"Quetzalcoatl, huh..."
「...Are you... friends?」
"It's not like that. It's just... she bears a hatred for the conquerors who trampled her civilization. I suppose she's been on my mind."
「...」
"I truly don't understand humans. Why do they do it? How can they find the will to challenge a God—an absolute existence?"
「...Humans move forward. So long as they remain human, they cannot do otherwise.」
"Evolution, then? Is that the reason they continue to live, no matter how fragile they are...?"
The Blazing Luchadora! A One-Fall Showdown!
"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment has arrived! Here in Eridu, we are witnessing a clash of Man vs. God! A Blazing Lucha Libre Match! The crowd is absolutely electric for the first-ever Lucha bout in Mesopotamia! Calling the action is yours truly, the 'Active Monster' Enkidu. Joining me on commentary is our very own King of Kings, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh!"
At a broadcasting table perched atop the literal palm of the god Marduk, Enkidu spoke with fluent, rapid-fire excitement. Beside him, the King of Heroes sat in a simple folding chair, his legs kicked up on the desk with regal indifference.
(And a secret shout-out to our reaction specialists! Joining us are Ea and Fou-kun! Glad to have you both with us today!)
—Happy to be here! I'll give it my absolute best!
(Fou!)
Ea, dressed in a sharp suit like a high-powered corporate executive, adjusted her glasses. Fou sat perched upon her shoulder.
"You're far too into this," the King muttered with a wry, exasperated smile. "You even went through the trouble of picking out costumes. Did you eat something spoiled this morning?"
His friend simply brushed the comment aside with a breezy grin. "Come on, you have to pump up the tension once in a while! Oh! Look at that! A shadow has hit the ring with incredible grace! Who is it?! A serpent? A pterosaur? No—it's her!"
With a series of handsprings, backflips, and a triple-twist somersault, the 'Winged Serpent' stuck the landing in the center of the ring.
"Hi! Let's have some fun, yes?"
"It's Quetzalcoatl! The Big Sister from Outer Space! The Merciful Goddess of the Sun! The woman the fans never stop wishing they could swap Ishtar for has officially entered the ring!"
Several arrows shot from the spectator stands toward the commentary booth, but the King and his friend swatted them away with one hand without breaking their flow.
"And now, for today's challenger! Our very own Master-chan is—wait, what?!"
In an instant, the skies of Eridu were swallowed by pitch-black clouds. Dark lightning fell in torrents as a gale whipped through the stadium.
"An abrupt cataclysm! What is happening?! No, wait—look at the ring! Something is there!"
Just as Enkidu pointed out, a [Black Sphere] was hovering directly in front of Quetzalcoatl. With a deafening roar of thunder, a bolt of black lightning struck the orb, shattering its surface.
From the darkness emerged a figure clad in a costume inspired by a black dragon, wearing a matching draconic mask. The Final Master of Humanity.
"Ring name... Ultimo Ruda Dragon! I'm looking forward to a clean fight!"
The surrounding Jaguar-Friends and the Chaldea contingent erupted in cheers.
"The Dragon has entered the ring!! What a flashy performance! Is this the soul of Pro-Wrestling?! Is this the rule of Lucha?! Quetzalcoatl looks absolutely delighted! She's waving and smiling ear-to-ear!"
—So cool!
"She is the type to start with the aesthetics, then. In this sport, those without flair are never accepted. A 'Salty Match' is out of the question. One cannot be called first-rate unless they set the audience's souls ablaze."
Ea pulled Fou into an excited hug. Fou looked quite content, despite being nearly smothered against the "twin peaks of Mount Ebih."
"The referee is... some weirdo called Jaguarman! The players are on the stage! And now—Ring the gong!"
The two warriors stared each other down in the center of the ring.
"Thank you for hyping up the crowd!" Quetzalcoatl said. "But... against a tecnico like me, choosing a name like 'Ruda Dragon' is a little sad. You didn't have to cast yourself as the villain."
"As an Evil Dragon, this is exactly how it should be! I'll show you, Sis. Even among villains, there is an 'Evil that exists to make the Good shine brighter'!"
"Ha! I look forward to it!"
The two shared a smile—and then...
"Begin!"
Mash struck the gong with a resonant chime, signaling the start of the match!
"Oh! Both Quetzalcoatl and Ruda Dragon have hit the ropes! Using the rebound, they're—!"
Their bodies collided in the center of the ring. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, making the entire ring shudder on its foundations.
"A clash of shoulder tackles! A battle of wills through pure physical force! The impact of that first contact was—wait!"
They immediately disengaged, staring each other down at close range before—
"Daaaaah!"
"Mucho! Mucho!"
A ferocious exchange of blows began!
"They've planted their feet for a slugfest! You can hear the thunderous impact of those strikes all the way up here! This is an incredible pace, a truly turbulent opening! Wouldn't you agree, commentator Gilgamesh?!"
"Striking is the most primitive, least efficient form of combat. A fitting warm-up. But look past the flash; observe their technique."
Quetzalcoatl utilized moves honed from ancient Pankration, precisely parrying and neutralizing every heavy blow aimed at her vitals. She caught, deflected, and evaded with divine grace.
Meanwhile, Rikka was handling the Goddess's dynamic, high-amplitude punches and kicks with surgical precision, using sways and slipping techniques to let the force slide past.
Despite the violence of the display, neither had taken a single point of real damage. This was a dialogue of blows—a mutual understanding through combat.
"You really did your homework this week, didn't you?! To think you'd master 'slipping away' so quickly!"
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