Einhart's expression changed. It wasn't the calm face she wore during a match, but the face of a warrior on the battlefield, looking at an enemy.
"Hmm."
Elemiya made a bitter face at Einhart.
"It's good to be proud of your ancestors. But... do you live only for your ancestors?"
Einhart couldn't help but retort.
"Nngh! I am myself! I'm here for myself, and I'm fighting of my own free will!"
"I'm just saying that because that's not how it looks. This is just meddling."
As if at her wit's end, Einhart leaped forward.
With a tail of burning Plavsky particles from Assimilate, she charged. Her speed was incredible. Most fighters wouldn't even be able to react.
However...
"Aaaaah! Calm down, Einhart!"
"Don't just rush in blindly!"
Nove and Chloe shouted.
An attack of this level would be a perfect meal for Elemiya's counter.
As if it were a foregone conclusion, Elemiya threw a punch.
"Ugh!"
But Einhart was calmer than the spectators thought. She had read the counter in advance and changed her body's trajectory mid-way.
Elemiya's counter missed beautifully. Einhart had read the counter and matched her own attack to it. It was reminiscent of her fight with Corona, but this opponent was a former champion.
Elemiya pointed her index finger at Einhart's face. The next moment, Einhart's vision was filled with a flash of light.
It was a high-speed projectile fired by Elemiya.
She grabbed Einhart's blown-away left arm and held her in place. She wouldn't let her escape, wouldn't let her get any distance. Since she had gotten this close, she would receive the full force of the 'Iron Arm' technique.
"Ready, set..."
"Ugh... ah...!"
As if the armor of the Gundam didn't matter, Elemiya's fist sank into Einhart's solar plexus.
The arm that was still being held was dislocated by the unnatural twist, creating a crash sound.
"One more!"
Another hand-sword strike came down on her right shoulder.
The armor was completely destroyed, and red particles spurted out like blood.
"Einhart is down!! Einhart is shot down by Sieglinde's 'Iron Arm'!!"
Her remaining right arm was also destroyed by a hand-sword. Both arms were destroyed in an instant, and combined with the damage she took, she was on the verge of fainting.
"(That person isn't even using half of her power yet. She hasn't even shown the essence of Elemiya. It's the same as that time. She's gently restrained without even being able to cloud her smile—the pain that has continued since that time, again...!)"
In her dazed thoughts, a memory that was most seared into her mind came back to her like a flashback.
It was the scene where her ancestor, the Conqueror King Ingvart, lost to the Holy King Olivier.
"(I can't even get my opponent in front of me to fight seriously. Even in a battle where I've put everything on the line, I'm pitied and smiled at...!)"
But the memory wasn't even a battle. It was a scene where she was toyed with, couldn't inflict a single scratch, and could only watch Olivier's back as he left.
"(It's because I'm weak.)"
No matter how much she honed her skills, she always lost in situations where she absolutely couldn't afford to. As if under a curse, the goddess of victory never smiled upon her.
"(But I can't accept it! If I give up, it'll all be over again! All my efforts so far, and the power I received from Shō-san! Everything!! I have to stand up now, or it'll be over—!!)"
Enduring the pain in both arms, she gritted her teeth and stood up.
"She's... standing! And this recovery ability!! The match is still up in the air!"
With the power of Tio, who was fused with her, Einhart recovered half of the damage she had taken, not just the crashes.
She couldn't repair the Build Burning's armor, but her fighting spirit hadn't waned yet.
"The reason I said I wanted to talk to you is because if you're bound by your past—"
There was nothing more to say on the battlefield.
As Einhart charged, her spinning energy roared in her fist.
"Shooting Star Spiral Fist!!"
"—that's a very sad thing."
The rotational energy she was wearing dissipated the moment it was caught.
"Gah!"
Her body was pulled in from her captured fist—
"Arm-bar!! The former champion's chokehold is tormenting Einhart!!"
"It's wrong for you to sacrifice your life for a country that's gone or people who are gone. And above all—!"
"Ugh, aaaaaahhh!!"
Elemiya, who had been engrossed in her speech, gasped when Einhart resisted the chokehold with all her might.
It was Einhart's BJ that couldn't hold up anymore.
Einhart, who managed to escape by breaking her BJ, had an arm wrapped around her neck.
"Now a front choke!! This is a complete lock!!"
As the announcer said, she couldn't resist with force this time. As the chokehold cut off her consciousness, Einhart's vision began to darken.
"Your fighting is too painful to watch."
This time, even though she was talking, the chokehold didn't loosen at all.
"Do you think your ancestors would be happy if you tormented your body and mind by being so obsessed with the past... and sacrificed your own life?"
Einhart knew she was being told something, but she was so desperate to get out of the hold that she couldn't understand what was being said.
"Today's match is my win. I won't hurt you anymore, so you can go to sleep. When you wake up, let's talk a little more calmly?"
"(The pain is fading... I can't hear anything anymore. I wish I could just fall asleep like this.)"
Tio, who was inside Einhart, was desperately meowing and trying to keep her from falling.
Einhart's consciousness was starting to fade again. The cheers of the crowd were getting farther away, and her vision was starting to blur. Before, it was the memory of the Conqueror King that came to her, but this time it was...
"Einhart—!!"
In her blurring consciousness, she could clearly hear the voice of a certain boy.
"Void... Breaking... Blast—"
"Gah?!"
Einhart, who had barely held on to her consciousness, landed a blow on Elemiya's side.
"To escape from that..."
"I had a countermeasure for chokeholds...! Everyone... everyone helped me with it...!"
She remembered when she and her teammates were practicing countermeasures against opponents.
She hadn't been able to use those countermeasures at all until now, but she had somehow managed to use them in this desperate situation.
And the driving force behind it was...
"(Shō-san came to cheer me on! I can't show him anything more pathetic than this!)"
"I see... But I'm not letting you go."
Einhart was grabbed by the collar.
However, this flow was also included in the training they had all done together.
The feel became heavy, and Elemiya gave up on the throw. At a speed that was unbelievably fast for a canceled throw, she went into a strike instead.
But even that was...
"(Training counters with Vivio-san!!)"
She silenced her with a faster, sharper punch.
Elemiya was slightly staggered by the blow to her face but didn't fall. Even so, the venue was filled with thunderous applause.
"Incredible!! Einhart's first clean hit of the match!! Will this be the start of her comeback?!"
"(I was saved by training with everyone... with Tio who's fighting with me, and most of all, with Shō-san's cheers...!)"
It was so exciting that even the Holy Empress, who had been looking worried since the start of the match, was worked up.
"Shō-san! Stratos-san! Could she possibly turn this around?! Against the former champion!"
"I hope so..."
What just happened was probably just a lucky hit. She must have trained for it, but the skill gap between Einhart and Elemiya was still obvious. Even with the power of Build Burning, it would be difficult to win.
Besides, Elemiya must have something 'in store'.
"It looked like she recovered just now because of your cheer, Your Holiness..."
"I'm sure of it, just as Kokkoro-chan saw. Yes, I'm absolutely sure..."
The two people next to Shō had a sullen look in their eyes, but Shō chose to pretend he didn't notice.
He thought there was no way she could distinguish his voice among all the cheers.
And more than that, he was more concerned about the outcome of the match.
"Hmm, that was a little bad."
"Yes, it was bad."
Harry and Victoria in the stands had the same thought. The counter just now was a 'clever' move worthy of praise, but it would awaken something.
"Everyone, watch carefully."
Mikaya, who had been defeated by 'that' last year, told Vivio and the others.
"Now you'll get to see the 'essence of Elemiya'."
Her expression was dark, as if she was thinking about Einhart's fate.
---------
Victoria first met Elemiya seven years ago at the Victoria family mansion. She had received a report that Elemiya was being protected because of a connection from their ancestors.
At that time, Victoria was ten years old and Elemiya was nine.
Elemiya at that time had eyes that looked like she had lost interest in everything in the world. She wasn't just a precocious child; she had an 'intensity' that suggested she had actually experienced things.
Victoria asked her a question for which the answer was obvious. The answer was right in front of her. But Elemiya answered anyway.
"Because when I touch something, everything breaks."
Due to the destruction she unintentionally caused, the wall of the room was gone.
---------
Seven years later, the girl who was burdened with unwanted memories and a fate became a top-class competitor.
Hurting people was within the rules. She was an expert in light projectile shooting, throwing, and grappling techniques. In her 'full power mode,' she was an overwhelming force with the inherited power of the 'Iron Arm.'
"But there's a side to Zeke that she doesn't show in matches. The heir and executor of the oldest battlefield combat technique in Belka... the art of human destruction."
"The 'essence of Elemiya,' right?"
"Yes."
Victoria nodded at Harry's words.
"I was also defeated by that Zeke last year."
Mikaya's eyes, as she spoke to Vivio and the others, were narrowed.
"Don't misjudge when to back off, Nove...!"
No matter how worried she was, Mikaya was just a spectator and couldn't do anything. All she could do was pray for her best friend, who was serving as a second.
The two fighters glared at each other on the field, and no one could stop them.
Elemiya crouched down.
"Einhart! No counterattacking or defending!! Don't get hit, no matter what!"
"Yes!"
The moment she nodded at Nove's warning,
"Geist Qual—"
"Disappear—!!"
Einhart, who was outmatched, twisted her body with all her might. Thanks to that, she was able to escape from Elemiya, from her swinging left hand.
Immediately after, the spot where Einhart was was destroyed—it was scraped away.
That destruction went beyond the ring's protective field and even cracked the outer wall.
"It was... scraped away!! The champion's claws, her fingertips!! They scraped the ring!! Einhart's armor also seems to have been torn apart and vanished!!"
As the words said, although it didn't hit her body directly, a large part of the Build Burning's chest armor was gone.
"(Magic-imbued strike... It's similar to Miura-san's 'Sword Draw,' but...)"
The level was completely different. Miura's Sword Draw was a slash. It had a sharpness that tore. But this strike was an attack that scraped away, that erased.
"Nanoha, is that...?"
Fate asked Nanoha about the unfamiliar magic.
"Yeah... I think it's probably classified as 'Eraser' magic. An erasing strike."
Nanoha couldn't say for sure since she had never seen an Eraser of that proficiency level.
"She used it in Mikaya-san's match last year, too. That time, it went beyond the crash simulate, and the front of Mikaya-san's right hand was truly pulverized."
"What?!"
"Because of that, she couldn't hold her sword and Mikaya-san was defeated. Of course, since it was an injury during the match, Elemiya-san wasn't responsible, but Mikaya dropped out of the tournament after that."
She had gone missing after that.
"In other words, it's a super dangerous mode."
Shō also explained it to the girls next to him.
"Such... a dangerous technique..."
"But this is a competition, right? Is it okay to use such a technique...?"
That's a good point. In terms of Stands, it's like 'The Hand'. The attack performance is exactly like that.
Since the user's speed is a factor, this one might even be stronger.
I think it's supposed to be non-lethal, so nothing too bad should happen... but something bad did happen last year.
"Nove...!"
"I know...!"
Mikaya, who had experienced this attack, had told Nove to be ready to throw in the towel at any time when Elemiya entered this mode.
The next attack was coming.
Elemiya's left hand, imbued with the magic of the 'Eraser,' was pointed at Einhart.
The memories of countless battlefields she had run through all by herself. In front of her were soldiers of many battles. It didn't matter how many there were.
She would reap every life below. Before the Iron Arm of the 'Black Emilia,' all life had no value.
Einhart's counterattack punch, which she had thrown instinctively, was caught, and she was pulled in.
"(It hit—oh?)"
A four-strike combo in an instant. Einhart's both shoulders and both hip joints were destroyed, and she lost all sensation in her limbs. But fortunately, this was within the range of the crash simulate. It would disappear once the match was over.
Einhart felt a shiver before the pain.
With her limbs taken away, and nothing she could do as she was falling, Elemiya wound up for a big strike against an opponent who would have been a down-win if she had just left her alone.
"This is bad!! Nove!!"
"Einhart-san!!"
No matter how much Mikaya and Vivio and the others shouted,
"You idiot, Zeke!! If you use such a big move on an opponent who can't defend themselves...!!"
"Zeke!!!"
No matter how much Harry and Victoria and the others shouted, their voices couldn't reach the field.
"Nove!! The towel!! Throw the towel, nowww!!"
"I know—!!"
Nove wound up at Chloe's desperate shout, but Elemiya's fingertips were clearly going to reach Einhart faster.
"(Damn it! What am I doing?! I should have done it sooner...! I won't make it...!)"
At that moment, Astion, who was inside Einhart, let out a loud cry.
"Nyaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
"Gah!! Cyclone Tornado Kick!!"
Einhart barely managed to perform a Dimensional Emperor Style technique. With a kicking technique that spun her body, she somehow deflected the Eraser arm.
The sudden gust of wind that erupted around her caressed Elemiya's skin, and the sanity returned to her eyes.
"She held back?! The champion's finishing blow didn't make a direct hit! But Einhart is ruled a down!!"
"Tio...! I'm saved. Thank you...!"
It was the full-power healing of her partner. It had used up most of her magic, but she had managed to avoid a serious injury.
"Tio?"
"Nya..."
Even when she said thank you, only a weak meow came back.
And for good reason. From damage mitigation to recovery, Astion had been at full power all the time during this match, especially since she had taken so many hits.
For Einhart's magic to run out meant that Astion, who was powered by that magic, would also stop functioning.
"Tio, I'm okay now! You can rest..."
With that, she deactivated Astion's functions.
The Build Burning's armor was also scraped away from the repeated Eraser attacks, and sparks were flying from all over the place.
It was only a matter of time before it too would stop functioning and become a heavy restraint.
But the air around Elemiya in front of her had returned to what it was before she went berserk. Now she just had to finish it with her own power.
"Until the end...!"
"...!"
"Einhart is standing! Her BJ and armor are in tatters, but her will to fight hasn't waned! The champion quietly takes a stance!!"
Elemiya was supposed to have the overwhelming advantage, but her expression was clouded, perhaps because of the guilt from what she had just done.
"(I haven't grown at all. Even after meeting so many people and even finding someone I love. In the end, I'm still trapped in the past. At least, at least with this one strike—)"
She had no magic left to perform a technique. She poured all her remaining magic into her right hand.
"Uaaaaahhh!!"
"...!!"
Einhart's all-out punch was useless against the champion, who still had power to spare.
Unlike Einhart, who had put everything on one strike, Elemiya had a second punch.
Einhart, whose solar plexus was struck, lost the rest of her remaining life and—fell.
"Match over!! The champion wins a solid victory in the end! But Einhart also showed a spectacular performance that you wouldn't expect from a rookie! She will surely become a player to watch on the national level!!"
The announcers and spectators, who didn't know the circumstances between the two, were ecstatic about the wonderful match. The people involved were relieved that the match had ended without any major injuries.
"Phew... it's over..."
Shō, who had forgotten to breathe at the final moment of the match, was one of them.
"That was a wonderful match..."
"Yes... We lost, but I think it was a good match."
"And Sieglinde-sama is a fighter of incredible skill. For her to have beaten Einhart-sama so one-sidedly."
The Holy Empress, Yukina, and Kokkoro also shared their thoughts.
"..."
"...Haah, Senpai."
"What?"
"If you're that worried, why don't you go see her? The Holy Empress is with us."
It seemed Yukina had seen right through him.
She said it with a look of exasperation, as if she wasn't amused.
"Sorry, I'm going to go for a bit. I'll be right back."
Calming his restless heart, Shō stood up.
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