That was the type of match that unfolded for the bare-handed finals. It was crude, with no hint of elegance or grace, furthered only by each fighter’s primitive instincts.
That was the final blow.
“Ngh!”
A kick-based Rumbling Thunder from Lynokis collided with Gandolph’s stomach, completely breaking through his block.
Their movements had gradually been slowing, so I’d thought it was about time for something to give. Whichever one of the two managed to break through first would be the winner.
Gandolph went flying back and landed face down within the ring.
Yeah, that was predictable. Gandolph’s suffered way more damage, after all.
He wasn’t able to move his arms anymore. After taking so many hits directly to them, his bones had probably broken at some point. It would’ve been fine at first, but as the fight progressed, his chi would’ve run out, and once his muscles could no longer take the strain, cracks would’ve kept forming in his bones until eventually they shattered.
And then there was that right eye of his. Having lost the vision on the right side of his body, there were many occasions where it had been impossible for him to dodge. Rather than miscalculating the dodge and taking a direct hit, it was much safer to guarantee a block.
Lynokis was also injured, but there was a difference. Her upper body movement might have been limited due to the bite from Zeon, but she had always been more proficient at kicks—enough so that she was able to use Rumbling Thunder with her legs. The impact of her injury was comparatively little.
“Nwaaaaaaaaaagh!”
Gandolph tried to push himself up on trembling arms, a terrifying expression on his face as he tried to stand. That was the look of a starving martial artist hungry for victory. I never would’ve imagined such a gentle soul was capable of such a face. It was fascinating to see. He really was a born martial artist. He would definitely get stronger from here.
“Stand up! You can do it!”
“Gandolph! Gandolph!”
The crowd had been so quiet, but suddenly, they raised their voices in support, yelling so loud it sounded as if they were straining their vocal cords.
Lynokis was still standing, shoulders huffing with breath. Looking closely, there was blood all over her. She was a mess. Naturally, so was Gandolph, still on the ground. After having taken so many heavy hits directly to his arms, they were covered in fresh bruises. The internal bleeding was so severe, they were even starting to blacken.
The audience had finally understood the situation. But it seemed impossible now. Even if Gandolph managed to stand himself back up, there was no way he could fight any longer.
“Gack...!”
Oh, that’s blood. This isn’t good.
“That’s enough!”
The referee put a stop to the fight there. If Gandolph was coughing up blood, then there was a good chance he had internal bleeding somewhere. That could be potentially lethal.
“The victor is Leeno!” the referee yelled. They had clearly seen that it would be impossible for Gandolph to continue. Even though the man himself seemed motivated to keep going, there was no way his body could keep up.
It was a good match, though.
“And so, we have our victor for the bare-handed division! Put your hands together for our champion, Leeno!” I enthusiastically declared with pride at my beloved pupil’s victory, with acceptance of the defeat of another of my beloved pupils, after he’d shined with the brilliance of a true martial artist, and with praise for each of their valiant efforts. My declaration was met with earth-shattering cheers and applause.
Gandolph was taken away on a stretcher carried by four people while Lynokis left the ring on her own two feet, albeit limping the whole way. She might have been unsteady, but she was still walking without support.
I’d assumed her injuries were light, but apparently, her body had gotten closer to its limits than I thought. Well, even if she avoided any direct hits, the blows did still land.
I didn’t want to say anything, but...both Rumbling Thunder and Roaring Thunder were very basic Techniques. It’d have been better if they’d been using more advanced Techniques like... No, let’s not. My students still had the opportunity to improve. Rushing such things never ended well. For now, this was fine progress.
Since there were only two matches today, we didn’t rush onto the next. The staff took the time to carefully clean the ring after that intense fight, removing all the blood that had been spilled. Though even then, they hadn’t managed to completely remove all of it, so bloodstains remained here and there.
They were the marks of all those who had fought in the ring. The audience could just view it as the history of the martial artists. It was only a few months’ worth of history, but it was proof of how the fighters had shined.
Incidentally, what should have been showing on magivision right now was live footage of a different part of the island. That, or past matches. So the Liston crew took that time to have a break and hold a meeting.
“Miss Liston, are you free?”
Hmm? While I was going over the itinerary for the next match and what came after, a man with a staff armband approached.
“Leeno and Gandolph are both asking to see you... Would you come with me?”
What?
“They’re asking for me? Why?” I asked, voicing my confusion.
But he looked just as confused as me. “I apologize, but I’m not quite sure myself... I was just asked to bring you as soon as possible. I’m sorry I can’t give you any more information.”
It really was unclear.
“You were asked to? As in, by Leeno and Gandolph directly?”
Both of them should be at the infirmary right now.
“No, I was asked by one of the doctors. It was a woman...”
Oh. A female doctor in the infirmary? I could definitely make a guess as to who it was. But that was definitely bad.
“I understand. Mr. Bendelio, I must take my leave for a moment.”
I didn’t even wait for his response before I dashed away.
“What? Oh, uh, don’t take too long!”
Of course I wouldn’t. I was looking forward to the finals of the weapons division myself. There was no way I would miss it.
“Y-You’re so fast...”
“I can find my own way from here. Thank you for bringing me.”
Honestly, I’d practically left the man in the dust on the way, but I thanked him anyway, and let him leave before heading into the infirmary alone.
“Oh, you’re finally here. This way.”
Inside was a single doctor, and Gandolph and Lynokis lying on some simple cots.
“How are they?” I asked. Lynokis was still conscious and turned to look at me, but there was no response from Gandolph.
“She’s fine, he’s in pretty bad condition. I can treat him, but the question is whether or not his body can handle it. Lend me that power from before. Oh, and his eye is in rough shape.”
“Okay.”
Neither of us asked too many questions. This was the underground doctor I had met at the Umbral Arena. She was the one I’d met when Lynokis’s arm had been cut off by the Kenki. It seemed she’d remembered me after all, even though I’d worn a disguise back then... But if she remembered me, then there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about that.
I turned to Gandolph. His body was covered in bruises... This isn’t good at all. Lynokis’s final kick had left a very clear bruise. There hadn’t even been a slight usage of chi to defend himself. No wonder his insides got messed up.
“Mind if we start?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
The doctor and I stood on either side of Gandolph as she stretched a hand out.
“Ultra Heal.”
Light appeared from her hand in a pentagonal shape, stretching over Gandolph’s stomach area. I then forced chi through that part of him to stimulate his chi and speed up his body’s natural healing processes.
“Oh, that’s already much better.”
Really?
“Teaming up makes it so much faster,” I remarked. I felt like I might have said something similar back in the Umbral Arena as well.
“The guy’s own vitality also helped a lot, I think.”