Maidens of Cygnus - Volume 5 - Chapter 8.3

In the boy’s final that was held following the girl’s semifinals, First High’s Club President of the men’s division, Chigusa, won without incident. At last year’s tournament, the previous President was defeated by the previous President of Ninth High’s Club. It became a situation of fulfilling revenge.

And coming up next is the girl’s final. Gathering in Marika’s waiting room was not just Alisa, Mei, and the rest of the group, but also all the female members of the Magic Arts Club, including Chika and Emi who participated in the tournament.

“Marika, this is your long-awaited rematch. Get fired up. Squeeze out every last bit of energy and strength you have left and go beat up Ichijou Akane!”

“I will!”

Marika responded to Chika’s encouragement with a voice overflowing with will to fight. From there, each female club member in turn gave their support to Marika, “Do your best”, “You can win this time”. Overwhelmed by that enthusiasm and spirit, Alisa couldn’t get very close to Marika.

“Mina, give it your all.”

As Marika left the waiting room and was on her way to the ring, Alisa finally had a chance to say those words.

Marika turned around and, with a cheerful smile, replied “Yeah, I’m going to win”.

Marika and Akane faced each other on the ring. There were no words between the two.

Their eyes had nothing but fighting spirit.

This is the rematch they both were wishing for.

And now, that decisive battle has begun.

At the first, the bout was progressing the same way as it did two months ago, eight weeks ago to be precise. From the exchange of jabs, to a rally of various punches like straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts, and adding kicks then, supplementing with tricky attacks only possible with magic.

The two temporarily distanced themselves from each other. Both had received several punches and kicks and taken a little damage.

They made eye contact and glared at each other. Their eyes were filled with fighting spirit and anticipation.

(She really is fast...)

Without looking away from Akane’s line of sight, Marika thought while keeping her whole body in mind.

(It’s annoying but I guess I’m still losing in speed.)

(But it’s not so much that I can’t handle it.)

(I’ve also been able to block ‘Nerve Disturbance’ properly up until this point.)

(I can do it. No, I will do it!)

Encouraging herself in her mind, Marika kicked the ring.

(Her defense really is tough...)

Without looking away from Marika’s line of sight, Akane thought while keeping her whole body in mind.

(And she’s gotten a lot better. Even though it has only been about two months.)

(Before, she looked like she was using her whole strength and magic power to defend against ‘Nerve Disturbance’...)

(But now, she’s matching the timing and defending herself accurately.)

(I have to focus even harder!)

Akane advised herself and intercepted Marika’s attack.

The bout suddenly accelerated from there. There was an exchange of blows, as if completely ignoring defense.

Though neither suffered any damage.

Not only Marika, but Akane too deployed a magic shield and was shutting out the opponent’s attacks.

However, points for telling blows, due to ‘effective hits’, were being added.

(...This is bad.)

(This isn’t going well.)

Beneath her expression with fighting spirit laid bare, Marika was feeling impatient.

Including the in-club practice bouts, Marika has experienced losses by technical KO due to telling blows many times in practice spars with Chika. If it keeps going like this, she might end up repeating that right here.

(Who is getting more points, me or Ichijou-san?)

(Either way, I don’t have much leeway, do I?)

(I’d hate it if it ends like that!)

Marika, who has suffered bitter defeats many times over at the hands of Chika and has come to hold a feeling of avoidance like an allergy towards technical KOs, hastily and strongly believed she should change her fighting style.

(What’s going on?) (This is my chance!)

Two thoughts intersected in Akane’s mind.

Marika stopped her offensive with unnatural timing. Is it some kind of trap? Akane thought. But Akane intuitively believed she couldn’t rest at this point.

Fighting with their feet stopped, if she were to think over it calmly, would be more disadvantageous for Akane. In order to go back to her natural style, she should relax her attacks and switch to an out-fighter style at the same time.

However, Akane chose intuition over rational thought. Akane deliberately, uncharacteristic for her usual self, chose to continue the striking battle.

To avoid a loss by technical KO, Marika tried to gain some distance by backstepping as she cancelled her shield and hardened her guard.

But Akane, wishing to continue the battle of strikes, did not let her. Akane shortened the distance faster than Marika stepped back. Even using self-movement magic, Marika couldn’t shake off Akane.

Marika tried, but was unable to reset the state of the bout.

Akane did not allow her to.

The balance between offense and defense was clearly trending towards Akane’s offense.

“...”

As Marika strengthened her guard to endure Akane’s strikes, Alisa couldn’t bear it anymore and turned her face away.

But her gaze soon returned, and she looked intently at Marika. Alisa unconsciously clenched both hands tightly.

“Why isn’t Tookami-san using the magic shield...?”

Next to Alisa, Yuuto spoke to himself, puzzled.

“Isn’t it to avoid losing by technical KO?”

Picking up on that monologue, Souma replied.

“Even if she actually takes damage, she won’t give away points if she doesn’t spread out a magic shield, after all.”

Yuuto was not convinced with that answer.

“But like this she’s pointlessly accumulating damage. Shouldn’t she prioritize briefly blocking her opponent’s attacks at this point?”

“Yuuto, do you think she has something else in mind?”

“At this rate she’s going to lose if she doesn’t.”

Hearing Yuuto’s comment, Alisa clenched her hands even harder.

Akane’s rush of strikes left Marika breathless. Her momentum could decide the bout right there.

This is a little different from Ichijou Akane’s natural fighting style. She accumulates damage on her opponent with a hit-and-run strategy and once they are sufficiently weakened she ends it with a finishing blow. That is her natural style.

To the eyes of those who knows her usual fighting style, Akane appeared to be in a hurry. Or perhaps eager.

“Akane, calm down. You need more composure...”

Ichijou Reira — Liú Lìlěi, who had served as her practice partner since before they were admitted to high school, spoke to herself with a tone of voice similar to a prayer.

Akane stopped at in-fighting distance and sent a flurry of punches. Strictly speaking, what she was drilling into Marika with a force like that of a steam piston were not punches.

Akane continuously activated ‘Nerve Disturbance’. Akane was successively firing the magic that throws the nerve impulses of the opponent into disarray, that disturbs them, into Marika.

At a glance, Akane appeared to be overwhelmingly dominant.

However, there wasn’t as much dominance as the spectators thought in Akane’s own feelings.

(...Ugh. I still haven’t gone through.)

Akane continued, half out of stubbornness, to fire ‘Nerve Disturbance’ which kept being blocked. Her rush was also a manifestation of her annoyance.

— At this point, there probably was more anxiety on Akane’s side.

(I’m in a bad spot. This is bad, very bad!)

Marika ejected anxious comments in her mind, but her body and fighting spirit — the mental faculties that are keeping the fight under control were appropriately handling Akane’s assault.

(I have to do something! I have to do something!)

Should it be said that her mind fell into a split state from being cornered? Her superficial emotions were separated from her consciousness that is in charge of the fight and the fighting functions in her mind had been purified.

No, in the end the words ‘split state’ don’t feel adequate. A ‘state of division of labor’ would be more appropriate? Without letting herself be influenced by her anxiety and trembling, she separated those from the fight and fully immersed herself in the battle.

Marika was close to what martial artists call ‘state of selflessness’.

Marika guarded against Akane’s rush by blocking.

Just like Akane was activating ‘Nerve Disturbance’, Marika was also continuously activating the anti-electromagnetism magic shield. It’s not that she’s purposefully not using ‘Reactive Armor’. She was completely focusing her magic resources on the electromagnetic shield to counter ‘Nerve Disturbance’.

At the same time as they attacked and defended with such magics, attacks with blows and subsequent defenses were also unfolding.

Marika stopped — Marika was successful in catching Akane’s punch. Akane’s rush was stopped.

In that moment, ‘Damn it!’, Akane thought. The thought that she had been unusually focused on tearing down the electromagnetic shield that she neglected her strike combination crossed her mind. Moreover, that regret put heavy shackles on Akane’s limbs for a moment.

Marika heard a voice inside her say ‘Now!’. It was the voice of her consciousness that was controlling the fight in the state of division of labor. It was a conscious thought corresponding to the ‘unconscious’ part of the state commonly known as ‘unconsciously moving your body’.

In accordance with that thought, Marika moved. Marika’s split mind returned to one.

Marika rushed forward and held on to Akane’s head. From the position of the neck grapple, Marika repeatedly sent knee strikes. From the areas where First High and Third High students were gathered, screams and cheers for each of them arose.

(...)

This time, a ‘state of unconsciousness’ visited Akane’s mind. Her superficial consciousness was separated from the fight and ordered her body to find the best solution for this situation.

Akane blocked the knee strikes twice, thrice, and right after that she used both arms that she was using to block to make a motion like she was pushing Marika’s chest away.

A short shriek came from a seat a little separated from the group of First High students.

It was Alisa’s shriek.

She realized that Akane’s casual movement was the downgraded version of ‘Organ Quake’, ‘Shintou Jin’.

Alisa’s shriek was lost in the cheers.

Alisa’s warning did not reach Marika’s ears,

A double ‘Shintou Jin’ was released from Akane’s hands.

Marika stumbled, moving backwards.

But she did not fall.

Alisa ‘saw’ it.

Marika immediately activated the body fortification magic ‘Bodily Forging’ and protected herself against ‘Shintou Jin’. However, the ‘Bodily Forging’ was not perfect.

As a result, though she didn’t completely suppress the power of ‘Shintou Jin’, she succeeded in curbing it to less than half.

(It didn’t take her down?)

A feeling of surprise crossed Akane’s face.

(There were no traces of her using a magic shield. I’m certain ‘Shintou Jin’ was successful, and yet...)

Bewilderment disoriented Akane’s mind.

But still, as she perceived the damage Marika couldn’t hide from her expression, Akane rushed to decide the bout.

Marika assumed a thrusting technique stance to confront it.

The flames of determination to end the bout with this blow were also burning in her eyes.

“Mina!”

Alisa stood up, despite herself.

“WIN IT!”

Then she shouted as loud as she could.

Not ‘do your best’, but ‘win it’.

The smile that could be seen on Marika, was it illusion, or did Alisa’s voice reach her?

Marika unleashed a middle lunge punch.

(—I will—)

At this moment, Marika was genuinely thinking one and only one thing.

Meeting the expectations of the cheer wishing for her victory. Her heart was occupied with that single purpose.

What she unleashed was no feint and no combination either, it was a single strike, honest, foolish.

Even with speed, it was easy to read what she’s going to hit, where she’s aiming at.

Akane switched from a charge to a retreat in an instant, stepping back just outside the range of Marika’s thrust.

Marika’s arm was fully stretched out.

The ideal opportunity for a counter.

Akane went into a high-kick posture.

And yet,

Akane’s movements,

Stopped there.

An expression of shock appeared on Akane’s face.

Right after, she fell to her knees, pushed her hands against her chest, and fell on the ring.

Without anyone understanding what had occurred, the inside of the hall fell completely silent.

“...Did she do it?”

Those words Yuuto loudly murmured to himself echoed.

He understood.

Alisa had also understood.

At the very last moment, she fired the Psion stream attack that Alisa unraveled, that Alisa had called ‘Psion Laser’.

Akane was acknowledged as down, the mechanical count began.

A commotion was born among the First High students and the Third High students sent screams that were cheers themselves.

Amidst the tumult, Erika, in the spectator stands, said “Heeh...”, with a smile of deep interest.

Count of eight.

Akane propped herself up with both hands and raised her body. The cheer of the Third High students overwhelmed the voices of the First High students.

Count of nine.

Akane raised her body to a position where she’s sitting with the legs to the side. Thundering yells came from the Third High Students.

However.

Akane was unable to get up by the time the count of ten was announced.

“That’s the end! The winner, Tookami!”

The referee announced the end of the bout.

Explosive shouts of joy broke out from the First High students this time.

Marika quietly looked up at the sky.

There was no smile on her face. There were no victory roars either. Only satisfaction for what she achieved occupied her expression.

Akane staggered, standing up firmly on her feet, and walked up to Marika. She took Marika’s right hand and raised it high. The thundering applause reverberated in the venue.

In the audience, even Alisa was absorbed in clapping as she cried.

Martial Magic Arts National Tournament, girls 18 and under division.

The winner was Tookami Marika.

At the end of a fierce fight, she got her revenge on Akane.