A Few Days Later
"Will you stop following me!?" Takemikazuchi shouted at the crowd of humans behind him. Several of them carried baskets of food and clothing, their bodies still emaciated. "Look, I know you're grateful, but I don't want that stuff! You guys eat that and recov-"
"We don't just want to give it to you!" The leader said, his basket full of vegetables. "We want to give it as payment." He placed his basket down and bowed. The other humans behind him followed. "We're weak! We're so damn weak we couldn't protect ourselves from anything! You defeated the Namazu while we ran and hid!" Takemikazuchi saw his fingers slowly clawing at the ground and forming fists. His head shot up and locked eyes with Takemikazuchi, who felt his heart drop in his stomach at the sight of the man's face full of pure anger and fear. "That isn't living! We can't live like that anymore! We know you have to leave and continue your journey, but you could at least teach us how you did it!"
Teach them? Takemikazuchi thought. He shook his head and turned from them.
"Please, Sensei!"
Sensei?! Takemikazuchi looked around and saw Susano'o sitting in the distance, wearing a wry smile. "You're going to keep following me, aren't you?"
"It's that or remain weak and be at everyone else's mercy. Please, Sensei!"
Takemikazuchi turned back around to face them. "This path is painful, and it will ask more of you than you may give…"
"Then we'll give it that and more! Anything else won't keep us alive."
Takemikazuchi sighed. "Take that food and eat it. We start tomorrow."
The group of humans stared at him. Takemikazuchi saw within them something new, powerful, and terrifying. Sensei, is this what you saw when we came to you? Were we this desperate? This scared? He clenched his fists. I will pass your kindness onto them, Sensei. Thank you.
Valhalla Arena
Take…Susano'o thought. Do you hear them? The cheers of the Rikishi in the stands? They never saw your full strength before. This power right here that slayed the Namazu. The combined reaction speed of Inazuma's 'Hi' and the muscular empowerment of its 'Fu' to create your ultimate state! Yet, they feel it. They know this power, and your Sumo made that victory possible. Prove their faith in you was not wasted! Susano'o shot up and breathed deeply. "TAKEMIKAZUCHI! SHOW THEEEEM! YOU GOT THIS!" Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi leaned away from their brother, but Izanami looked his way and smiled softly.
"I feel it, Ghulam!" Takemikazuchi said. "Do you hear them!?"
Ghulam heard the cheers and roars of the human audience behind him. So loud that the Gods' side was deafened, except for what sounded like a manic monkey. He turned and saw the Rikishi and Pehlwans cheering.
"GHULAM! WIN!" The Pehlwans roared.
"GO! SENSEI GO!" The Rikishi screamed. A chill ran up Ghulam's spine as he turned back to Takemikazuchi.
"I do…and it's INVIGORATING!" Ghulam roared. He crouched down, returning to Tachiai. "FIGHT ME! BEFORE I TEAR THIS ENTIRE ARENA APART!"
Takemikazuchi crouched down and placed his left hand on the ground, his right just a few centimeters above the dirt. "Inazuma," He slammed his right fist down. "MI!" Both dashed forward and collided. Both gripped each other's Mawashi and Langot respectively and braced themselves against the dirt. Ghulam shifted Takemikazuchi's weight, but Takemikazuchi responded in kind.
He figured out how I'm affecting his power! Ghulam thought. Brief glimpses of his matches back in the United States, Europe, and British India popped into his mind. No one figured that out before you! Hilde was right! You are amazing! The two continued shifting the other's weight, trying to lift the other off the ground. However, each time, Ghulam and Takemikazuchi would alter their center of gravity and shift the hips of the other, forcing the drop and neutralizing the throw. Both knew they could not start a throw until the key moment came, else they would be swept up in another torrent of bone-crushing throws.
"Neither is relenting!" Heimdall shouted, "Who will survive this deadlock?!"
I WILL! They both roared in their minds.
And I know how! Takemikazuchi thought. Ghulam broke the stalemate, releasing his grip on Takemikazuchi's mawashi and gripping his wrists. He clamped down, making Takemikazuchi wince and let go. Ghulam released his grip and stepped back a few meters. Takemikazuchi dashed at him and fired a Harite into Ghulam's chest. Ghulam's rib cage creaked from the blow. Another palm strike struck his chest. "Oshi-dashi!" Ghulam tried stepping back, but Takemikazuchi kept pace and fired more palm strikes. I can't let you get away! But I can't let you grab me anymore! Behold the technique I thought up to beat the Namazu if it ever came back! "Inazuma Mi X Oshi-dashi! Onigiri Ken!" For a brief moment, Ghulam saw dozens of palms flying towards him. He could not escape and hunkered down, getting his arms in front of his chest and head. Each palm strike slammed into his body and rattled his bones, pushing him back until he was pressed against the wall.
How is he keeping this up!? Ghulam thought. He heard the wall start cracking behind him. He felt his bones start cracking from the continuous strikes. I need to get out of this!
Ghulam! Radgridr shouted in his head. I know it's risky, but you need to use it now!
That move hasn't been practiced enough! Wait. Did you use your power to-?
I did! It's ready to go! I may have given you Sumo, but you said so yourself! You are a Pehlwan! Now show him a Pehlwan's ultimate power! The only thing a Pehlwan needs!
Ghulam smiled despite the pain. Radgridr, you're fantastic! You got the soul of a Pehlwan! He dropped his arms and leaned his head to the right to avoid the palm strike. He immediately looped his arms over and under Takemikazuchi's shoulders, but did not touch Takemikazuchi's body. He leaned to the right, immediately pulling Takemikazuchi off the ground and slamming him down. Gardan Dhak. Ghulam thought, his inner voice as if in prayer. Takemikazuchi hopped up and tried to strike him again. Ghulam kneeled to drive his right shoulder into Takemikazuchi's waist, but Takemikazuchi never felt it, or Ghulam's arms wrap around his right arm and thigh. Nothing. But the throw came regardless. He rolled over Ghulam's body and slammed down again. Kalajangh.
"What's going on?!" Heimdall shouted. "Ghulam's…not touching him!"
"Oh no…" Susano'o said, shocked to his core. "He couldn't be…" Did I mess up?! Is Take going to die, too?!
Lahore, Punjab
(1960)
"Just…one more…" Ghulam muttered, barely standing. He moved slowly through his technique in the Akhara's dirt pit, his aged body wracked with illness. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest. "Just…one more…I can feel it…I'm almost there…" He felt something break, and he crumbled to the dirt, lifeless. One…more…
A soft aura began radiating around Ghulam's arms and back. His breathing grew calm and rhythmic. "To become Kushti's champion and beloved son, to become the man who could bear the dreams of his friends, family, and rivals for years in both of my lives, I sought this technique. To throw…without grabbing. It's not perfect yet, but it's yours to experience, Takemikazuchi." He bent down slightly, keeping his weight centered. "I hope you can forgive such sloppy technique."
"How can I ever speak ill of such greatness?!" Takemikazuchi shouted, smiling. "You honor my Sumo, and you honor me with this experience?! I will never forgive you for giving me such a chance!" Sensei told me stories about Humans like you! I never believed him, but you're showing me how much I still needed to learn! Takemikazuchi burst forward. Please teach me more, Ghulam! Ghulam's were already in motion. Takemikazuchi jumped to his left and resumed his dash. Ghulam turned to his right and slowly crouched down, without looking at Takemikazuchi. Takemikazuchi slammed his feet down to pick up speed, but he could not stop it. The moment his leading leg reached Ghulam's range, his arms looped around Takemikazuchi, and the invisible force stopped his charge. Ghulam leaned down and forward, slamming Takemikazuchi. Ekeri Pat. Ghulam then looped his arms around both of Takemikazuchi's legs, lifting him high over his head with nothing but the concept of throwing, and dropped back. Chadha Duheri Pat. Takemikazuchi landed face-first in the dirt. Ghulam rose and placed his hands near Takemikazuchi's mawashi and lifted him again. Chadha Kandha Patak. The force of the throw shook the arena, and Takemikazuchi bounced off the dirt-covered floor. Ghulam turned back around, facing his opponent, and dropped to his knees. Well, that was intense! He coughed up blood. I guess...this is why it killed me back then! I have to keep going! Come on! He could see Takemikazuchi struggling to rise. I just have to pin him! He could barely stand. Please move, damn it!
"Ghulam!" Takemikazuchi shouted. Ghulam stopped. "That was amazing!"
"Complement me when this is over!"
"I don't know if I'll have the chance!" He coughed up blood. "Ghulam...I don't have much left in me...I'm sorry."
"I'm pretty close to spent, too."
"Please tell me something! I need to know! You're a wrestler unlike any I have ever seen! Why…fight so damn hard?! Why push yourself through all this?! You're not a soldier, warrior, or anything like that!" Takemikazuchi shouted, breathing heavily.
"I'm not!" Takemikazuchi did not answer. "I don't need to be one of those things to fight." Ghulam's voice softened. "I don't even like the idea of killing." He lay there, letting his body relax in the dirt. The smell hung in the air, tinging his heart with nostalgia. "But this arena is my home. This place is where all my struggles, setbacks, and heartbreak rest. It is a reminder that those things, all of them, are part of me, and I love them!" The Human audience, the Einherjar who have and have yet to fight, and even a few Gods hung on his words. "There were countless times I went to sleep sore! Many wonderful opponents who turned down my challenges! My home was torn to pieces and I lost so much! The pain was so much sometimes that I would cry myself to sleep and question everything! But I knew…I knew those hardships were a part of the me I am now! They made me who I am! There is no life without pain and struggle! There is no joy without sorrow!" He sighed, and his expression hardened. Memories of Punjab and Lahore, his rise and fall, ran through his mind. "And there is no group that better understands this than Humanity. Every day is a struggle. Every day is another day on the journey. Whether it makes us better or worse is ultimately up to each one of us, but I fight for that struggle, and for those who have yet to feel it, yet still choose to push on despite the fear. For those who see that all parts of the journey are important and must be cherished. And for them…I will kill, I will fight, and I will win."
Takemikazuchi lay just a few meters away, silent. Ghulam's words echoed in his soul as memories of his past played out in his thoughts. His loneliness, the start of his journey, his training, his victories and setbacks, and his losses. All of them. To cherish them… He thought.
"My turn, Takemikazuchi, but it's not for me. No, there's something they need to know."
"They?" Takemikazuchi groaned.
"You heard them up there, right? Those Rikishi up there, cheering for you from my side of the arena. Surely you're not ignoring them?" Ghulam spoke, slowly standing. He felt his lats cramp slightly as he rose. "They need to know. Why did you join this? Why help the Gods? Unlike the others, there's no hatred, no apathy, no arrogance in you." He straightened his back and stood tall. "I can't sense anything like those at all in you. Not in the way you fight." He waved his right hand back towards the Human audience. "There are hundreds, thousands of men and women who sought your path. Why help kill them?"
Takemikazuchi breathed slowly, lifting himself, his bruised body now red from being caked in dirt. He looked past Ghulam at the army of Sumo wrestlers in the stands. A torrent of emotion welled up within him. He did not know how to express himself. He never learned and hated himself for it. He never told Futsunushi the truth, Susano'o his gratitude, or Johannes how grateful he was to meet someone who showed his brother such respect.
But today was different, and he could not stop himself from trying. "I joined to fulfill a dream, and I refuse to allow that dream to die." His voice echoed as his body heaved from his heavy breathing. "I was not part of the Extermination Council. I had no say in it. I do not want Humanity to die, but only Humanity can save Humanity now! And I know they can! And you ask me about them…" He pointed towards the army of Rikishi. "Those fools! Those rowdy and proud fools!" He recalled the desperate looks on their faces as they chased after him day in and day out, their bodies weak and near skin and bone. The sight of Takemikazuchi after defeating the Namazu, the monster that tormented their lands for years, filled them with such a terrifying new emotion. One that lay dormant for so long, it was unfamiliar and scary. Hope. "I did not seek to teach them! But I remember every one of them, and how they looked at me." The faces of all those souls begging him resurfaced. The fear, the dread, the desperation. "Those looks of powerlessness! The harsh truth of their weakness slapping them in their faces!" He recalled the first lesson. Then the next. Their pain and discomfort turned into strength and joy. Their frail bodies were forged into mountains of power. The start of Sumo began in front of his very eyes, and all he could remember was that sense of peace and joy. The air around him began to hum as small bolts arched across his body and hair. "It was like staring at my reflection from all those years ago! How could I turn away from them!?" He slapped his chest with his right palm. "They saw my strength and knew what they lacked! And yet they had no idea what was going to be demanded of them!"
Some of the Rikishi began to tear up. "Sensei…" Shiganosuke said, his eyes watering.
"And it didn't stop them!" He recalled the last time he spoke to his students before leaving. How wonderful and sad it was. "But now they must know…to pursue this dream," Takemikazuchi imagined the painful, once-potential future of standing across from Futsunushi, ready to fight. Ready to potentially kill. He could not help but imagine his younger brother smiling in that scenario. He felt his heart slowly tearing in two. "Fights like this are inevitable! That one day, the ones they love and respect will become their greatest rivals! That they will one day tread on their dreams and leave them behind! They must understand their siblings' joys are their joys too, regardless of how and when the journey ends! They must see their Sensei live out this truth! Otherwise," The moment of his departure played out in the minds of his students. More Rikishi began to cry. "What kind of Sensei would I be if I ran from these moments!?"
"Ha…you're still trying to be their teacher even if you must stand against them?"
"Absolutely! Whether I live or die, they will see that their faith in me was not in vain! That the journey is worth the pain and heartbreak!" Ghulam felt a wicked chill surge through his body. Susano'o began to cry, much to his siblings' confusion and his father's quiet joy. "That's why! Like then!" The battle between him and the Namazu returned to his mind. "Like him!" An image of Futsunushi appeared next to Takemikazuchi, bearing his sword alongside his brother. "Come what may, I will not regret this day!"
Ghulam breathed deeply. "And that is just plain damn selfish." Takemikazuchi blinked a few times. Ghulam's face contorted into a mad smile. "And that's how we should BE! Our path is the selfish one! It is the honest one! We MUST do it the right way or it means nothing!" Ghulam saw Takemikazuchi's hand grasp the ledge of the mountain's peak. He saw him pull himself up with the last remnants of his strength and get to his feet. He stared down Ghulam, who could only smile, knowing the moment had finally arrived. The two looked out to the side as another mountain, taller than the one they stood on, appeared next to them. "Now, climb with me, Takemikazuchi!"
The whole arena could feel it. Both Fighters were battered and beaten, yet still full of vigor and power. The air flowing into Takemikazuchi's lungs tasted and felt different. Lighter and a little sweeter. Futsu…He thought. This is it! Without hesitation or thought, he stepped his right foot back and widened his stance. Keeping his gaze square on Ghulam, he balled his right hand into a fist and pressed it against the palm of his left hand. Slowly, he twisted his body at the waist to the right, exposing the bruised back of his left shoulder to his fated opponent and hiding his hands. It's time…I have to go. A brief image of Futsunushi standing behind him surfaced in his mind. I can't stay here any longer, because I have to fight to keep our dream alive. Keep MY dream alive! I can only hope you are watching me with pride wherever you are! Watch your big brother! Watch as I go higher…His back muscles flexed as small blue lightning bolts arched over his back. Higher… The dirt at his feet began to shake up as the air rippled around him. HIGHER…The band holding his bun snapped, letting his pink hair flow wildly. AND SOAR OVER THE PEAK! The energy arched all around his body. He is too strong! Stronger than anyone I've ever faced! Not even the Namazu rivals his power! But I understand! A wide smile grew on his face, and blue light streaked through his eyes. The climax of Round Four and the exchange of blows flashed in his mind. This is what you felt near the end against that swordsman! But I…am just getting started! A deep, low hum began to emanate around his body. "I have too much left to live for, Ghulam!"
Ghulam felt the ground shake under his feet. Air pushed softly against his chiseled, beaten form. The pain surging in his body began to dull as all his senses took in the sight before him. A perfect replica of Takemikazuchi's smile grew across his face. "Ha….ha haaaa…" He crouched down, bringing out his arms away from his ribs and flexing his fingers. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! YES! That's it!" He yelled, his booming voice echoing through the arena. "There it is! The culmination of your EVERYTHING! Give it all to me! Give me what no one else can anymore!"
"Ghulam, is it time?" Radgridr asked.
"Absolutely! I can't do what needs to be done if you're here," He said. "But you got me this far, and I am forever grateful to you!"
"Say that after you come back!" She said. She materialized next to him. "Go get him!" She floated above him and out of the arena.
"What's Radgridr doing!?" Göll shouted.
"She's…giving Ghulam a fighting chance," Leo said, floating in the tank. "Now…he's unfettered and at his strongest."
Ghulam let his breathing slow and form a simple rhythm. He spread his feet and crouched down. All that Sumo knowledge is gone. Man, I wanted it to last a little longer! Maybe later. First, settle into a light crouch. He thought. His arms, held out from his sides with a slight bend at the elbows, swung slowly to the front of his body. His left arm palm-down and right arm palm-up, with all his fingers stretched out as if grasping something invisible. Just like Radgridr made me feel. The aura from earlier erupted from his body. Yeah...just like that. I…am a Pehlwan. And this is all I need. Takemikazuchi's eyes widened. He and only one other could see what had just formed, the power birthed by pure technique and years of ceaseless devotion and joy. The same power that enveloped Takemikazuchi. High above the arena, the clear sky began to cloud and turn a dull gray. The rumbling of thunder began to play above them as the wind slowly began to churn around them. This is my gift to you…a technique that only you deserve to experience. Mastered just for you.
Up in the box seats, Susano'o went still. "That looks like…Iai? No…" He could not blink. His siblings and father watched on with him, but none of them felt the pull. He could see it, the faint power emanating from the two. It pulled out an old memory from a millennium ago of an old man standing in front of a massive stone. He had taken a simple swordsman's stance while empty-handed. He swung his empty hands down as if armed and cut the stone clean in two. The awe he felt as he watched it happen, then the sorrow as he watched the swordsman collapse from the technique. "Take…" Susano'o's eyes began to well up. "When did you get this far…" His breathing began to shake. "How did you… reach Musouken this quickly?"
Musouken! Known as the unadorned blade, it is a philosophy every mad soul seeks to attain at the end of the road of mastery! To strike without making contact! To shoot without an arrow! To cut without a sword! To throw without grabbing! These two warriors, of Sumo and Kushti, had pushed their philosophies, techniques, pain, and joy to the utmost heights! Grasped within their aching and creaking hands now rested something only thought of in dreams! Only pursued until dying breaths! Now was the moment! The final step! The greatest foe, friend, and peer that either could ever dream of fighting! Such a once-in-a-lifetime moment could only be honored by their souls instinctively reaching into the pits of their very beings to create such techniques!
Both fighters stood in absolute silence and stillness. Nothing could pull them from this moment. The wind softly kicking up dirt and clay, the thunder roaring in the distance, and the slight whispers of the crowd. They were deaf to it all. Numb to it all. That silence crept up from the arena and enveloped the audience. Every God, Human, and everything in-between and out waited. Waited…waited… until the moment came, and only a few could hear the slight whispers of the two monoliths.
"Futsu Kaminari Tsuchi Harite…"
"Gada Dohbi Pachad…"
And then it ended. A loud pop erupted from the arena floor, and a bolt of lightning sparked across toward Ghulam. Takemikazuchi had flashed forward, almost weightless in his dash, and dropped his left hand, letting his right arm snap forward and stretch out into a palm strike. Many blinked and missed the exchange. Few saw the start of the clash, but could not see it unfold. Fewer saw everything happen.
All felt the arena vanish underneath them in that brief moment following the pop. That brief moment of weightlessness took the entire arena's audience and staff by surprise before the short drop to the bleachers below them. Many fell awkwardly back in their seats, some on top of each other. Brünhilde landed back on her feet while Göll plopped down. Susano'o landed on his feet effortlessly while his siblings crashed. All the Rikishi and Pehlwans fell into their seats, a few scrambling mid-air to stop their fall.
"What happened!?" Tsukuyomi shouted, sprawled out over his chair. Amaterasu was picking herself up off the ground and quickly adjusted her crown. Izanagi floated slowly back down into his seat.
"We fell," Susano'o said, standing in place, his face frozen in shock.
"Of course we fell!"
"Tsuku, that's not what he meant!" Amaterasu said, her voice panicked and a little louder as she dusted herself off.
Tsukuyomi stared blankly at his sister. "Huh?"
"Valhalla fell…" She looked down at the arena, eyeing the settling dust. She looked around and observed the audience, recalling the brief moment. "From how it felt, it must have been at least a meter." The entire arena was PUSHED down by something. She thought. She saw the dust settling, catching sight of Ghulam standing tall at the dust cloud's epicenter. "What the hell!?" She screamed, her eyes widening in fear. "What did that Human do!?" She recalled the brief moment before the drop. The bolt flying towards Ghulam arched…and slammed into the ground behind him. "Did…he just grab lightning and throw it down? Without a Völund? Without anything!?" She turned back to her Susano'o, his face locked in shock. "Sano'o, who did you send Take out to fight!?"
Ghulam raised his right hand high to the sky, balled in a fist. He roared as hard and loud as he could. All the Pehlwans in the stands roared with him as the Rikishi stared in shock. As the dust continued to fall, they too fell into complete silence. Ghulam looked down at his feet, locking eyes with the downed Takemikazuchi sprawled out in the middle of a massive crater, his right arm mangled and pointing at odd angles at the wrist and bicep. Cracks formed over Takemikazuchi's left pectoral, mangled right arm, and mouth. "Still with me, Take!?" Ghulam yelled, his voice booming. The floor beneath the two broke away and filled with deep, massive cracks. Takemikazuchi grunted in response, his face convulsing in pain. Ghulam smiled madly and crouched down as he lowered his right hand onto his fallen opponent's forehead. "1…2…3. Ding ding! I win!" He jumped straight back up and raised his fist back to the sky. "Ha ha! WHOOOOOOOOOOOO! What damn good day to be alive!"
Wait…Takemikazuchi thought. Why…why isn't Heimdall counting? What's going on!? Takemikazuchi strained his entire body. Slowly and awkwardly, he lifted his head and shoulders off the dirt floor. Something's wrong! Did I already lose before the count? He rolled over and got his hands and feet under him. He widened his stance and slowly stood up to face Ghulam. As he rose, he saw why. The reason why Heimdall did not bother with a count.
The match…had already ended. Standing before him, proud as ever, was Ghulam. His left arm hung limp, and a hole the size of Takemikazuchi's palm now sat where his heart would be. Takemikazuchi stared at the wound, then at Ghulam's face, then back to the wound. It finally clicked.
"A monster in human form…but Take still won the exchange," Susano'o answered his sister. "The moment his arm entered the range of Ghulam's unadorned grasp, he should have lost." He looked over to his siblings. "That Human, Ghulam Butt, grasped and threw a God so hard he could kill him in an instant. With nothing but technique…that surpassed us, the Gods." His body began trembling. "He did something no Human in history thought possible! He might have even been able to survive using it, depending on his health!" He grew a slight smile. "If only…he wasn't fighting Take." He replayed the scene in his head. Takemikazuchi's final dash. His arm was fully extended out between Ghulam's. Takemikazuchi's Harite never touched him. It did not have to. Ghulam had stepped back just ten centimeters. "He baited Takemikazuchi to try and close in, but he didn't realize that Take's range had increased because of Musouken." Susano'o saw it. The attack struck Ghulam… while Take's palm was twenty centimeters away from his chest. The blow smashed through his ribs, heart, and lung and out of his back. Ghulam's arms circled Take's wrist and bicep without touching him, snapping them instantly as Ghulam turned and slammed Takemikazuchi down, turning him into a makeshift hammer. The floor beneath the two was decimated upon impact. "Had Take's attack not struck him when it did and weakened the power of his throw…" Sweat poured down Susano'o's brow. "Ghulam's throw wouldn't have just killed Take. I think it would've split Valhalla Arena in half!" The image of the facility breaking in two and falling to the world below sent a collective chill down their spines.
"Ghulam…" Takemikazuchi said, his expression softening as he stared down at his foe. Blood poured out of the hole and mixed with the clay and dirt on Ghulam's body.
"I got the three-count, Take." He said proudly. "But you won Wrestling, and gave me my first real loss! That technique of yours needs some polish if you still need to get that close, but damn was it impressive to see!" Cracks began to grow from the hole. "Ah…" He sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I still wanted to keep going…"
"After all this? Still?"
He opened his eyes, the manic gaze gone and replaced by a soft somberness. "Of course! After all this time, I finally found someone I can go all out on again. Why would anyone only want to fight someone like that once?" Radgridr floated above them, tears starting to form in her eyes despite her stoicism. Ghulam looked up at her and shrugged his right shoulder. "I can finally see a new path, but it's not mine to walk. Damn it, I wanted to." He sighed. "Well, I guess that's just me being selfish."
"Nothing wrong with that," Takemikazuchi answered quietly.
"Exactly." The cracks continued to spread. "This was my fight. I couldn't have Radgridr go down with me, and with her around, I couldn't do what I just did. If people think less of me for it, then they need to understand how strong that means you were."
Takemikazuchi bowed his head slightly, his hair hanging loose and framing his face. "You honor me. I don't deserve such praise from you."
"You got it; now deal with it." Ghulam raised his right hand and lightly tapped Take's shoulder. "Hey. Do me a favor."
He raised his head back up to meet Ghulam's gaze. "Name it."
"Will you keep going? Even after I'm gone, will you keep trying to reach new heights? It'll be lonely again, but I think if you give it time, you may find others on the way." He patted Takemikazuchi's shoulder. "I did."
He chuckled. "You really think I'll stop after this?" He looked out to the vast mountain range ahead of him from atop the peak where he and Ghulam stood. "No. I'm not done yet." He smiled softly as the light stayed in his eyes. "There's still too much left to live and see." Man...it's a beautiful view.
"Attaboy. You had me worried earlier!" Ghulam winked as his body began to glow green.
"Sure, I did."
Ghulam chuckled a little. "Step back, Takemikazuchi. I gotta give my last words to those crazy souls up there. All of them." Takemikazuchi shuffled to the side, his body still aching. "Dang, breathing hurts." Ghulam inhaled as deeply as he could muster. "EVERYONE!" His voice echoed throughout the arena. "God or Human, we are not made for contentment! We! Are! Made! For! GREATNESS! Never deny yourself the pain! Never deny yourself the struggle! It is only there in the dirt that you can see the true depths of your strength and will! I challenge every last one of you to start the climb! Start the journey! If you ever stray or feel uncertain, gather together and keep each other going!" All the Pehlwans and Rikishi wept as they clenched their fists and flexed their muscles, their blood boiling as their hearts cried for their kinsman. Several random humans clenched their fists and felt the need to move. Across the arena, they were too proud to admit it, but hundreds of the Gods felt the surge. Their blood began to boil, and their hearts raced. Many wanted to jump from their seats and set out on the journey this madman demanded they start. "Fight! Train! Cry! Dream! Eat! Love! Rage! Cheer! Do it all and never hold back! Live each day so that at the end, you can look in the mirror and never say 'I could have given more!' I challenge you all!" His body began to break apart, feet first. "AND GO…AIM FOR THE TOOOOOP!" His body shattered and scattered in the wind. Takemikazuchi watched the shards fly and break apart in the air. Radgridr floated down next to his left, still crying. He looked over at her and slowly raised his left hand, placing it softly on her shoulder as he gazed back up at the sky.
"Everyone, it's over!" Heimdall said while performing bethak squats on his floating platform. "Muscle and might! Power and passion! Only one could walk away, and he stands in the center of a devastated ring! The winner of Round Nine and Wrestling!" He inhaled deeply. "TAKE. MIKA. ZUCHI!"
Ghulam Butt vs Takemikazuchi
Victor: Takemikazuchi
Match Length: 11 Minutes 33 Seconds
Deciding Move: Futsu Kaminari Tsuchi Harite
Humans 4 – 5 Gods