Maxim vs. Gotō Mototsugu

Sporting Event / Competition

Perhaps there were a few more incidents of interest happening in the stands at this point, but none of them were interesting enough to draw attention away from the morning's third match. This battle saw Maxim of The Wolfpack and more broadly the Hashinara Clan, facing off against Gotō Mototsugu, a ghost. Mototsugu boasted a unique fighting style which involved splitting her top half from her bottom half and distracting her opponent with repeated kicks from behind. It had been strangely effective up to this point. Whether the same tactic would play out against a heavily armored veteran like Maxim, however, seemed doubtful. Odds weighed quite solidly in the Knight Commander's favor.

As she had for the previous two matches, Kikkawa no Myōkyū called this one to action. Mototsugu proceeded to immediately imbalance the odds by flying a hundred feet into the air. It became quickly obvious that Maxim couldn't match that. He remained on the ground, ready to fight, but unable to reach his opponent as they swapped a few words. Soon, realizing that she wasn't in any danger, Mototsugu got comfortable. She laid out on her side, lounging in the air as she lamented that she didn't have any drink to keep her company.   There Maxim seized upon an opportunity. He promised to buy Mototsugu a drink that evening if she'd come down and fight him. The ghost agreed. It seemed just as likely that she'd taken the offer because she was bored as because of the drink, but Mototsugu did warn Maxim that her tastes were expensive as she flew down to engage him. The severed samurai's lower half wound around Maxim's back and started kicking him in the rear as expected. Despite his armor, the ghostly foot passed straight through to impact the patoot within. Not a slaying blow, but certainly distracting enough.   It quickly became apparent, however, that the matchup did indeed weigh in Maxim's favor. Even a solid strike from Mototsugu could not seem to actually damage the foreign dreadnought. The more keen-eyed amongst the audience spotted something red and thin winding around between and within the gaps in his armor. Was that absorbing the damage somehow?   Maxim did not wait to counterattack. After two powerful, ki-infused blows, Mototsugu surrendered before the third could land. There was a fine chance another hit could kill her. Again. When a ghost died, it wasn't as easy to come back as for a human with a soul inside their meat. Gotō Mototsugu was her soul, and couldn't take that risk lightly.   When all was done, Maxim even looked a bit disappointed. He'd been expecting more, perhaps, from a fighter who had made it all this way. The Knight Commander's own growth, even since joining this tournament, could not be discredited, however.