[Last Woman Standing Match] Astrid Arvidsson vs Diana Accera - For abs, booba and the Openweight Title (Apex Match)

[Devilish53]

Diana was numb.

Beyond numb, if such a thing was possible.

Her eyes were to Astrid's massive bust - but only because they were right in front of her. Her gaze had fallen straight over, with the stunning nature of that horrific punch a mere moment ago causing such. It was a state her body shared, with it fluttering in the wind with arms now uselessly against their sides. Had Astrid followed up with a light blow of air on Diana's frame, it would have knocked her down all the same.

Instead she went for a full stop so defining, it was destined to have been a highlight of Astrid's career going forward. Maybe even Diana's, purely from the fact she was still alive by the end of it.

If barely.

Body completely useless as Astrid came against her, the blonde was already working with pure adrenaline fueling her. It was something of a given that Diana would sandbag the motion - entirely in fact - yet it wouldn't hinder the blonde in the slightest. Astrid had come too far, and her plan for the finish too splendid to let a little thing like monstrous fatigue slow her down now.

Squeezed from above if inadvertently by Astrid's ungodly powerful grip, the Italian would have gagged and outright spluttered against the ring canvas had she not been forced to move soon after. Once more forced entirely upwards by the will of Astrid, those in the front row would bare witness to a woman who had lost all sense in her gaze. Diana was borderline out cold already. Everything here on was overkill.

Though Astrid didn't seem to care. Nor could she be blamed for committing all the same.

Not as she turned her frame with neither the canvas nor chair in mind. No, she wanted something sharper. Something more definitive. And damn if she found it.

It was almost fate that the ladder would be in the position it was in - neither woman had made excessive use of it, save for actively placing it where it was. The fact that Diana no longer bared it no mind wouldn't be her downfall however. For said downfall was coming all the same, regardless of where Astrid decided to slam her.

And slam her she did, with such force that Diana swore she heard something crack each and every time.

With the first powerbomb ringing out into the masses, Diana's eyes outright rolled as the insane agony of the move ran through her spine. She wouldn't be given chance to even comprehend the pain - hell, she was still comprehending the stunning blow given to her torso a moment ago - before Astrid saw fit to raise her again.

Brought down again, in the exact same position as the first time, many a spoke on the ladder would break with the mainstay of the ladder outright bending and contorting to Diana's shape. It was as if Astrid was trying to hammer in a massive nail with nothing but Diana's frame. And fate would deem it that the blonde dragon felt one more hammering was needed.

Eyes shut and arms outright flapping, the ineffective and accident slap of hands upon Astrid's head would do absolutely nothing to prevent the final descent to earth. One that this time outright broke the ladder beyond use - if it were to be placed upright, it would have fallen of its own accord. The same could be said of Diana right now. Nay, not just right now; for hours to come!

For Diana had been put in a state she couldn't recall she'd been in before. A state of outright unconsciousness - brought entirely through agony and power alone!

Needless to say, the referee would swing in on instinct the moment Astrid even allowed for a little space to form between them. She'd extend a hand, with her body acting on its own as she briefly reached for Diana's arm with intent to raise it. Before she'd peel back! For being KO'd was not a victory condition!

"ONE...!"

[skip-stop]

"Pha... pha..."

Being in a sitting position, Astrid closed her eyes. And although she continued to gulp air, it seemed to her that now every breath only takes away the remnants of her strength. She felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. The throbbing in her temples was literally driving her crazy. But the blonde knew she had to get to her feet. Thinking about it, she took a deep breath.

And it was at this moment that her arms turned into rags. Under the surprised looks of the audience, the Golden Dragon released her opponent's hips, causing Diana's legs to collapse on the mat. As if in slow motion, the upper body of the descendant of the great Vikings leaned back and she, too, found herself on the mat with her arms spread wide. Her body was completely exhausted. She drifted off to sleep for a second or two. How did she know that? Well. It was the only logical assumption because the next thing she heard was…

"TWO!"

It seems that after all that had happened, the referee was no longer going to be slow. Finding that both mighty women were lying on the mat and were not going to get to their feet, the referee started counting. The irony of this situation tried to make Astrid to start laughing. But every inch of her body was filled with pain. The muscles became like a solid piece of metal and refused to perform their intended function. Therefore, she couldn't afford herself to laugh.

"THREE!!"

What was the irony? Well. Does anyone even know how much time has passed since the start of the match? Can anyone even list how many damn tough attacks these women have thrown at each other today? Yes, hand in hand, they without exaggeration went through fire, water and trumpets. And the irony was that now Astrid just had to get back on her feet. The simplest task possible. But at that moment it seemed to her something impossible.

With a painful groan, the Norwegian woman rolled over on her stomach. The pain in her body was so unbearable that the blonde was forced to gather together all her willpower in order not to faint. The desire to win made her put her palms on the mat.

When she strained her arms, they trembled. Astrid clenched her jaw so hard that she heard her teeth grinding. She must to do it. She fucking must to. Because of blood and sweat, her unruly thick hair looked like a floor rag. But at that moment she was glad that this rag covered her face. Because of the wild pain in the blonde's eyes were tears that she could not hold back.

"Four!!"

With one sharp movement, she forced herself to pull her knees forward, thereby getting up on all fours. The Golden Dragon felt a wave of nausea, her body refused to continue moving due to the fact that she simply had no energy left. Because of fatigue and tears in her eyes, she could hardly see anything around her. Damn. Even if she turned around to look at Diana, she would hardly be able to see her clearly enough.

Never say never and never think that nothing can surprise you. Every woman she encountered in the ring found a way to surprise her. And each time Astrid thought she would be ready for a new challenge. Even today, she thought that Diana wouldn't be able to offer her something she hadn't seen yet. But today, the Italian woman forced the Golden Dragon to go through the longest match of her life.

"Five!!!"

With that thought in mind, she forced herself to get up on one knee. One of her hands was still on the mat, and she put the other one on her hip. The woman gulped air greedily, suppressing the terrible exhaustion that engulfed her body. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt something like this. Even in the match with Kanata she didn't feel so tired.

"Six!!!"

At the moment when the Golden Dragon tried to get her knee off the mat and get to her feet, a terrible spasm of pain caused her to fall to one knee again. She lowered her head and a few drops of blood flew out of her mouth. It seems she underestimated how badly her body was damaged. Yes, she was prepared for the fact that she would have to pay a huge price just to get a chance to defeat Diana. But no matter how hard you try, you can never prepare your body for something like this.

"SEVEN!!!!"

The Golden Dragon bit her lower lip with such force that a thin trickle of blood flowed down her chin. Taking a deep breath, she punched the mat. Slowly, unsteadily, but she began to straighten up. Her body really looked like a piece of metal. Sweat was streaming down her body, all her clothes were already soaked through. At that moment, the pain was stronger than ever before. Her body resisted any movement Astrid wanted to make.

"EIGHT!!!!"

She wanted only one thing. To prove to herself that she is stronger than any pain. That was her essence. All her life Astrid has been looking for an answer to the question, where is her limit and will she be able to go beyond it? She managed to do it in the match with Kanata. And now she is faced with it again. She's reached her limit. Pain and fatigue dragged her down. Pain and fatigue wanted her to lose. But if someone thought that she had come all this way to give up on the last step, then this person should have thought again.

Taking a step beyond her capabilities, the Golden Dragon straightened her legs, proving that she could still stand. Yes, she staggered. Yes, she had to bring her knees together. Yes, she had to bend down and put her palms on her knees. But the most important thing was that at that moment the referee stopped counting for her. And although she had every right not to, Astrid forced herself to stand up to her full height. The descendant of the great Vikings threw her head back, removing golden hair from her face. She smiled wearily. She had just proved that her spirit was much stronger than her body!

[Devilish53]

It was the briefest of moments where it looked as though the referee would be counting both women out, but Astrid dashed such concerns pretty quickly. Even rising slowly as she was, it was apparent that the blonde dragon was going to be up likely before the official had even reached the halfway point.

Diana on the other hand, did not move.

At all.

Her mind fluttered as the cries of the referee mixed in perfectly with the crowd, with the Italian perfectly stuck in a conscious limbo. It was like a dream in which everything she was imagining was exactly what was actually occurring - down to the scrapes of Astrid's feet across the canvas, the deep inhales of the official, and even the cries of one very rambunctious crowd member in the front row. Yet even in this dream, Diana's limbs did not move.

"NINE...!"

The penultimate call was as good as the final one for a victim that had yet to motion, and yet the crowd were on the edge of their seats all the same. Diana didn't have to muster a powerful and spry rise to her feet - she could of at any moment pushed herself out of the ring to land upon her feet. It wasn't the most proud of ways to remain in this fight, but it was better than losing.

And yet, something more extreme happened; beyond the imagination of the official, the crowd and likely Astrid alike. As if empowered by the very gods, or perhaps having assumed an undead-like stupor, the Italian's legs found purchase beneath her before she rose to her feet. Her back was to Astrid, with her long raven haired locks dangling in front of her face. With her gaze out of view, it was hard to even measure the Italian's state - whether it was her body acting without conscious thought, or perhaps even an otherworldly possession.

The blonde behind her naturally wouldn't come close to plant a gaze upon the Italian - Astrid was dumbstruck, and rightfully so. Diana had just taken the most painful combination of her career - nay, possibly of her life - and yet she had rose in less than a second to a perfect stand. The ring was almost shaking with concern from both the official and her opponent alike, as Diana turned her head.

In a manner damn near beyond comprehension.

"Is that all...you fucking got..?" Diana's head wasn't quite reaching Exorcist levels with how it turned, but the gaze of the Italian's was now planted on Astrid's own despite her back mostly being pointed at her foe. It would be hard to read what Astrid was experiencing or feeling right now.

Was this figure before her human? Or broken to the point of no longer registering pain?

Astrid was right to shake in the manner she did, as Diana's gaze scoured up and down her with any words from either woman near enough inaudible thanks to the roar of the crowd. They had all but come unloose - LAWLESS and shameless Diana be damned - the fact that this woman outright refused to lose brought about earth shaking levels of support for her. The masses were fully in swing of the raven haired beauty, with Diana even grinning to acknowledge such a fact. A grin that only added to the ghoulish appearance of the woman, given the obscene levels of sweat mixed in with a modest amount of blood that had ran down her face.

She would finally turn - her fists raised as she prepared to once more bring hell upon her foe. It wouldn't matter what Diana opted to unload with, she felt - Astrid would just be grateful to have left this encounter with her life. With one proud swing of her right leg, Diana squatted her frame down with all intent to unload and spring at Astrid with speed yet unseen. Her eyes were wide with fury; an almost bloodshot look to them.

No-one could stop her now, and this was a fact.

Apex.

The Openweight belt.

It was all hers. Nothing, nor no-one could deny her otherwise or say a damn thing to stop the Italian now.

Well, except one person.

...

...

"TEN!"

The word hit Diana all at once - as if her frame had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Her eyes shot wide as her arms briefly shook, with her hands clenching the canvas.

Yes. The canvas which she still lay against.

For in the sheer intensity of the moment, heightened only by the blood rushing in her ears and the sheer agony now overtaking her frame...

Diana had imagined every damn thing! She hadn't stirred the slightest throughout the entire count!

A count now completed, as the referee swung to call such a fact to the timekeeper!

The match was over!

[skip-stop]

It could be true. Even though Astrid got to her feet, she was still standing with her back to her opponent. Was she afraid to discover that at that very moment Diana was getting to her feet? It could hardly be called fear. But, yeah, she was ready for that. And if that was really the case, then Astrid was ready to accept defeat. She had absolutely nothing left. And if Diana managed to keep at least one drop of strength after all that had happened, then so be it, the Golden Dragon would put up with it.

Hearing the ninth count, the blonde held her breath. She knew that the next second would decide everything. Diana was an amazing woman. And despite all her antics, in this match she showed why not so long ago she earned the right to own one of the belts. Therefore, Astrid was ready to turn around and find that Diana was preparing to attack her. The blonde was a proud woman, but if Diana really was so strong, then Astrid could be proud of this defeat. Turning back, the Golden Dragon in all its glory felt all the tension of this moment.

Could anyone imagine her relief when she turned around and found Diana in the same position she had left her in after three powerbombs in a row?

"TEN!!!!!"

The last count was literally drowned in the screams of the audience, which were so loud that perhaps the whole of Japan could hear it. Few of those present were ready to believe that this match was finally over. Not the audience. Not the commentators. Not even Astrid. The Norwegian woman blinked several times. Perhaps it was all the effects of fatigue, but her mind still could not accept the fact that now everything is over. Or maybe she needed something more explicit than just the screams of the audience…

Ding-Ding-Ding.

Yes. That was exactly what she needed. The blonde's mind finally accepted what was happening. She really did it. She defeated Diana. While tears started running down her cheeks, the Golden Dragon involuntarily knelt down. Emotions overwhelmed her so much that her legs became wadded up and she just couldn't stand anymore. Throwing her head back, Astrid clenched her fists and slightly bent both arms at the elbows.

"UUUAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

Astrid roared, barely restraining her happiness and spirit. The crowd joined in her roar as the blonde's entire body tensed, her arms trembled, and her back arched. She wasn't usually the type to exult like that. But she couldn't help herself now. Everything was exactly as she wanted. Her whole body ached more than she had ever felt before. Every inch of her skin and every part of her clothes was wet with sweat. And yet she had never felt so alive!

The referee girl quickly approached Astrid and raised her hand, officially declaring her the winner. Her music theme began to sound from the speakers. The audience cheered their winner and it seemed that nothing could make this moment even better. Except for one thing. The ring announcer took the floor.

"Here's the last woman standing and officially the contender for the openweight title, Astrid «Golden Dragon» Arvidsson!!!"

Accompanied by ovations, the descendant of the great Vikings got to her feet, raising her right fist above her head. Her career began not so long ago. On the way to this moment, she was waiting for both loud victories and no less loud defeats. She caught both looks full of respect and looks full of disdain. Someone loved her, and someone hated her. But now no one can deny one thing. Her place is among the best. Today she managed to prove this at the cost of sweat and blood.

Lowering her hand, the blonde turned to Diana. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed and she took a few steps forward, stopping right in front of the brunette. For a few seconds Astrid seemed to be looking straight into the soul of her rival. It wasn't far from the truth. The Golden Dragon really recalled literally every moment since their first meeting. Closing her eyes, Astrid took a deep breath, and then when she opened them, the corners of her lips lifted.

"Are the voices in the head gone?" She asked, after which her smile widened.

Bending down, the Norwegian woman extended her right hand to Diana, offering not only to help her to her feet, but also a handshake. She came here for two purposes. Stand in line with the best LAW fighters and return Diana to common sense. She successfully coped with the first one, because now she was one of the few who got a real chance to become the first openweight champion. And it remains only to find out whether she has put enough effort into achieving the second purposes too.

[Devilish53]

There was no rise from Diana the moment the match was over. Her fatigue did not magically disappear now that the bell had been rung; if anything, the Italian was already suspecting that the ache across her frame would be felt for many days. Perhaps even weeks!

She'd turn her head if with a lowly, pained grunt towards the ramp. Officials were already headed to the ring with a mobile stretcher - one she'd try and ensure she wouldn't need, but then again, she had yet to try and stand. Outside of her imagination at least. Putting her hands beneath her, even rising to all fours was a hell of a task. There would be a fine imprint against the canvas - thanks purely to the fact that she had been completely docile against it for more than ten seconds.

Though now that she was upon her knees, the thought of being stretched out didn't sound so bad after all!

Turning her head again as the hand of the golden dragon was offered to her, Diana didn't accept it at first not out of rudeness, but of sheer fatigue. She'd stay a moment, perfectly still save for her chest rising and falling with her hands resting upon her knees. Had Astrid still held out her hand, Diana would be sure to have accepted it. Though Astrid would need to do the majority of the pulling to get the Italian to her feet!

From there, the helping hand became a shook one, as Diana in slow motion almost raised her other hand to pat the grip of her now former-foe. It didn't look genuine by how little effort she was putting in to the shake, but it was a simple matter of fact that the Italian could muster no more energy. For had she done so, she would of collapsed nigh instantly.

"Good..."

Diana would need to take a deep inhale between her words, as her eyes went slowly from the clenched hands to Astrid's gaze.

"Good job..."

With that, she'd offer the nearest thing she could to a smile, before her legs outright gave way underneath her. Though luckily, the approaching officials were now in-ring; their arms outstretched, to catch the falling Diana!

[skip-stop]

No one could blame Diana for not immediately accepting the hand that Astrid held out to her. Yes, some might have thought that the Italian woman was just holding a grudge or something like that, but the truth was that at that moment it was amazing that Diana could move at all. Considering that a moment ago her body had been used to turn the ladder into a pile of scrap metal, it was not surprising that she still needed a little time.

Astrid was willing to give it to her. To do otherwise would be hypocrisy, the blonde was sure that she, too, would need some time to forget about everything that Diana had put her through. But even the longest road begins with the first step. For them, this first step was the moment when Diana gathered her strength and joined their palms.

The arena was filled with applause and, accompanied by an approving cheers from the audience, Astrid helped the brunette to get to her feet. She felt that Diana was being kept conscious only by her willpower. Because of this, the Norwegian woman barely felt both her rival's grip and those light pats on her palm. However, she did not doubt the sincerity of Diana's actions at all. It meant a lot to her, because Diana was the one she was trying to surpass all this time.

"Thanks for the match..."

Her voice was hoarse, but it was unlikely that anything could prevent anyone from hearing that her words were filled with respect for the Italian woman, who, although not from the very beginning, gave her maximum in this titanic confrontation. Astrid wanted to say something else, but before she could, Diana staggered. Her legs gave way and she began to fall down.

"Hey, Diana..." the blonde exclaimed.

Taking a step forward, Astrid wrapped her free arm around the brunette's shoulders in order to help Diana maintain an upright position. The Norwegian woman's face twisted in pain as she herself could barely stand on her feet. Yes, incredible emotions slightly drowned out her pain, but this did not mean that it was easy for her to hold Diana.

It is good that by that time the medical team and other staff had arrived. Thanks to them, instead of falling on the mat with her rival, Astrid was able to transfer the Italian woman into the reliable hands of medics. She didn't know if Diana had fainted or not, but in the hope that the brunette would hear her, the Golden Dragon wanted to tell her one more thing.

"I'll find you when we both recover..."

After these words, she let the staff do their job. With her hands on the top rope, Astrid watched as Diana was led away from the arena.

It's always a little sad when a fighter can't leave the arena on their feet. On the other hand... perhaps this was the best proof that the fighter gave absolutely everything during the match without any residue. Considering that Astrid was still on her feet, did that mean she hadn't given more than a hundred percent? Oh, no. Even though she was on her feet, she wanted to fall. And only the desire to leave with her head held high kept her from doing so.

Realizing that if she slows down, she may not succeed, the Golden Dragon rolled under the bottom rope immediately after Diana disappeared behind the curtains. Landing on her feet, Astrid staggered and closed her eyes for a second, taking a steady deep breath. Like her rival, she felt terribly weak. However, in order to finish everything properly, the blonde forced herself to gather her strength one more time.

Raising her head and smiling broadly, Astrid headed up the ramp. Accompanied by a standing ovation from the audience, she became increasingly aware that at the moment this victory was her greatest achievement. Her career began not so long ago, because of this she had to take part in more qualifying matches than many others. However, she passed this challenge and didn't leave the race.

Stopping at the top of the ramp, the Golden Dragon turned around to take another look at the audience. Maybe it was a little narcissistic, but she wanted to take the last round of applause. Given the current trends, she was sure that tomorrow she would read several comments on the Internet that she was just lucky. But she didn't care. No matter what anyone said, she knew one thing. With a smile on her face, she raised her right hand and pointed at herself with her thumb, saying without any words that she deserved this moment.

With a pleasant feeling that today she fulfilled all the promises she had made since the beginning of Apex, the Golden Dragon took a step back and disappeared behind the curtains. First of all, she needed a medical examination, at least because of the wound on her head. Then a shower. And then a few weeks of rest. Astrid was sure that after this match, her body would need a lot of time to recover. But she was also sure that as soon as she received permission to return to the ring, she would immediately do it, regardless of whether there would be a gold belt on her waist by that time or not.

[skip-stop]

The winner by knockout is Astrid Arvidsson