The rhythmical sound of the Magic Train speeding along the tracks, as well as the resulting vibrations, were pleasant as we left the wasteland and began approaching wetlands. The greenery ahead was easy on the eyes, and the smell of the air told me we were getting close to Aryaka.
“On the east, Floortje, Floortje... On the west, Demon Lord, Demon Lord...” announced Adela on top of the dohyō, spreading her white fan.
“Good luck, Floortje,” said the prince.
“Bring that guy down!” continued Phalaris.
“Don’t lose, yokozuna,” added Mamiana.
“May the bout go in your favor,” spoke the mizuchi.
“Bark, bark, bark!”
Everybody was encouraging me.
“I’ll be going, then.”
This escape would be over if I managed to defeat my opponent. With the score being two to two, this was to be the final bout regardless of whatever else happened. I had never done team sumo before, but it had been fun going against demons and various monsters. Getting from the Elven Forest Republic to the Dwarven Great Caves had taken a long time, but at least the final part of this journey—the ride on a Magic Train—wouldn’t take long.
The Demon Lord and I climbed the dohyō at the same time. My opponent was all smiles.
“You’re not very lordly for a Demon Lord.”
“I’ve got a long life span, see. Been ruling for two hundred years now. Eventually you realize there’s not much point in throwing your weight about.”
“Erhard was more solemn than you.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t get it at all. Thanks for making my son lose, by the way.”
“And you’re planning to settle that score?”
“Not at all. I really mean that. A guy’s gotta lose at least once, ’cause if he doesn’t come to realize he’s not the strongest in the world and that there are fights he can’t win no matter how strong he gets, he’s gonna stay narrow-minded forever, you know?”
The Demon Lord was turning out to be rather different from how I had imagined him. He was more approachable and mature.
“I thought you were the haughty and whimsical type.”
“Monsters may come in many shapes and sizes, but they’re still people. Easier to lead them by example than rule with force.”
“Looks like you’re a proper monarch. I had the wrong idea about you.”
“Thanks. Now, let’s see which is stronger: Aryakan or Demonic Sumo!”
“Gladly. I’m highly fond of such silly contests of strength!”
“You’re a hell of woman, you know that?”
It made me happy to hear such words from the Demon Lord.
I grabbed a handful of salt, cast it over the ring, and accepted chikara mizu—purifying water—from Phalaris.
“Wow, that Demon Lord guy looks hella strong!” he said.
“The demonic realm is a dog-eat-dog kind of place. Physical strength, no doubt, gives you a lot of benefits. He’s going to be an exceptionally tough opponent,” I replied.
“I wanna fight him next!”
“Let’s go to their lands on a sumo tour next time, or invite them to Aryagard.”
“We can do that? That would be so much fun!”
What a lovable sumo buff this dragon was.
I took my position on my side of the lines in the ground, as did the Demon Lord.
“Face each other.”
Feeling out each other’s breathing, we began to synchronize it. I enjoyed these moments of rising tension.
The Demon Lord wasn’t all that big. He had the height of a regular adult man. And with a good set of muscles, he was a typical slim-built wrestler in appearance. The mawashi on his hips was black. Though he was a greater demon just like Arima, he had no wings on his back. Instead, he was a horned demon with a lionlike tail growing out of his rear—those features were the only things that set him apart from a human. I could sense his extraordinary strength, and it thrilled me. It might’ve been my first time going against such a ferocious opponent. I had no doubt he could use the spirit of sumo, as well as magic-imbued techniques. Being a yokozuna of Demonic Sumo, he had the same standing as me, and judging by his temperament, I didn’t think he had cheated his way to his current rank. It seemed to me he liked using loopholes in rules, but was a straight arrow in essence. I could see it in the way he carried himself: how much training he had done, how earnestly he had fought. A single, completely ordinary step of his told me everything. The Demon Lord was incredibly strong.
Our breathing synchronized. I rose, kicking the ground, and the two of us loudly smashed into each other. Ah... His moves were staggering in their agility. I could feel his strength directly.
“You’re strong!” spoke the Demon Lord.
“So are you!”
As our initial clash left us equally matched, we grabbed each other’s mawashi, both ending up in left-handed grips. Wow, his hand is sticking to me like glue. I had never fought a wrestler with such a firm grip before. As we pushed each other in the center of the ring, I could really feel his strength.
With a clank, it felt as if the gears of my sumo spirit aligned and began to rotate. At the same time, four horned goat skulls appeared behind the Demon Lord, beginning to rotate at a high speed. What a punk form for the sumo spirit to take!
We were evenly matched in strength. The Demon Lord pulled on my mawashi to try and throw me off-balance. I pulled on his with the same amount of strength. Letting go of his mawashi and putting my arms around him instead, I attempted a beltless arm throw, which he smoothly avoided by adjusting his center of mass. He then went for an overarm throw, but I grabbed his mawashi again.
The tension was numbing. Any lapse in concentration would see me thrown to the ground. We were perceiving each other’s actions at an extremely high level. He was strong, astonishingly so. Before I knew it, a ferocious smile had surfaced on my face.
The two trains raced through the wetlands. The sound of their steam whistles scared off flocks of waterfowl, who escaped into the sky. With such striking scenery in the corner of my vision, I was locked up with the Demon Lord in the ring.