Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 38 ❆ Mudfight

I'm sorry! I think I was supposed to update this sometime ago but I forgot. 🥲

Knowing I was stuck in this position, I had to get a little creative this time around. So, instead of aiming for his face like he would expect, I decided to throw myself on the ground—right by his deadliest weapons. Since he seized my leg, I would return the favor.

Fortunately, I happened to have watched a good amount of WWE, so some wrestling locks were privy to me. With how prized he treated his legs, finding them immobile would deal a devastating blow to his combat power...not to mention his pride.

I slid down between his feet, hooking my legs around his waist so that I resembled an upside-down koala. As expected, he tried to curb my efforts, stomping on me down below like an ant. I struggled for a while and tried to find the right opportunity. Thankfully, he was unable to resist me for so long. I managed to exert some force on him from below and pulled him to the ground with me. His body slammed on the ground following my guidance and I clambered onto him, pulling him into a figure-four leg lock.

As I pulled on his joints, he yelped out in shock. Though this wasn't the flesh-penetrating pain, it was the bone-deep kind where you get your limbs twisted in uncomfortable angles, not to mention have your sensitive spots put pressure on.

"You—aghhh!"

I did not bother talking, concentrating on maintaining the position. Reversals were always possible and with this guy's strength, it wasn't long before he found a way out of the bind. By then, I would be the one suffering. So while I had the advantage, I might as well enjoy it.

If he quit this early, I'd be disappointed.

Sure enough, he strained forward and somehow grabbed me by the neck. With the vulnerable part of myself seized, I did not have a choice but to let go of the figure-four leg lock.

He pulled me to the floor, and we rolled around fighting for dominance.

"This is a mudfight!" the announcer exclaimed. "How brutish! How domineering! Lionheart is indeed a lionheart! Just look at her clinch at number two so bravely!"

"What are you calling mudfight?" I muttered, disgruntled. "This is wrestling!"

"Somewhat accurate," Black Flame countered. "We are literally rolling on mud."

"Yeah...makes sense," I whispered absentmindedly.

I forgot...the ground was indeed muddy due to the previous fight. As we struggled about, we finally rolled into a pit. I held my breath as we tumbled down a particular steep mini-cliff. Water splashed on our clothes and masks, dirtying the costumes thoroughly. I did not feel comfortable with my clothes sticking to my skin. However, this would be a good advantage for me should Black Flame summon his element later, so I did not object to it too much.

"Oops! They fell in! That's quite a deep one in there!"

Battling on the ground wasn't fun. It was, like the announcer said, very brutish. It didn't feel as though we were in a technique-involved fight. It felt more like a brainless brawl. Despite the chaos happening between me and my opponent, nonetheless, I maintained a semblance of calm-headedness. I did not want to be recklessly throwing punches here and, as a consequence, tiring myself out without landing a single attack.

He tried striking at my face. I evaded him by veering to the side. Grabbing the hand he threw at me, I pulled him forward, my elbow waiting for his nose to make impact. He caught himself just in time and smacked away my arm.

Black Flame was the same as me. Though his moves looked careless, they were anything but. He made accurate judgments and struck at places that stopped if not hindered or delayed my movements. My rhythm, as a result, was constantly disrupted and I could not build on anything against him. In the end, I decided to retreat to my defenses and gather my bearings. I would take the passive side and then find a way to go past his attacks and survive somehow.