Chapter 176: Crossfire of Tiger and Dragon: Dead Heat Part 1

「I’m gonna crush youuuuuu!!!」

「Too slow, too slow! I won’t fall for the same trick any…… Whoa, that was dangerous!」

Tch, does that mean that she can move even faster? If it was Katsu, an attack like that would have surely got him. Sh*t, I knew it from last rounds, but her reaction speed is simply insane. I’ll have to make so adjustments of my own in my head.

Not good, Cursed Prison enhanced with motor power certainly has speed, but it lacks when it comes to maneuverability. So far I’ve managed to get by simply by using ultra-fast turns and drifting, but if this keeps up, I’m going to lose this round for sure. If I want to win this thing, there are basically two ways to go about it: one is Cursed Prison’s ultimate technique that will be ready to use as soon as my gauge hits maximum. It will require so fast thinking and acting, but I can gain some advantage because of that.

And about the other one…… Yeah, yeah, it should be right about time to do it. But have I done enough sabotage work?

「Good, good, you’re really good, Cursed Prison! Not too strong, but also not weak, fighting you is really exciting……!」

「Gee, thanks for kind words!」

「But that won’t do! It simply will not do! You are Cursed Prison! So act like it! Be more arrogant and full of yourself!」

Is that how it is in the original comic books? I only know very little about Cursed Prison to begin with, but…… Left!

Meetias moves a naturally as a wind, sliding on the ground and transitioning into a mid-air jump combined with a flip. Shifting from left to right constantly, his arms were raised in a defensive posture. In the next moment he tries to kick my left side, but I managed to maintain my balance.

「I’m already used to those movements, now switching to offense!」

「Oh, how kind of you to announce your next move!」

What should I do? Should I go with super attack? Or maybe…… it’s here.

「It’s here, it’s here, it’s here, IT’S HEEERRREEE!!!」

「Wah!」

My policy changed suddenly, it’s time to do some damage! Now hurry up and make some space!!

While guarding myself from the onslaught of the dance-like moves of Meetias, I wait for the right moment to strike. And it just so happens that Meetias was about to perform a huge roundhouse kick, which was perfect for me.

Ahh, thinking about it, the fundamental difference in strength of those characters is almost like a mountain when it comes to fighting games. This guy…… it is something that is quite impossible to achieve. And maybe that’s the reason. His techniques packed so much destructive power because he didn’t have a normal brain but rather an AI.

「Guess I’ll be imitating him for a while……」

A heavy kick is being delivered to the side of my head. Since Cursed Prison is heavily armored like that, it won’t be knocked off balance from an attack like that, but the sheer damage was nothing to scoff at either. As I reach out my hand towards Meetias’s neck, another burst of flames comes out of my mufflers.

I’ll be borrowing that for a moment, Wezaemon!

「Maelstrom!!」

Approach, lift, and then throw with your whole body’s weight added to the mix. Originally, Wezaemon used his tremendous power to brute force attacks like that and ended up hurting humself in the process, but right about now I should be able to emulate his strategies without having to suffer a handicap like that.

Maelstrom’s biggest feature was the tremendous speed of being grabbed, lifted, and then being smashed against the ground like a bag of potatoes. Before you could realize what was going on, you were on your way to meet the ground and you’d be dead as a result. It was shocking to see it for the first time after taking his sword away and feeling safe for a short moment, but now I realize the sheer potential that technique held.

Approching your target, you can shorten the amount of frames that are needed for gripping and lifting, and moving the tires can shorten and strengthen the power of the throwing motion. So by the time Meetias realizes that he was grabbed, he should be well on his way of being smashed against the ground.

Then, when Meetias’s body smashed against the ground I let go of his neck and continued to turn, eventually turning my back to him. Then I Started to move with the loud screeching of my tires. That is, I was quickly running away from that spot. I think I heard a voice shouting behind my back to get back here and not to run away, but just wait there patiently for what’s to come.

The color started to change.

Good! Very good! Amazing!

Before she could notice she was being grabbed, she was already being smacked against the ground. It was a gimmick for sure, but it was a clever one and the fact that you could do it instantly was also pretty amazing.

So far, she’d fought against many Cursed Prisons. Amelia was strong but lacked the tenacity to finish things. Alex was always moderately good, and that fact never changed for better or for worse. They were all skilled and took the role play rather seriously. However, she was always feeling as if it was her that was fighting, not Meetias. In that regard, all of her past opponents were mediocre at best.

However, amongst many different Cursed Prisons she’d fought so far, this one was…… Plausibly…… exceptional. It was not a mere matter of being strong or weak. Right about now Silvia really felt that it was Meetias who was fighting Cursed Prison for real.

Silvia Goldberg is the strongest. Her strength as Meetias is so unparalled that even the creators of the original comic books would comment on her that she’s basically the real Meetias at this point. But she always had but one complaint.

A Hero cannot exist on its own. The Hero can only shine its brightest when there is a Villain that would push him past his limits. So if she was the real Meetias, then where was the real Cursed Prison?

She loved Meetias more than any other character out there and ever since achieving mastery with him, he was on the lookout for her arch-nemesis. You could say it was a form of love, but not your typical form of love. It was love for a strong rival that could push you way past your limits. A love that could prove your very existance.

「I’ve finally found you, Cursed Prison.」

When she finally recovered from being smacked against the ground, the Cursed Prison was no longer in sight. For a moment out there she thought that maybe he went to secure the Chaos Cube…… but that couldn’t be it. Something inside of her was telling her that. So did he lay in wait for ambush? No, that was not that, either.

Something in her gut was telling her that this Cursed Prison wouldn’t simply abandon the fight, especially if he was on his way to win it. Then why would he leave like that? He said that something has come. So does that mean he was waiting for something?

Maybe it was his Ultimate Technique…… No, that’s not right. No one says a line like that if it’s so simple. A passionate reaction like that only comes from something that truly burns a flame inside of your heart.

(What were you waiting for? Is it something that only occurs in Round Three? I remember hearing that every round is supposed to add something to the battlefield…… No, that’s not it at all.)

It’s not about the rounds. It’s about the elapsed time. How much time have passed since the start of Round One? And Round Two? Chaos City is a place where the situation change in real time and depending on the ongoing events. So what was the Cursed Prison waiting for? No, what was he counting for……?

「No way.」

Unlike the rest of the vehicles, it takes time to prepare. But when he would aquire it, he would have easier time fighting and it would be extremely useful fot immobile Cursed Prison. The thing that comes from the sky!

「NO WAY!」

There was a loud sound, as if something was being destroyed. It didn’t come from the left or right. It didn’t come from the front or from the back. Once she looked up, she saw ----

「I’ve been waiting for you, my Main Weapoooon!!!」

「…… Haha, AHAHAHAHAHA!!! The best! You are simply the best, CURSED PRISON!!!」