Chapter 147 Himuro Yukiko ㉒
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It seems I’ve truly pulled the short straw.
My opponent’s movements are far too sluggish to catch me, and yet…
”You’re quite sturdy, aren’t you?” I muttered.
Whether I punch or kick, I can’t seem to deal any damage at all.
The Crystal Golem¹. That is the creature I am currently facing. No, “creature” isn’t quite right. A golem isn’t a monster; it’s a type of magical construct – a mindless puppet that exists only to obey its master’s commands.
Generally, golems are built for warfare and boast incredible durability. Some are so reinforced that even a blade cannot pierce them. However, they are almost universally slow. Because of their heavy, bumbling movements, they are typically used as “tanks” to draw fire.
But what about this Crystal Golem? It’s so ponderous that you’d have to be incredibly unlucky, careless, or a total amateur to actually get hit. Of course, if it did land a blow, it would do more than just leave a bruise. In terms of sheer sturdiness, it surpasses even an Iron Golem. Its endurance is likely off the charts. A low-quality sword wouldn’t just fail to scratch it; it would probably shatter against that hide.
Furthermore, sorcery is almost entirely useless against a Crystal Golem. High-output spells might get through eventually, and Natsumi could likely handle it with ease, but for me? Even though it’s only twice my height, its natural defenses have left me struggling to find an opening.
The Crystal Golem clasps its hands together and swings them down toward me. The movement is so telegraphed that dodging is easy, but I can’t keep this up forever. I need to defeat this thing quickly and get back to my husband – back to Natsumi.
But how? How do I take down something that is effectively invincible?
The Crystal Golem swings a fist; I dodge. We repeat the cycle.
Now that I think about it, there was someone very much like this golem. One of Natsumi’s “Vengeance” targets… a classmate named Suzuki, I believe. How did Natsumi handle him back then?
If I recall, Natsumi stepped inside his guard and applied a joint lock. But would that work on a Crystal Golem? Besides, Suzuki only lost because he was overconfident in his Unique Skills².
What should I do? How do I win?
I must be forgetting something. I need to look back on everything Natsumi and Mihiro taught me. I need to remember the lessons I’ve learned.
Yes, I remember now. It was a few days before we left for Wrathfiria…
* * *
In the courtyard of the mansion, Mihiro and I stood facing one another. We were conducting a mock battle to iron out my weaknesses before the journey ahead.
”Hah!”
I threw a right straight at Mihiro. They dodged it effortlessly, grabbed my right arm, and spun. Using my own momentum against me, they sent me flying. I learned later that the technique was a shoulder throw called Ippon Seoi³.
I hit the ground hard, my back slamming into the earth. I was grateful we were on the grass. But Mihiro didn’t stop there.
They kept a firm grip on my right arm – no, they locked it down with both hands. Pinning me to the ground with their legs to keep me from rising, they began to pull.
”Gah! It hurts! Ahhh!” I shrieked.
They extended my arm with enough force to snap it. I tried to shake them off, but I was pinned so securely that I couldn’t move an inch.
”That’s enough. Winner: Mihiro,” Natsumi declared.
He called an end to my defeat. It was pathetic; I hadn’t landed a single clean hit on Mihiro.
”Are you okay, Yukiko?” Mihiro asked.
”I’ll survive. But… I couldn’t do a thing against you.”
”Mmm… about that. Yukiko, your movements are even easier to read than Sieben’s. Your attacks are way too one-dimensional,” Mihiro replied.
According to Mihiro, my combat style relied too heavily on my raw Status parameters. While that might work against mindless monsters, an experienced human opponent would see me coming a mile away.
”There’s more to it than that, Yukiko,” Natsumi added.
”There is?” I asked.
”Tell me. In hand-to-hand combat, how many types of attacks are there?”
I wasn’t sure what Natsumi was getting at. “Well… there’s punching, kicking, kneeing, elbows… and, um…”
”Hehe… No, Yukiko. The answer is three: striking, throwing, and locking,” Mihiro said with a giggle.
They seemed amused as I sat there counting on my fingers, before finally giving me the answer.
”Wait, really? Just three?” I asked, looking to Natsumi for confirmation.
”Mihiro is right. Broadly speaking, everything fits into those three categories,” Natsumi said.
”But there are so many different moves! Only three?”
”I’ll break it down for you. First: Striking. That covers all your blows. Everything you just listed – punches, kicks, knees, elbows, plus knife-hands, palm strikes, and headbutts. There are others, but those are the basics,” Natsumi explained.
I see. Everything I had thought of was just a variation of “striking.”
”Second: Throwing. This is self-explanatory. You use your opponent’s momentum or break their balance to toss them, just like Mihiro did to you.”
Apparently, there were countless variations of throws, including some that relied purely on brute strength.
”Lastly: Locking. This includes joint locks and grappling techniques used to pin an opponent. That armbar you just suffered through? That was a lock.”
So that was it. Between the pain and the inability to move, it had completely neutralized me.
”It was quite a show, though,” Sieben interjected. “Watching Yukiko and Mihiro go at it like that… it was actually pretty hot.”
”Hey! Sieben!” Mihiro snapped.
”I’m just saying, watching two beautiful women go at it is the definition of erotic. I’m actually a little worked up over here,” Sieben said with a smirk.
”Oh my. Then I suppose we’ll have to do something about that,” I teased.
I could see that Natsumi was getting excited just by watching the mock battle. I was ready to start right then, but…
”No, no, no! Wait! Not now!” Mihiro cried.
”Don’t you want to, Mihiro?” I asked.
”Well, yeah, I do! But save that for when we’re finished!”
Honestly… they should just do it whenever the mood strikes. Then again, Natsumi has always been quite disciplined about these things.
”Mihiro’s right. We’ll save the ‘night pro-wrestling’ for tonight,” Natsumi said. “Anyway, the point is that mastering the combination of striking, throwing, and locking is the key to real combat. Some monsters are nearly immune to strikes. Against those, a lock is your best friend. Remember that.”
”Striking, throwing, locking…” I repeated.
”Alright, Yukiko. Back to your match with Mihiro,” Natsumi said.
”Sieben, I told you, it’s not a ‘match’!” Mihiro shouted.
Needless to say, that night, Mihiro and I – along with Honoka – joined Natsumi for a very different kind of “wrestling.”
* * *
That was it. Striking, throwing, and locking. And more importantly, the combinations between them.
I felt a bit of heat rising as I remembered that night, but I pushed it down. I’m in the middle of a battle; I can’t get distracted yet. I’ll save that for later. Once I reunite with Natsumi, I’ll have to make a few suggestions.
Looking back at the Crystal Golem now, it doesn’t seem quite so invincible.
I dropped into a low crouch, staying so close to the ground that the golem would have to stoop to reach me. This forced it into a binary choice: kick, or lean down to punch. Either way, it would have to sacrifice its balance.
The Crystal Golem chose its path – it hunched over and threw a heavy punch.
I dropped onto my back immediately. Using the momentum of its own lunge, I planted my foot in its midsection and executed a Tomoe Nage⁴ – a circle throw. If this had been a human, they would have slammed onto their back. Instead, the massive, top-heavy Crystal Golem went sailing through the air, diving face-first into the snow with a deafening thud.
Before it could recover, I leaped onto its back. I pinned its shoulders with my feet, grabbed its massive arms, and pulled back.
CRACK.
With a sharp, splintering sound, both of the Crystal Golem’s arms snapped. I hadn’t just used raw power; I had used my legs as a fulcrum to cross its arms behind its back and shatter the joints. It took a fair amount of strength, but the leverage did the work.
In its current state, it couldn’t possibly push itself back up. I followed through by snapping its legs, then mounted the construct’s back. I wrapped my hands around its neck and pulled upward, forcing the torso into a violent arch. With one final, desperate burst of strength –
I tore the torso clean in half. The glowing light within the crystal dimmed and faded. It wasn’t moving anymore.
Still, looking at these shattered remains… I wonder if they can be put to any use?
—
Summary:
Yukiko faces off against a durable Crystal Golem that is immune to normal strikes. She recalls a training session with Natsumi and Mihiro where she learned the three pillars of combat: striking, throwing, and locking. Applying these lessons, she uses the golem’s momentum to throw it and then systematically dismantles it by snapping its limbs and torso.
—
Trivia:
- The Crystal Golem is technically a magic item, not a biological monster.
- Golems are usually used as ‘tanks’ or walls due to their low speed.
- Sorcery is generally ineffective against this specific golem type.
- The flashback takes place before the group departed for Wrathfiria.
- Yukiko’s combat flaw was over-relying on her Status numerical values.
- The ‘night pro-wrestling’ is a recurring euphemism for the group’s intimate activities
—
Character Insight:
Yukiko shows growth by moving away from ‘stat-checking’ enemies and instead using technique and physics. Her loyalty and desire to return to Natsumi drive her to overcome a mechanical ‘bad match-up.’
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author notes that the anime version of this type of destruction (making ‘ramen’ out of enemies) was more traumatic than the manga’s version. The Cao Cao/Guan Yu joke at the end is a reference to the Three Kingdoms and the ‘Gee! Guan Yu!’ meme.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Natsumi – The protagonist. Height 168 to 171 cm, weight 57 to 59 kg. He has a baby face, but he hides his eyes with his bangs. He was bullied by the Sugita gang just because his name sounded like a girl’s name.
• Suzuki – Suzuki Morio. Height 192 cm, weight 102 kg. The largest student in class. He has a terrifying face like a bull. Along with Sato, he ‘guarded’ Himuro Yukiko, controlling her every need including meals and bathing.
• Mihiro – Post-gender swap of Yuki Chihiro: Height 160 cm, B-W-H: 82-55-80. Futanari. Short haired black hair, handsome.
• Yuki – Yuki Chihiro. Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Sieben – Young man with black hair and a mask covering his eyes. He purchased Honoka and Ria.
• Honoka – A member of the relief team with healing magic. Despite her cute, short, ‘transistor glamour’ appearance, she is cold-hearted and mocks Sasaki, now a bound slave to him.
• Lil – One of the heroines. Height 166 cm, B-W-H: 90-56-90. She is a top-tier beauty with long indigo hair down to her waist, a large scar on her abdomen and sharp golden eyes. She has wolf ears and a tail.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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