Chapter 103 – Look at me
Just as I was about to put more strength into my legs so I could move around with more speed.
“Stop. Interval.”
“…… Ha?”
Jamdi’el rang the bell and stopped us.
The moment he heard it, Mr. Machio turned his back on me and went to the corner.
“Uncle… water. Water”
“Aah, good girl, Amae. Thank you.”
“Unfu~!”
Amae offered a glass of water to Machio when he reached the corner.
Machio patted Amae’s head and took it. Amae gave a delightful smile of satisfaction.
Oh, I see… you mean a break?
“Tch …”
『Fufufufu, how is it? Child.』
Going to the corner, I felt literally drained, and I clicked my tongue too.
Then a grinning Tre’ainar was waiting for me.
「My back hurts. I mean, what is that martial art… did you think that up, too?」
『You might say so… dynamic techniques using punches, kicks, throws, joints, and even the environment… tis not so much about defeating the opponent, tis more to do with captivating, exciting, and entertaining the crowd.』
「It’s not going to be easy! I almost lost consciousness!」
I complained to Tre’ainar in my mind, but he still seemed to be enjoying himself as much as ever.
“Un. Water”
“Ah? Oh, are you giving it to me?”
“Un”
“I see… Thank you.”
“…Mufu. Amae… good girl ♪.”
At that time, Amae trotted up to me from the opposite corner and gave me some water as well.
Apparently, they’re going to be fair around here.
I took it gratefully, drank it, and poured a bit on my head to calm down.
“Fu~”
Them, my mood having settled down, and I calmly recalled the previous offense and defense.
The technique that Mr. Machio performed.
However, the more calmly I think, the more I can’t see the need to properly receive an attack that is so full of openings.
That’s right, it’s impossible to properly get hit.
「I mean, Tre’ainar! What was that about, I shouldn’t dodge it or something… what are you thinking?」
『No, tis a good experience, is it not? Besides, he would have held back, by nature those techniques look large, but their power is dispersed…』
「……… just to Electrify the crowd…」
『E, elektify』
「What’s more, you were rooting for Machio!」
『I, I was not…』
When I stared at him with scornful eyes, Tre’ainar looked the other way.
He was obviously agitated.
When I saw Tre’ainar looking like that, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
「…… was this something you were passionate about?」
『…… Nuh-uh…』
「And… seeing a guy who inherited it…. were you overjoyed?」
『…… Child…』
「Geez…」
When I asked him that, Tre’ainar shut his mouth to think a little. Seemed he had something in-mind.
But I saw only that reaction, and I didn’t ask any more.
“Next round, begin!”
Then, the end of the interval was announced by Jamdi’el, and the bell rang again.
At the same time, I got out of the corner…
“…… I’m good enough for you…. I’ll remind you of that.”
『…… eh!?!』
I naturally said something like a new resolve and jumped out.
That’s right. Not what Jamdi’el passed along, but what I inherited from Tre’ainar himself…
“Here we go!”
“What’s next?”
“He must have been surprised by Mr. Machio’s skill…”
“Ah. He’s going to attack like he did before, using his legs to run around, right?”
As I noticed, there were quite a few people around the ring. And some of them, as I noticed earlier, were…
“He’s… what…… What the heck?”
“Umm, against the strongest warrior, that Machio… is he fighting?”
“There’s no way, right? That’s… someone about the same age as us…”
“This isn’t scary, is it!?”
Even those they were there.
What are they doing here? Did you skip school? Well, staying seemed awkward.
And at the same time, I remembered what I said to them. What did I say to them when I parted?
Don’t just linger there, man up, or something…
Could I throw out such a line, be described as “running around with my feet” and remain silent?
“Let’s go, Mr. Machio!”
I’m not willing to take such a stupid attack.
However, I won’t dodge those attacks to be deemed as running around with my feet either.
I’ll show you, “how to fight with your feet”.
“Come on.”
Going forward, crossing the center of the ring first, and I reached Mr. Machio who was still approaching.
At the same time, I firmly clenched my right fist, swung it in motion, and hit him from the start.
“Great Demon Full Swing!!”
“Nu”
A wide swing of my fist. Usually, it’s not so easy to land the hit, but Mr. Machio was still ‘deliberately’ tanking all my attacks rather than being unable to respond to them.
My fist is buried into his nose. However, Machio took it without even blinking, and his legs and neck did not waver at all.
As for me, numbness spread throughout my right arm.
Hard…… But……
“Don’t move… here’s the next one.”
“Nu!?”
“Arcane True Zenith Knuckle Arrow!”
Machio took a big swing at me who was in his pocket, as if he was throwing a projectile.
It was a punch that made my full swing even bigger.
That clenched fist was swung down at me… but…… he can’t hit me.
“Yotto”
“……phew… fast!”
Well, I’m not particularly surprised because I knew Machio wouldn’t hit me, but I avoided Machio’s fist by moving only slightly ‘just barely close enough to graze my head and shoulder’.
However, Machio’s attack did not end there.
“Arcane True Zenith Horizontal Chop!”
“Hoi”
“… Mmm …”
This time, I avoid the attack like a hand sword ‘enough to barely graze my chest’.
Then, after these two evasions, Machio seemed to have noticed something, and his eyebrows twitched a little.
“…… This is…”
『…… Child…』
Also. both Jamdi’el and Tre’ainar seem to have noticed what I was doing.
“Oh, he’s avoiding it again.”
“That, an amateur going against Mr. Machio is just reckless.”
Only the gallery seemed not to have noticed yet. But from here…
“Great Demon One Two!”
“Tsu… Nu… Arcane True Zenith Straight Knuckle!”
“Hoi”
“…!?”
My one-two attack poked Mr. Machio in the face, and he threw a straight punch on the counterattack.
I bent my upper body…. swaying to barely avoid it at the last minute ‘just enough to let him touch my bangs’.
“Oooh, but it’s dangerous!”
“A hairbreadth! He almost hit you!”
“Go, Mr. Machio, show us the mighty attack!”
“Hey, kid, if you’re going to run away, run around bigger! You can see how dangerous it is!”
The gallery unintentionally let out a gasp at the one hair breadth margin.
However, Machio’s expression had changed now.
“You…”
“Don’t miss it! Great Demon One Two!”
Aiming at the edge of Machio’s fist, I pulled off the one-two again.
Of course, there was no damage to Mr. Machio, and he immediately struck back again.
“Arcane True Zenith Water Surface Kick!”
“Yoi”
“Eh!?”
A low-flying kick that lowered the hips to strike at my feet. I backed away and avoided the kick ‘just barely grazing my shin’.
“You… Well, Arcane True Zenith Inverted Horizontal Chop! Arcane True Zenith Low Kick!”
Machio’s attacks were getting faster and faster, and he could shoot up and down almost simultaneously. But……
“Not Anymore… I won’t let you touch me.”
“Eh!?”
Repeat ‘Dare to just barely evade’ at the shortest possible distance.
And it seemed that the gallery had finally begun to notice.
“Hey, hey…”
“Something… weird, right?”
“Being so close… why can’t you touch him?”
“Take a look! His… feet movement!”
“Uncle’s Punch… not hitting.”
Yes, I don’t use the entire ring to fight at a great distance.
Dare to fight a super close combat. In the midst of it all, always moving the feet in small increments to evade the opponent’s attacks at high speed at the shortest distance.
And if the attacks of Machio become faster, then my speed will also increase, and if the power of the opponent’s attack increases, I’ll gradually counterattack back.
“A, amazing… so amazing! Wh, what is he?”
“He’s not… using magic… it’s flesh and blood… how can he do that!?”
“Come on… I can’t think of any words to describe it…”
“…… I… It’s like an art-form.”
Stop and exchange blows fairly? Use the feet to get away? Wrong. I use my feet to exchange blows fair and square.
That’s my way, which started the day Tre’ainar trained me. And that’s what I inherited.
“Gu… what an in and out… and a solid left and right like a blunt instrument…… what is this…”
“I can still go fast, Mr. Machio.”
“Eh!?”
Even if there was no damage, Mr. Machio seemed to be surprised with eyes wide open, as expected.
Finally, will you get a bit serious now?
“……Certainly the footwork is splendid… but…… that’s not what I find impressive. Because, if it is only about simple speed, Karui is faster…. therefore…… what is impressive… is he doesn’t make any mistakes. Does thou have no… fear?”
At that time, Jamdi’el, who was looking at me with sharp eyes, muttered quietly.
『However big it may be, the damage will not be avoided if it hits even slightly… let alone with the opponent’s superhuman strength… without blinking at the opponent’s attack in the super close combat, daring to evade by the margin of the skin’s depth or a piece of paper… in other words, though the child has a sense of tension against that attack, it does nothing to slow his reaction with fear… while taken aback by the first Lariat being an unknown technique…. that is no longer an issue.』
And in the corner, Tre’ainar, who had been huffing a while ago, was muttering with a somewhat warm look.
『Hmm…… such impudence… child… are you showing off? Are you telling me watch you?』
That’s right, Tre’ainar.
Don’t look back on the old days.
You have me now!
『My Goodness… jealous are we… such a cute little fellow.』
「No I’m not!」
『Oi… Do not distract yourself in the middle of a spar, concentrate.』
「Osu!」
And I ran through again, feeling like my back was pushed by Tre’ainar, and…
“Now to the right! Get blown away!”
“Eh!?”
“Great Demon Smash!!”
Regardless of my sore fist, I sent a smash, which had no damage on the left, into the lower jaw of Machio on the right.
“Tsu … tsu …”
It was as hard as ever, and his knees don’t waver or step back.
What kind of body do you have?
My fist, are you okay?
But still, it was a smash on the counter with speed.
I think it was pretty good, but…
“Hmm… that’s a big one… I see…”
Then, Machio who received my smash…
“Apparently… the extent of my attacks… you don’t find them scary… or, do you know of even stronger attacks?”
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, loosened his stance and muttered to himself as he relaxed his entire body.
“You’ve probably… fists more destructive than yours… kicks sharper than yours… attacks that are more anomalous and faster than yours… you’ve fought someone who is overwhelmingly stronger than you, right?”
Machio looked up, stared straight at me, and asked.
To that question, I naturally remembered the faces of the four.
Mr. Aka’s fists.
Bro’s kicks.
Toulowe’s speed and tricky attacks.
Tre’ainar’s strength.
That was exactly what happened.
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“I see…”
No matter how fascinating the technique is to watch, I won’t go along with it, and I won’t lose.
With that in mind, I answered Machio.
“Hey, hey… the bell hasn’t been rung yet, right?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Did you quit?”
“Mr. Machio…?”
“Uncle…”
Machio suddenly stopped and ended the spar itself.
After showing a little thought, he turned to Jamdi’el under the ring.
“Master. We shouldn’t be doing any more.”
“…………”
“A man who moves like this… the only way to catch him is to go all out…. but it won’t be sparring anymore.”
Machio offered to suspend the spar.
It seemed to be the judgment that things will go beyond a mock battle if we go on.
“…… Certainly…… should this go any further… thou might break the dojo… or each other…”
“I’m sorry”
“…… Earth Lagann… is that acceptable?”
“Huh? Hmm~ … well…… if you’re not motivated, then fine…”
Even though I was still warmed up and had a long way to go, I accepted the spar’s suspension.
Certainly, I was convinced that it would go beyond the mock battle.
“That said, this spar is my loss. That was a great move.”
And, Machio refreshingly admitted defeat at this point.
“Ke, what… I’m not happy with this one bit, and I don’t think I won anything. This is coming from someone who hasn’t given it his all.”
“Not giving it my all? You didn’t show your trump card either, aren’t you same?”
I still had the Breakthrough.
Apparently, both Machio and I have seen that we could get a step stronger from here.
However, I understand that it was a mutual thing.
I don’t feel like I can see Machio’s bottom yet.
That’s why we didn’t reveal any more of each other’s hands here, and the conclusion is…
“Then … this time …”
“Oh, in three months we’ll settle things.”
We’ll settle it in the coming days. With that promise, our spar came to an end.