Destruction that shatters everything it touches!!"
In too much pain to get up, Einhart lay there. Elemea didn't pursue, because soon—
"And with that, Round 1 is over!! The match will be decided in the next round!! No, it might even end in this round!!"
The crowd was excited by Elemea's overwhelming performance.
Meanwhile, Vivi, whose dizziness had subsided, was sitting back in her seat.
"The interval has finally started... but Vivi, are you really okay?"
"Y-yeah. I just felt a little dizzy."
Although her face was still a bit pale, her condition was back to normal.
(Just for a moment, I could see Olivier's memories too... Why? I've hardly ever remembered anything until now...)
The quick-witted Vivi couldn't help but connect the sudden change in Einhart, who had started attacking like a different person, with her own strange experience.
(As I thought, Einhart-san is also...) "More importantly, we should worry about Einhart-san now!"
"Right... I wonder if she'll be okay?"
Vivi decided to focus on worrying about the match for now.
"The first round was so intense, Champion!"
Elemea's second, Els, handed her a towel excitedly.
"By the way, did something happen between you and Einhart-san in the past?"
"I don't recall anything on my side..."
Elemea had decided that continuing the match in her current state would be a bad idea, so she had gone almost all-out.
Elemea's gaze was fixed on Einhart's bench.
"What's wrong? This isn't like you at all!"
Einhart, who had been carried back by Nove and Kuro, had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily.
"Just calm down! Remember what you've practiced!"
"That too... but is the crash okay? It wouldn't be weird for the match to be stopped."
The Crash Simulate is a reproduction of pain; there is no actual injury. So, if you ignore the pain, you can move without any problems.
However, that method is not well-regarded in sports. While not specified in the rules, the referee has the authority to stop the match.
"Einhart-san, are you okay? If it's too difficult, you can forfeit..."
The referee came over to check on Einhart, who was lying on the bench, as was his job.
"I'm... okay... Tio, please..."
Einhart was enveloped in light.
Thanks to Tio's efforts, Einhart's life points recovered significantly. Not only that, but her crash was completely healed.
Furthermore, Assimilate was still active. It was proof that Einhart's will hadn't wavered.
"I can do this."
"Hey, Tio's recovery support has its limits! Don't just charge in recklessly anymore!!"
"...I'm sorry."
With that, Einhart walked back to the ring.
"She's not listening, is she, Einhart?"
"No..."
They both knew the reply was a half-hearted one.
(It's not the Elemea in front of me who is to blame. It's not even the old Elemea who gave Olivier steel prosthetics and taught her combat skills. But still—)
Einhart stepped into the ring first and sent a glare towards Elemea. Seeing this, Elemea was convinced of something.
"I kinda get it now. It's about our ancestors. I think our ancestors had some kind of bad blood or grudge between them."
"That can't be..."
Els, who had no connection to such things, couldn't find any more words.
"Well then, I have to accept it all."
"Champion! That doesn't mean you should go easy on her..."
"Ah, don't worry about that... I'm always Elemea."
Leaving those cryptic words behind, Elemea headed to the ring.
Just as Einhart had inherited the memory of the ancient King of Destruction, Elemea had also inherited something from her ancestors.
However, it wasn't personal memories—it was the 'combat experience only' inherited from countless 'Elemeas' spanning generations.
A minimum of 500 years of experience and memories were etched into Elemea's mind and body.
Einhart and Elemea were very similar.
They were both bound by the chains of unwanted inherited memories, living in the present while lost between the past and the future.
"Round 2... begins!!"
Even as the round began, there was no reckless charging.
Einhart seemed to have cooled her head a bit. Or maybe her thoughts had gone full circle, making her calm instead.
Elemea, too, was no longer just enjoying the match; she had resolved herself to face her destiny.
"What do you want?"
"To defeat you at your full power. And after that, there's something I'd like to ask you about your ancestor."
"Okay. Then let's ask Victor. He knows more about the past than I do."
Elemea had already intended to set up a meeting even without such a promise. However, this was an important ritual.
Earlier, Elemea had stated her demand for when she won—that they would talk.
But Einhart hadn't said anything. She had just said "do whatever you want" and hadn't asked for anything in return. Now, she was asking.
In the end, it wouldn't change the fact that they would talk, no matter who won, but that was a minor detail.
Now, the two were on equal footing.
"Well, that's that... "
"Ah!?"
In the blink of an eye, Elemea had closed the distance on Einhart.
The right straight she instinctively threw was a perfect opening for Elemea.
Twisted and thrown to the floor with a one-arm shoulder throw.
Her lungs emptied instantly as her back was hit with a splitting pain and her right arm with a crushing pain.
"I-!..."
"You shouldn't expect to leave here in one piece when you're facing a full-power Elemea."
Elemea told Einhart, who was choking and unable to breathe for a moment, in a cold tone.
Elemea showed no mercy to Einhart, who had declared she would defeat a full-power Elemea. The 'Iron Fist' that destroyed everything inflicted serious damage on Einhart with just a single blow.
Her back was one thing, but Einhart's right elbow was simulated with a complex fracture, but—
"Even if my body is shattered!!"
The injury was instantly healed by Tio.
"No matter how much blood I shed!!"
Einhart got up and took her stance again.
"To protect what needs to be protected! That is the will of the King of Destruction!!"
Round 2 had just begun, but they were already clashing at full power. This match wouldn't last much longer. That much was certain.
--------------------------------------------
🚀 Want Early Access (80+Chapters ahead ) & Bonus Content?
"Loving this story so far? You can read ALL chapters RIGHT NOW by joining my P4tr3on!
✨ Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
✨ No waiting for daily updates
✨ Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
Only $5.99 for the full experience!
🔗 Check my profile for the Link!!