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I probably only have one more chance to give it my all in this fight.
That’s why I need to push the limits, exceed the limits, and overturn my opponent’s predictions.
I will not leave any leeway.
My mouth is blathering on about what I feel, but my body is still steadily preparing to not waste this time I am earning.
The reason I was able to do that was because I was able to reduce the damage to the bare minimum necessary.
There was not a single attack that I received completely unprotected, not the first blow or any of the subsequent attacks, for that matter.
No matter how battered my body was, the accumulated defenses left me with the strength to unleash this one attack.
“Is that all you have to say?” (Kizan)
A clear killing intent took over the ogre that received such words.
The silent mountain moved.
“No more questions, let’s end this with the next blow.” (Kizan)
“You’re finally starting to sound like the ogres I know.” (Jiro)
I wonder if I hit the nail on the head with my light-hearted words, or if I said something misguided and off the mark.
The only thing I can say is that the blow that will be fired after this should be the best blow for the demon in front of you.
The magic power is being kneaded like nothing before this.
And the surge of magical power from its raging temperament was very similar to ogres I know.
I can feel it clearly on my skin.
I took a deep breath.
The ogre was clearly kneading his magical power to the point where there was no question that he was ready to leap at me at any moment.
And that ogre is waiting for my magic power to be kneaded.
It is waiting to crush me with the best attack I can do.
I wondered if he could show his true ogre side, but before I knew it, the venue had gone silent.
A tense atmosphere enveloped the coliseum as if a single noise could signal the end of the fight.
In this atmosphere, I wait for my chance.
And then the time comes.
The mountain becomes a volcano.
“Aaa!” (Jiro)
By the time I thought it had arrived, the demon’s fist was already in front of me, an overwhelming blow that wouldn’t be enough to stop me from swinging down the Mineral Tree in a circle.
If the demon’s fist hits my face, this fight will end.
“How’s, that.” (Jiro)
Yes, that’s only if I wield the “Mineral Tree”.
“My, intuition, won.” (Jiro)
But the result is different.
I smile at the ogre’s astonished face.
The ogre’s fist does not catch me as it gouges out my ear, but instead, my fist conveys the feeling of my attack piercing his flesh.
What I unleash is not a slash of the Mineral Tree that draws a circle, but a straight right hand with all my might that draws a sword flash.
My fist stopped just short of his heart.
And if I release the magic power that I have put into this fist, it is a deadly power that can end his life as it is.
The referee rushed to the end of the fight and said,
“Winner, Jiro Tanaka!!” (Referee)
Announcing the end of the match.
No cheers echoed.
What came out instead was a bewildered groan that enveloped the venue.
But that changed with a single round of applause.
“Well done, Jiro!” (Kio)
One of the great ogres claps loudly and praises me with a shout, and to match that, the Undying King claps his hands slowly and silently, and the Demon King who sees the two of them smiles and applauds as well.
The top leaders of the Demon King’s army applauded one after another, and the applause gradually spread to the entire area, turning into applause that echoed through the entire hall.
My body, which was creaking and unable to take a single step, slowly pulled out my fists and stood on my feet while I basked in the applause.
It was a gamble, to be honest.
It was a gamble with no chance of winning, so much so that the term “terrible odds” seemed too kind.
However, “terrible odds” do not mean anything at all.
There was still a slight chance of winning.
It was a battle that could never be won unless even one condition was met, but because the conditions were met, the victory was secured.
“How? How did you see through my attack?” (Kizan)
The person who was questioning such a battle the most was, naturally, the ogre who lost the battle this time.
“I didn’t see through it.” (Jiro)
While being treated by the referee, the ogre, that giant body did not kneel down, but turned its sharp gaze towards me, who had managed to dodge the final blow even as if defeat was certain.
“I believed that an ogre’s attack would come straight at me.” (Jiro)
“What?” (Kizan)
I’m walking a tightrope when I think about it.
I just returned the first blow I received from my opponent.
There are several conditions to meet this victory, but the most important is that the attack fired by the opponent must be the best possible blow.
If I had been slightly lessened or increased, I would have lost.
I had an attack that could penetrate his body.
That was the blow that I linked with the Mineral Tree and swung with all my might.
However, the attack was a large swing, and there was no chance in all probability that it would hit.
If that were the case, I would have to prepare another high-power attack, but unfortunately, I had no other way to do so.
Then, you need to borrow power from someone other than me, and that is the attacker’s all-out attack.
If I could return the full force of my opponent’s attack, it would theoretically be a blow that would knock him down.
“I’m used to being attacked by demons, so I have a vague idea of where the attack is going to come from. Then, I just put up my guard and waited to counter.” (Jiro)
The many attacks I received from the instructor.
The prediction of the position of the attack is also a requirement.
Many of the ogres are honest.
As I have interacted with various ogres, I have learned that the majority of them like to fight head-on, force-pushing games.
That’s why I believed that this ogre would be no different, and I set up my fist in a position to strike, believing that I would swing through without any falsehoods in the blow.
If I failed to do so, this ogre’s fist would have pierced me before my fist hit it.
“Well, thanks to that, my body is in tatters.” (Jiro)
And finally, it was whether my body would hold up.
I know I say “counter” in a cool way, but I was acting as a stumbling block, so to speak.
All I did was place a sharp stick at an angle that would stab an object that flew straight at high speed.
Following my intuition that the opponent was about to make a move, I let go of the Mineral Tree and instead stepped forward and simultaneously swung my fist with all my might toward the point where the ogre’s heart would be located.
Consequently speaking, the action was successful, but the price was to be paid as well, of course.
The impact of the opponent’s all-out attack went through my right fist to my left leg, which I used for support, and drove my body to the point where it was damaged and unfit for combat.
To tell the truth, I couldn’t even stand up.
“Your body is too hard. Though it was true, I was going to pierce your heart.” (Jiro)
All the fingers of my right hand were broken, the bones of my arm were warped, my joints were injured, and my legs were in extreme pain when I moved from the waist down.
The pain was evident in both the muscles and bones.
If I took an x-ray, I would see the bones of my entire body in pieces.
In terms of the results, my victory was a paper-thin victory, which sounds good when you say it was a close victory.
If I had made even one mistake, the loser would have been me without a doubt.
“Well, with this, I don’t know who actually won. Someone whose body is torn to pieces, or the one with a body that is in great shape.” (Jiro)
“Still, I lost.” (Kizan)
I still can’t believe I beat the ogre in front of me who was clenching his fists as if he was crushing something, but I won.
“Oh, I won.” (Jiro)
I whipped my aching body and raised my fist as I said to myself.
I felt a sense of accomplishment in my chest.
Note for the Day
Depending on your own actions, the outcome can change as much as you want it to. But, well, I don’t want to do such reckless things for a while.
Even if it’s intentional.
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