"Listen, Misery. Keep your opponent focused on your left-hand barrage. When they've completely forgotten to look out for an attack from your right, give them a real taste of it. Even a strike only lightly reinforced with Magic Power can deal significant damage if it catches them off guard, and it’ll break their stance. When that happens... pour everything you’ve got into the finish. I’ll tell you the most important thing for that moment."
In that final heartbeat, Misery brought her master’s teachings to mind.
Following his words to the letter, she shifted her weight, settling into the perfect posture to unleash her ultimate attack.
"The most important thing in combat is Perfect Harmony... complete, absolute balance. A senior I respected used to say that. Well, eventually he’d start claiming there was no such thing as 'perfect' or 'harmony,' but let’s set that aside for now. What matters, Misery, is not to be too tense. Don't overstrain yourself. Spirit, Technique, and Body—you don’t make any one of them stand out. Instead, you fuse them into one complete form. Just trust in your own efforts and throw everything you have. If you do that, I promise... your strike will reach him!"
"Spiral—"
The air screamed.
The sound came from the Magic Power swirling at the tip of the Wasp Needle on her left arm, a violent vortex churning the very atmosphere.
"Stinger—"
She threw every ounce of herself into the blow. She didn't overstrain, didn't overthink; she simply believed in herself and the friends who had stood by her.
The heart that channeled her Magic Power, the technique she had tirelessly polished, and the body that drove the thrust home—feeling them all achieve Perfect Harmony, Misery unleashed a full-powered Left Straight. She aimed it from a slightly low angle, driving straight toward Berbar’s chest.
"—Shot!!"
"Gah-ff!?"
The sound that echoed across the grounds was a sharp, piercing crack.
To the onlookers, it sounded like a bullet punching through a target—the sound of something vital being gouged out. As they watched, Berbar was blown backward by the sheer force of the blow. He skidded across the ground and finally opened his mouth.
"...Heh, heha, hehahahaha...! He, hehehe! Hehehehehehehehe!!"
Laughing like a madman, he lifted his head and shot a mocking glare at Misery.
She remained frozen in her follow-through, her arm still extended. Berbar spat out words that were practically a declaration of victory.
"You idiot! You absolute moron! You had a perfect opening, and you went out of your way to hit me where my defense is toughest! Thanks to that, I barely felt it! You choked at the crucial moment!"
Berbar sneered at her, boldly gesturing to his unscarred Breastplate.
Triumphant, believing he had weathered her best shot and that the momentum had finally swung in his favor, he prepared to launch his counterattack. But Misery didn't flinch. She simply watched him, her expression calm and unwavering.
"Now, Misery! It’s my turn! I’m going to pay you back for everything—with interest!"
"........."
"I won't stop even if you cry! I'm going to hurt you so bad, you'll be beg-g-ging... huh...?"
Suddenly, the strength drained from his limbs. For some reason, his tongue felt heavy, and he couldn't form the words.
Overcome by a sudden, crushing sense of exhaustion, Berbar’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees. Just as confusion began to cloud his mind, a dry snap echoed in his ears.
"What...?"
He looked down at the sound. There, in the center of the Breastplate that had been pristine only seconds ago, sat a clean, jagged hole. He let out a strangled gasp of pure incomprehension.
He stared at the puncture as if he were only just realizing he had been hit. As the realization of what that hole meant dawned on him, his face turned a ghostly pale.
(T-That strike just now... it had enough power to bypass my Magic Barrier and punch through this Breastplate? No way... then, if I hadn't been wearing this...!?)
Misery's blow had been powerful enough to pierce a Magic Barrier meant to shield the body and cave in a reinforced Breastplate of high quality.
Realizing that without that armor, there would undoubtedly be a hole in his own chest, Berbar finally understood the source of the paralysis taking over his body. It was the shockwave of an attack his defenses hadn't been able to fully kill.
"Haah, haah, haah... N-No way... this can't...!"
His breathing grew shallow and rapid. His consciousness began to drift, and his vision swam as darkness encroached from the edges.
With one final, short gasp, Berbar’s head slumped forward. He remained in a formal seiza position, completely unconscious.
"B-Berbar!? Are you serious!?"
"Hey! Berbar, wake up!!"
"She wrapped the needle in spiraling Magic Power, hardened it to maximum density, and drove it home. Berbar’s Magic Barrier was brittle to begin with, but that attack had more than enough power to end it."
"The fact that he had that Breastplate might have actually been better for Misery. Without it, she would've killed him."
Yugo and Marcos evaluated the fight with clinical detachment, discussing the massive gap in strength that had been revealed.
Turning their gaze toward Misery, they saw her clenching her fists. She stood there, the reality of her victory finally beginning to sink in.
"I won...? I... I really won...?"
She had fought exactly as she had envisioned. she had displayed her full potential.
The thrill of her own growth and the weight of the victory she had seized filled her heart. Misery snapped out of her daze and spun around toward the sidelines.
"Nice work! I knew you could do it, Misery!"
"Master Yugo...!!"
There stood her master, a wide grin on his face and a thumb held high in praise of her victory.
Marcos, Melt, and the others were applauding as well. At the sight of them, tears unbidden began to well up in Misery's eyes.
Still... she knew she shouldn't show a crying face to the people who had sacrificed so much to help her reach this point. Fighting back the tears, she flashed a radiant smile and returned the thumbs-up to her master, answering her friends' cheers with a gesture of her own.