Boosting my level 2 sumo spirit to its highest possible speed, I shuffled my feet across the ring, making a swift approach.
“Demon Lord!!!”
“Floortje!!!”
We crashed into each other once more. My opponent immediately went for a hip throw. It was a perfect hip throw—its timing and speed were flawless. The kind of technique I could never hope to resist. And yet I did.
“What?!”
“You can throw your godlike techniques at me all you want—you think I would do sumo if I were scared of perfection?!”
“Kgghhh!!! This is why you never fail to hold my attention!”
Even with my unrefined moves, I was able to put up a fight against his perfect techniques. I can do this. Somehow I could endure perfection on the level of microns. In my head, I had zero understanding of how I was doing it, but still I was able to snatch those momentary openings to deflect the incoming techniques. Overwhelming fear and delight had seized me and were moving my body. I could still fight!
Floortje, my child... This is Florence... I am speaking directly into your mind...
Shut up, useless goddess! Can’t you see I’m busy?!—I replied in my head.
The Demon Lord’s third form is dangerous... Abandon the fight... Taking even a single hit could end your life...
Hah hah! You’re making me laugh!
Sad though it may be, humans can only grow so strong... Think what the future would hold if you were to continue... The people who love you would be stricken with grief...
I’ve already taken that into consideration—now shut up! I don’t need the future or glory—all I want is to fight the mighty opponent in front of me! Nothing else!
Floortje, you must reconsider...
I could feel the sorrow of the useless goddess. The words she uttered came from her pure love. I knew that full well. But I had no presence of mind to spare on considering such facts. Being endlessly preoccupied with catching the millisecond-long openings to block the Demon Lord’s attacks which could kill me in a single hit, I was clueless on how I could possibly bring him down. For now, I had to hold out. With all I had. It was the only way to put up a fight against my opponent’s strength.
“What are you? No human could avoid these.”
“Forget limits and common sense; forget gods and demons! I am a sumo wrestler!”
I grappled him, and in the next moment he grappled me back. Sensing a perfect technique with godlike speed on the way, I found a few nanoseconds of opportunity to avoid it. My sumo spirit was rotating at its fastest. The additional gear was spinning so fast, its flower pattern blurred and looked like a simple pink circle.
My breathing was rough, my muscles feeling ready to snap. I was only able to stay in the fight through sheer willpower and grit. Losing courage for but a moment would spell my defeat. Whether I would live or die, whether I would win or lose—I threw it all to the heavens.
Crack! The Demon Lord’s harite grazed me, breaking one of my ribs into pieces. Perhaps it was the adrenaline that made me feel so little pain. I could still fight. Overcome your limits. Overcome the Demon Lord. Overcome the demon god in front of your eyes.
Crack! Snap! Blood came spurting forth. My bones had cracked. Yeah? So what?!
“You can do this, Floortje!!!”
A sound reached my ears. The voice of my loved one. Even now, when all my five senses were entirely dedicated to the fight, I could still hear his voice.
“Keep up the fight, Lady Floortje!”
“Don’t you lose on me!”
“Fight on, Floortje!”
“Don’t you dare lose this, Floortje!”
I heard everyone cheering too.
“Floortje! Floortje! Floortje!” came the vigorous shouting of all the elves who had gathered in the Martial Arts Hall.
Power... I could feel everyone’s sumo power flowing into me.
“Don’t let up now, sir!”
“Keep it up...”
“Show her what’s for-lene!”
“Fight on, sir!”
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord! Demon Lord!”
I could see sumo power flowing into my opponent as well. He smiled.
“You’re going down, Floortje!!!”
“Make me!!!”
As the two of us crashed together for the third time, my opponent executed a captivating underarm throw. Its speed and timing were flawless. And yet, I managed to resist it through the kind of strength of hips I didn’t know I possessed. The audience grew excited.
Something slipped out of the depths of my body. I analyzed it with my sumo senses. Something that was the stuff of legends had surfaced after passing through the center of my tailbone. I didn’t know where this power had come from, but what I did know was how tremendous it was. It instilled enough dread in me to make the hairs on the back of my head stand on end.
Using this skill will kill me.
This power was simply too great. It was too great for humans to use without consequence. I finally realized that this was what Florence had been trying to warn me about. Perhaps this power would allow me to defeat the Demon Lord. However, the cost of it would be my life. The human body could not endure the toll this skill placed on the user.
I could use it only once. Should I...?
I have someone I love. We’ve only just become engaged. Even Adela would cry. Waiting for me is a happy future with everyone.
I don’t even need to think about this.
I’ll use it.
For I am...
A rugged sumo wrestler whose spirit’s flame burns constantly!
And if I get to use the skill of a god, then I’ll gladly die for it!!!
I twisted my left hand counterclockwise, my right one—clockwise.
“What?!”
A spinning force lingered in the air. What I was about to perform...was a skill of the gods.
“Divine skill! Takemikazuchi!!!”
A chill poured from the lingering spinning force of my left hand, and hellfire from that of my right. Water and fire collided with force between my hands, launching a massive explosion towards the Demon Lord.
KA-BOOM!!!
“What the—?!”
My opponent tried to stop the explosion by grabbing my right hand with godlike speed. I twisted my hand and grabbed hold of his. His arm was crushed like a reed stalk and twisted away in an impossible direction. Enveloped in the explosion, the Demon Lord went flying.