Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 14.2 - Chapter 4.01

1. On the Beach

On some remote beach, there were two women staring each other down.

The sun high in the sky blazed down on them with murderous intent.

It was sweltering.

No, scorching.

As the intense, merciless sunlight beat down on the hot beach, the two women stood barefoot. In fact, they weren’t even wearing any clothes, but they weren’t buck naked, either.

They were half naked. Each had coarse cloth wrapped around their chest and waist. No, not coarse cloth. What they had was a non-woven fabric, made by boiling bark and pounding it. This was not woven from the hair of a beast, or the stems and leaves of a plant, so it could not be called cloth.

Both had fairly long hair. One of them had hers braided, while the other had hers tied off to the left and right. The strings they used to tie their hair were also made from twined bark.

There was an inner glow in their eyes as they crouched low, bending their knees, and tilted their upper bodies forward. They shook their arms, moved one hand or the other forward, then immediately pulled it back, shifting their weight between their feet. It seemed they were each watching to see the other’s reactions.

They were drenched with sweat. Beads of sweat that looked more like beads of glass appeared and then ran off their suntanned skin, dripping from their jaws and arms without ever stopping.

There was no forewarning. Suddenly, the woman with braids attacked the woman with bundled hair.

The braided woman was aiming to grab the bundled woman from a low posture, and knock her over quickly. The sand should have held her feet at least a little and slowed her motions, but the braided woman’s tackle came lightning fast. It was a devilish tackle. No, this was a devil tackle. The bundled woman was shocked, gulping. Her eyes bulged, and all she could do was get devil tackled.

Or so it looked, but the bundled woman didn’t just go, Whoa, she’s fast! She grinned. And that wasn’t all. She actually said, “Grin!”

The thought, Hrm, this could be bad, crossed the braided woman’s mind as she charged in. The bundled woman seized her by the head, for she had accurately predicted the timing of the attack based on the braided woman’s actions. Thanks to that, it was easy for her to push the braided woman’s head down, and vault over her.

The bundled woman did a little jump, and the braided woman was forced to grit her teeth as her momentum made her pitch forward. That alone made the braided woman feel she’d been bested, but the bundled woman was greedy. I’ll be having this, too, she seemed to say as she swung her left leg backwards.

The bundled woman was airborne, and the braided woman was falling forward. Their backs were facing one another.

The bundled woman’s left foot was closing in on the braided woman’s back. Those five toes spread wide, like they were fingers. If this was rock, paper, scissors, then she was throwing paper. No, actually, this was the ideal paper made real. No paper more perfect than this could ever be thrown.

Her big toe touched the braided woman’s back.

To describe that a bit more precisely, it touched between her left and right shoulders. There—that was where she had tied her chest wrap. Once her big toe touched the knot, it was followed by her index toe.

Not just her big toe, her index toe, too? Oh, no, this isn’t lookin’ good.

The braided woman let out a strange cry of, “Mobah!” and twisted away. Sadly, it was too late. With heartless cruelty, the bundled woman grasped the knot of her chest wrap with her big and index toes.

“No-chah!”

The bundled woman let out a battle cry, and spun like a whirlwind.

With that, the chest wrap came undone.

The braided woman’s face nearly plunged into the scorching sand, but just before it did, “Ngh, nah!” she used both hands to prop herself up, preventing that pathetic conclusion. If she tried to tell you, But, y’know, really, it wasn’t frustratin’ at all, she’d just be lying. Not only had she been used as a hurdle, her breasts had been exposed, and now she looked like she was trying to do push-ups for some reason.

Ohhh, what the heck?! Why’s this happenin’?!

Turning her indignation into explosive power, the braided woman cried, “Kwomuh!” and launched into the air using the strength of her arms alone.

The bundled woman giggled, grinning as she raised her left foot a little.

The chest wrap that was now dangling from the toes of that foot swayed back and forth.

“Your booooobs are showing, Yumeryun. Hehehehheh...”

“Grrrr...”

Yume, AKA Yumeryun, gritted her teeth so hard her suntanned face turned a dark red. She wasn’t embarrassed about having her breasts exposed or anything. That didn’t matter to her one bit. The real shock was that the tackle she had gone all-in on had been completely ineffective. But still, Yume nodded. “...Not yet,” she muttered.

Whew, she exhaled. She stood up straight, taking a defensive posture with one foot forward, one foot behind, and loosened up her body.

“It’s not over yet, Momo-san. It’s still only 2-1, y’know?”

“Yeah.”

Momohina, AKA Momo-san, dropped the chest wrap she had been holding in her toes, and lowered her left foot to the beach.

“That’s the way to be, Yumeryun.”

The way she was standing was inscrutable. It looked like there should be any number of openings to attack, but if you actually attacked, she’d easily dodge out of the way. In Yume’s estimation, Momohina was slimy. She was slippery, smooth, and soft. But at the same time, when she needed to, crack, pow, she could become hard. She’d let loose explosively, boom, bam, kaboom, sometimes, too.

Momohina could do whatever she wanted, as fast or as slow as she wanted, so it was hard to approach her. What could be done about that? When Yume asked herself that question, “Hmm, maybe kinda like that,” was the kind of answer she came back with. It couldn’t be put into words. This was one of those “Don’t think. Feel!” things. If she tried to put the essence of the thing into words, she would lose it. She had to feel it. Feel. The example was right in front of her.

Yume imagined Momohina. Became Momohina. Yume was Momohina. Momo-san.

Yume = Momo-san.

She moved her feet. Yume just walked down the beach. Momohina was on the other side.

The first to seize the other’s chest and waist wraps won. That was the rule in this match. But that was no real problem. Her feet felt the softness and heat of the sand. She heard the waves. The wind blew in from the south, but not strong enough to make her long hair blow in it.

Momohina smiled, keeping her eyes focused on Yume. Yume was not smiling. She looked at Momohina, neither smiling nor laughing. They were each looking at different things, but perhaps they were essentially the same.

Yume was connected to Momohina. Not physically, but there was a link. Right now, if you pinched Momohina’s right cheek, Yume would feel the pain in her own.

The distance between the two narrowed.

It was about time.

Yume, and also Momohina, reached out with her right hand slightly open. The backs of their hands touched. Almost like a handshake. That was the signal.

Momohina thrust out her left hand. Yume’s right hand pushed Momohina’s left arm to the outside, and Momohina’s right hand closed in on Yume’s jaw. Yume knocked it away with her left hand.

Momohina tried to chop the side of Yume’s neck with her left hand. Yume diverted that chop up and away diagonally using her left elbow. Momohina launched a sweeping kick at Yume’s left knee using her right leg. Yume immediately pulled her left leg back, and waited for Momohina’s right leg to go by.

They were at close range. Nearly touching. Their arms and legs intertwined as they collided. They brushed past. They grazed one another. There was no need for them to clench their fist except at the moment of impact. There were times they could use their fingers like they were claws, too. They could go for a grab. And elbowing was, of course, valid, too. Kicks from the knee, kicks using the tip of the foot or the heel, stomps, and more. There were many ways to do it. Unlimited ways. That was why if she kept thinking, If she does this, I do this, and trying to plan it all out, she couldn’t respond. Her body would move on its own. That’s what all this training had been for.

Yume pushed hard on Momohina’s left shoulder with her right hand. She went for Momohina’s chest wrap with her left hand, but Momohina stopped her with her right hand.

Yume tried to circle around behind Momohina from the right. In order to avoid that, Momohina spun her body in the opposite direction.

Yume stopped going right, and went left instead. Or she made it look like she was, then stopped still for a moment.

That created a gap.

Yume took a deep breath. The fact was, she had hardly been breathing as she moved. Inhaling, in particular, had been impossible. That was the same for Momohina. Yume had just taken a pause to breathe, but Momohina had not.

Yume accelerated. She had breathed, so she could move. Fast. With more power. Yume launched a spinning kick to the right. Momohina effortlessly blocked it with her left arm and leg. Yume didn’t pull her right leg back. She launched a high spinning kick, then middle, and middle again. High, middle, high, low, low. She changed up her spinning kicks. Yume’s sense of balance, her unwavering axis, was something Momohina had complimented before. Yume was a little bigger, and at this range, where their hands couldn’t reach, she could put the pressure on Momohina.

But she couldn’t break through Momohina’s guard. Even with a mix of spinning kicks, forward kicks, backward kicks, and side kicks, using variations and combos, none of it worked. A flying kick would leave her too open. A knee kick would force her into Momohina’s effective range, which would be bad.

The more she attacked, the fewer cards she had left to play. Like she was attacking to eliminate her options one by one. Each time she attacked, Yume was pushed further into a corner.

She’s strong.

Yume couldn’t help but be impressed all over again. Momohina had been strong to begin with, but joining Yume in training on this island had made her even stronger. Momohina was running way ahead of where Yume was. Even when Yume chased with all her might, Momohina’s back kept pulling farther away.

“Koh!”

Yume brought her right leg up with such momentum it looked like she might bend over backwards. If Momohina hadn’t leaned back herself, Yume’s toes would have likely impacted Momohina’s jaw.

She knew Momohina would dodge. That’s why Yume didn’t just bend over backward, she did a somersault. There was a hunter skill called Weasel Somersault. Yume used that. Not once. Twice in a row, to get away from Momohina.

Finally, she could breathe. Not well, though. Her throat and her lungs hurt like they were on fire. Her heart was pounding like mad. The amount she was sweating was unreal.

“You’ve gotten good, Yumeryun.”

Momohina was sweating, too. But not to the point that she could probably drown in her own sweat like Yume. Despite the heat, the look on her face was cool.

“When we first came to the island, you were absooootutely no match for me. Urkh. Not absotutely. It’s absolutely, huh?”

Momohina put her hands on her hips and chuckled to herself. This was all no big deal to her.

Momohina was never one to worry. She was always magnanimous and easy-going.

When she was with Momohina, she could almost forget that this was a desert isle. Yume was able to stay sane on this island because Momohina was here. If Momohina weren’t around, she couldn’t have gotten stronger. Momohina taught and trained Yume. If Yume didn’t want to be weak, she just had to get strong. She could get stronger. Momohina made her believe that.

Yume stretched her back, spread her feet to shoulder width, and let her arms hang limply.

“Animal Fist... Bear!”

“Okay, then I’ll go with...”

Momohina brought her left leg forward, placing her right leg behind her. There was a distance of about two fists between her feet. She bent her knees, lowering her center of gravity. She leaned forward, hunched her back, and put her hands down on the beach.

“Animal Fist... Dog!”

Momohina’s hair stood on end. Grrrr! There was a low growl in the back of her throat.

Yume roared. Grawwwwr! She was a total bear now.

The dog ran at the bear. The bear swung her arms furiously to keep the dog at bay. The dog jumped around, dodging the bear’s arms and aiming to tear her throat out.

The bear and the dog tussled. The dog was on top sometimes, the bear others.

They broke up. The dog ran; the bear gave chase. The dog turned, and the bear fled. Eventually the bear went on the counterattack, and the dog tried to put distance between them.

“Animal Fist... Snake!”

The bear’s arms moved agilely, like snakes. Not just her arms; the bear’s, no, Yume’s whole body had become that of a snake. She assaulted the dog with snake-like hands.

“Animal Fist... Squirrel!”

Suddenly the dog, no, Momohina became a squirrel. Squirrels were small and speedy. She moved like a spinning windmill, avoiding all of the snake’s attacks.

“Fine then! Animal Fist... Scorpion!”

“I’ll go with Animal Fist... Frog!”

“Animal Fist... Bee!”

“Animal Fist... Butterfly!”

“Butterfly?!”

“I got it wrong! Jellyfish!”

“Jellyfish?!”

“No, Octopus!”

“Hippo!”

“Rhino!”

“Parrot!”

“Parrot?! Elephant!”

“C-Crocodile!”

“Egg!”

“Egg?!”

“Meow! Animal Fist, Cat!”

“Then Fly!”

“Fungh!”

“Munah!”

“Dohh!”

“Undakatsuohhh...!”

The thoughts faded from her head one after another. She had no room for extraneous thoughts. Her body was exhausted, of course. It was fair to say she was extremely fatigued. Even so, she never fully stopped. Somehow, as she blocked Momohina’s attacks, or desperately avoided them, her strength would suddenly return to her. Then she’d immediately strike back. If she didn’t push when she could, she’d always be on the receiving end.

There’s a flow in a battle. You read it. Ride its currents. Yume really wanted to master riding them. But it was still too much for her. Yume couldn’t create a current against an opponent like Momohina.

She could ride an existing current, and try to bring things a little more in her favor. It wasn’t easy. Momohina was always calmly observing Yume. Seeing, hearing, smelling, and sensing. To grasp the whole of her opponent, but also the fine details. Not in small bits, but continuously, carefully. With an all-enveloping understanding.

In her time training with Momohina, Yume had at least found the first clues to that technique. Thanks to that, now she could ride the current too.

At some point, the sun had begun to set.

After countless exchanges of attack and defense, Yume caught the knot on Momohina’s chest wrap with the big toe of her left foot.

Yume used her big toe and index toe to skillfully undo the knot of her chest wrap.

At the same time, Momohina’s left hand was tearing at Yume’s waist wrap.

The first to take the chest or waist wrap from the other would be victorious.

“Hee! Looks like I win!”

“Unnyoh! Yume lost!”

The setting sun stained the waterside orange. There was no resisting the shadows that expanded their territory with every moment that passed. The world they had invaded shamelessly donned the colors of night.

They were both spreadeagled on the beach.

Yume was buck naked. Only Momohina’s lower half was covered by her waist wrap. But what did it matter? They were the only ones on this island anyway. Until they drifted here, it had been completely uninhabited.

“We sure trained a lot today, huh? Good work, Yumeryun.”

“There’s still a long way to go. No matter how many times we fight, Yume never ends up feelin’ like she coulda won.”

“Oh, yeah? I dunno about thaaaat. The race may be tighter than you think.”

“Hmm. Tight, huh?”

“Yumeryun, you’ve got one bouncy buddlywut.”

“Is a buddlywut a butt?”

“It suuure is. Buddly-uddly-wut-wut-wut.”

“You’ve got a bouncy butt, too, Momo-san.”

“Nahhhh. My buddlywut’s got nothing on yours, Yumeryun.”

“Wait, are you complimentin’ Yume?”

“Yes, yes, I am. Because bouncy butts are the best, okay?”

“Oh, yeah?”

Right after Yume said that, there was a loud rumble.

Yume rubbed her tummy. This time, it rumbled even louder.

“...Oh. Yume’s hungry!”

“Okay!”

Momohina sprang up like nothing held her down. Even after all that training, she could move lightly. It was incredible. She was some kind of monster.

Yume slowly sat up. To be honest, she wished she could get up quickly, but there were spots where she was hurting.

Gotta keep workin’ at it.

But when she first came to the island, Yume would have been unable to so much as move at this point.

“Let’s go look for food!”

Momohina was perfectly fine going straight into the forest after training until twilight, and Yume had gotten to the point where, somehow, she could manage to keep up with her. Yume was making steady progress.