― Gaun Grand Arena Match Stage
“The final match of the block is finally here! Will it be the ‘Pink Ogre,’ Gordiana, who advances to the end?! Or will it be the berserker hammer user, Dahak!?”
“What the hell?! Who are you calling a berserker!”
Dahak, whose actions matched the description, barked at Ronowee. Kelvin and the others shook their heads in exasperation at his unchanged temper.
“Now then, Dahak-chan. Have you prepared your strategies thoroughly? I’m afraid you don’t stand a chance in a head-on battle, you know? Only someone like Gerard-ojisan could manage that right now.”
Though their sizes were vastly different, Gordiana was equipped with the same kind of knuckles as Sera and wore a black full-body suit. Normally, Dahak would be mesmerized and lost in thought, but today he was different. He stared intently at Gordiana, shifting his mind to battle. He seemed like a different person from the one who had roared earlier.
“…I get it. I’m frustrated, but I don’t have the same beauty as Master or Pritia-chan. But hey, a man’s worth isn’t determined by his looks! I’ll use everything I’ve got to win, Pritia-chan!”
Dahak slung the great hammer over his shoulder and thrust his left hand forward. Gordiana, listening to his words, nodded in satisfaction and took her stance. As she raised both hands above her shoulders, her giant frame, over two meters tall, appeared even larger and more formidable.
(This pressure is intense. It feels like I’m facing Sera-neesan when she’s filled with killing intent…)
Gordiana’s face no longer held the smile from previous matches. She stared at Dahak expressionlessly. *A serious battle.* Dahak’s heart burned with the realization that he was deemed worthy of such a fight.
“D block final, match— Begin!”
The moment the match began, Dahak leaped backward with all his might and shouted.
“You guys, go!”
“Oh my?”
In response to his cry, the grass outside the stage swelled. A multitude of yellowish-brown plants burst from the earth, and in just a moment, they merged into one. The spectators, and the commentators like Ronowee, saw a plant dome covering the entire stage emerge from the dust.
“Wha—this is… The match can’t be seen due to the suddenly appearing mysterious dome!?”
Ronowee voiced the spectators’ thoughts. Indeed, the plant dome covering the stage blocked even the sunlight, making it completely impossible to see what was happening inside from the outside. This dome was an obstruction to watching the match.
(…They’ve come to blind us.)
It didn’t let light pass, meaning there was no light source inside the dome. The space around Gordiana and Dahak was engulfed in complete darkness. A world of pitch blackness where one couldn’t see an inch ahead. However, the dark dragon had keen night vision.
—Zudaaahn!
“—!?”
A sideways strike from the great hammer, delivered by Dahak, who already possessed night vision. It was a devastating blow from Dahak’s blind spot in this place ruled by darkness. However, the hammer stopped just before impact on her abdomen, and both sides of it sank in significantly. It was a “kick-leg scissor hold.” Gordiana squeezed the great hammer between her elbow and knee, completely neutralizing Dahak’s full-power strike.
“It’s true that I can’t see, but my eyes aren’t the only way to perceive my surroundings. I don’t even need to use my ‘Sixth Sense’; this much isn’t even a surprise attack.”
The great hammer made crunching sounds as it was crushed. Dahak, judging it impossible to retrieve the hammer instantly, let go of the handle and retreated again.
(Lost my weapon right at the start. But hey, this is also within expectations.)
—Bakin!
Gordiana finished crushing the giant hammer. Even with her vision impaired, her combat power remained unchanged as she slowly walked, absorbing all surrounding information.
(This strange smell, the airflow… it’s filled with something like gas.)
The moment Gordiana took her first step, the air inside the dome changed. She felt strong winds blowing from all directions and a pungent, sharp odor. Based on her years of experience, Gordiana identified it as poison and held her breath. Her assessment was correct; Dahak had generated four man-eating plants, each large enough to look up at, that burst through the stage and spewed mias. The man-eating plants, with mouths lined with sharp fangs on their bright red buds, continuously sprayed poison gas, turning their muzzles towards Gordiana like they were targeting prey.
(It’s annoying to imitate that bald guy, but I’ll do whatever it takes! He’s holding his breath, but how long can he last in this enclosed space!?)
For the record, Dahak had no problems as he carried plants within his body that could decompose toxins.
(Free-breathing exercise training, how nostalgic… It’s been a while, maybe a few tens of minutes. Come on, then.)
One of the man-eating plants, its thick stem quivering, charged at Gordiana. Following its lead, the remaining plants also moved. Just before the first one collided, the sound of Gordiana’s fingers cracking echoed. Then, a “gushariī” sound was heard from the darkness. It wasn’t metallic like the great hammer, but a raw, fleshy sound.
(She’s not moving by instinct like Sera-neesan. Can she really not see!?)
With the eyes of the dark dragon, Dahak saw the scene of his “Seed of Life” creations, plants with potential equivalent to A-Rank, being annihilated. At the moment of impact, he directly grasped their exposed mouths, crushed them, punched the ones behind, and shattered them. Moreover, while fighting the plants, she was advancing towards Dahak at high speed. Dahak’s aim was a war of attrition. He retreated and, not to be outdone, continued to create more man-eating plants from the earth. But that became an opening.
“Guh…!”
Gordiana wasn’t without long-range techniques. A mass of air released from her fingertips during her battle with the plants, “Bee Sting,” pierced Dahak’s side, creating a hole. Unlike her match with Soma, this was a serious blow, not holding back. It transformed into its true form, not a broad impact, but something that concentrated its power onto a single point with much greater speed.
(Oh? She’s not as shaken as I thought…?)
Dahak immediately wrapped elastic medicinal herbs around his abdomen to stop the bleeding. At the same time, Dahak was mentally taxing himself as he continued to generate attacking plants. But he had no time to lament; Gordiana was closing in. Clenching his teeth against the pain in his abdomen, he measured the distance and guided her towards the next trap.
(My feet…!)
It was the vine entanglement he had shown in his match against Aggas. However, no matter how sturdy the vines were, they wouldn’t even buy a second of time against Gordiana. But Dahak didn’t care. If he could gain even a comma’s worth of time to distract her, that was enough.
—Kaa!
A verdant green light illuminated the dome, which had been plunged into darkness. Its source was Dahak’s breath. Released in a straight line from Dahak’s mouth, it collided with Gordiana while melting the stage. This time, even the man-eating plants moved away from Gordiana, escaping the collateral damage.
(Nice. A direct attack that ignores defense… I’m captivated.)
The knuckles that caught the breath melted, and Gordiana felt a burning pain on both hands, as if she had been burned. This was Gordiana’s first damage in this tournament. Dahak’s breath, unleashed for over ten seconds, was steadily taking effect on Gordiana. And the moment the breath stopped, darkness once again reigned, and the man-eating plants attacked.
(…Perhaps it’s time. He’s clearly aiming for a war of attrition, so I need to break through this situation first.)
Gordiana’s right arm was now enveloped in a pink aura.
