I’d been looking forward to their rematch, but...unluckily, Zeon had been paired up with Lynokis before they got the chance.
Gandolph might have been inexperienced, but he was undoubtedly a fine martial artist. No matter the issue at hand, he would simply prove himself with his strength—his acceptance of that was what showed he had the spirit of a warrior. He was definitely of the opinion that he could clear up the doubts surrounding him with his performance.
In this respect, he was similar to me. He was the type to find overthinking pointless. He was likely of similar mind that everything would be so much easier if we could just solve everything with our strength. That way of thinking didn’t fly in regular society, but in the martial arts world, it was surprisingly reasonable logic. Too many of us martial artists weren’t huge thinkers.
The real problem was Tohaulow. Now that I was seeing them opposite each other like this...I was getting worried.
She’s strong, right? I’m correct in thinking she’s stronger than Zeon, right? She won’t fall into the same trap as he did, will she? This fight with Gandolph won’t end without her even leaving a scratch, will it? She’s definitely a Hero candidate, right? This’ll be fine, right? There won’t be a disappointing match this close to the end, right? I’m begging you here, even if you lose, at least put up a good fight.
“Let the match begin!”
The moment the referee gave the signal, Tohaulow took a huge step forward. Hmm, she’s pretty fast.
Using that speed, she leaped for Gandolph’s head and fired out a dropki— No.
“Ngh!”
It was very clear that Gandolph had just been caught off guard.
“Tohaulow has gone for a choke hold.”
The beastkin slithered around Gandolph’s body, and in a matter of seconds, she was on Gandolph’s back, circling her arms around his neck.
What a clever idea. If the defense is too strong, then don’t bother trying to break it. It was such a simple line of logic.
“Ah.”
I couldn’t hear Tohaulow’s voice from here, but she almost certainly let out a little noise, before quickly jumping away.
“It appears the choke hold was ineffective.”
“What the hell are you? Why’s your body so solid?” Tohaulow grumbled. They were in the middle of their match, but she couldn’t help but say it. She’d executed the choke hold perfectly; she’d wrapped her arms around his neck without getting caught on his jaw at all.
And yet, she hadn’t even slightly managed to constrict his neck.
Even his neck muscles had been rock solid—no matter how much power she put into her arms, she hadn’t been able to do any damage. The throat and airways were not an easy part of the body to train.
“You just didn’t have enough strength,” Gandolph replied, in complete seriousness. It was the obvious response.
“If I can’t strangle you, then... Oh well,” Tohaulow sighed. “Don’t hate me if I go too far, ’kay?”
“And the same to you.”
Gandolph had just witnessed Tohaulow’s speed. He had not been underestimating her, and he had been ready to counter at any time. And yet, she had managed to climb around his neck. If that had been a real fight, his throat would likely already have been slit with a blade.
At that moment, Gandolph believed that Tohaulow was the better martial artist, regardless of who had the stronger body or mental fortitude. The way she had entered into that choke hold was almost certainly rooted in martial arts. Throws, chokes, and joint locks all required skill, unlike simple punches and kicks. Skill was something acquired and honed through training and sparring. Her strength had a proper foundation. If he dared think about holding back or not injuring her too badly, he would lose.
Although it was unintentional, Gandolph was the one who had chased away the main dojo Heavenstriker instructors from the tournament. If he didn’t manage to place in this tournament, he had no right to remain in the school. It was just as Leitao, his fellow instructor, had said. If he didn’t bring results here, there would be trouble later. Though he personally wasn’t so fussed about that part. The result of a battle couldn’t be changed, win or lose.
But his students were cheering for him. Nia was watching too. He wasn’t sure if he could win the whole tournament, but if he went down, he would go down fighting with everything he had. He absolutely did not want to step off this stage with any regrets. In that case, his only choice was to fight with all his strength. He might injure his opponent, but...
No. Even if he had to injure his opponent.
If someone was in this tournament, that meant they were as prepared as he was for the possibility that they may get injured.
Don’t look down on her. We’re equals. So fight with all of your strength.
Drops of blood scattered like early rain.
“Tohaulow has decided to scratch her opponent with the signature sharp claws of a beastkin.”
Tohaulow had combined her speed with scratches—a move that could pierce a tough defense.
The injuries that Gandolph was suffering were shallow. The beastkin was scratching through his dogi, so she wasn’t able to slash very deep, but her attacks were the type that opened the wounds wider with more slashes landed. That was what it meant to slowly chip away physically at one’s defenses.
The defending arms, the anchored legs and waist, his torso, all of it was gaining more and more shallow scratches. Tohaulow was dancing like the wind, using her speed to scratch the man from all directions. In return, Gandolph only fortified his defenses further.
“Gandolph is waiting for the decisive moment to make his move. He knows that his attacks will not land at this moment, so he is biding his time while protecting his vital points. However, this stalemate is tough. Even if the cuts are shallow, he is bleeding from each scratch. Even if they seem like light wounds now, they could be fatal in the long run.”
Not bad at all. Tohaulow wasn’t showing a bit of restraint, and Gandolph never wavered even as his skin was being shredded to pieces. An offensive that seemed one-sided, and a defense with no opening.
“However...”
However, there was a reason it only seemed one-sided.
“Tohaulow may be beginning to feel the pressure. No matter how fast she may be, the more one watches her, the more their eyes adjust. Her movements and patterns will become easy to read. And while she is maintaining her speed now, it is no doubt using an incredible amount of stamina. She is practically maintaining max speed, after all. She may be a beastkin, but that does not mean her stamina is endless. From my reading, she is very good at bursting down opponents, and that is precisely why her body is not built to last for long periods of time. The more time that passes, the more the injuries on Gandolph’s body will increase, but at the same time, Tohaulow’s speed may slow before she can complete her assault. From her position, she will want to end this fight while she can still move at her best.”
Tohaulow, aiming for a lethal strike, and Gandolph, waiting for an opening. What would the end result be?
Oh, there’s a shift.
“Tohaulow’s knees have buckled.” It was the result of her having kept up that speed for so long—she’d lost her balance and stumbled onto her left knee.
“Gandolph makes his move.”
Except the whole show was fake. C’mon, don’t fall for such an obvious trap.
Gandolph swung his fist upon seeing an apparent opening—and now that he’d opened his defenses, Tohaulow swiftly leaped for his chest.
A clean uppercut audible even from here gouged right into Gandolph’s face. Flecks of blood went flying—it wasn’t a punch, but a scratch. It looked like she had aimed for his right eye. Did she catch it?
No, it was too shallow. In fact, Gandolph had dodged, just barely. Could it be that he’d pretended to have fallen for the trap? Did he try to lure her so that he could dodge? Damn, you’re pretty clumsy, but you can come up with some crafty tricks, after all.
“Wooooaaaaaaaarrrrrgh!” Gandolph roared, grabbing Tohaulow’s shirt with his left hand and slamming her into the ground as hard as he could. The same moment he did that, he gave her a violent punch.