DDT was already a bad enough move by itself. Sudden rush to the ground fully intended to rattle one’s skull…pair that with the hardest surface in the arena imaginable, and the result was yet another split on Nerissa’s body. But Alice recieved the message loud and clear. A Fireman Carry Facebuster was a move that was meant to finish Alice for the match. If Nerissa was this desperate for the win…it meant that the Brit had to match her in that regard.
As Alice pushed her hand into the ground, trying to get up, she felt a soft texture under her arm…and yet…
”Oww!”, she hissed, lifting her hand, as she realized she pricked her hand, with a bit of blood flowing out.
”Ohh…”
An evil idea crossed her mind, as she got back up to her feet, the little bag she pressed her hand into in tow…as she opened it up, and emptied the contents in front of Nerissa, trying to scare her about what she was about to do. The bag was full of small, but very sharp metal thumbtacks!
”The gates of hell are calling, asshole!”, Alice taunted, grabbing her rival’s long ponytail once more, dragging her back up to her feet…
Before grabbing her at her neck, standing at the Echidna’s side, hooking her leg around her rival’s, and pushing her downward, face-first, onto the thumbtacks with a Reverse Russian Legsweep!
But that wasn’t all. Alice pulled Nerissa’s arm over her head, wrapped her arms around her face, and pulled. The move threatened to separate her rival’s shoulder from it’s socket as she trapped Nerissa in her finishing Toxic! Spoiler
”DIE!!!”, Alice screamed as she pulled on her rival’s face as hard as she could!
"Fuck... fuck! Fuck!! FUCK!!!" Was repeating in Nerissa's head.
Such a hard collision of the forehead and the concrete floor brought her a whole bunch of consequences. She couldn't remember the last time she had experienced such a severe headache. The blood flowing from the wound on her forehead got into her eyes, partially blinding her. And although she tried to clean her face and eyes, her movements were not coordinated due to problems with the vestibular apparatus.
Literally at the click of the fingers, the chances of winning for the Native American woman became ghostly small. Right now, she was in a much worse condition than her rival. Alice knew perfectly well that this was her chance. And by an unlucky coincidence for Nerissa, next to her rival was something that did not bode well for Echidna.
Partial blindness did not prevent her from hearing first the ringing of many metal objects, and then the mockery of the brunette. Literally immediately after that, Alice once again grabbed Nerissa by the braid, forcing her to get to her feet. Despite the burning pain in her eyes, Nerissa opened them. And although her vision was blurred, she saw that there was something shiny and undoubtedly sharp on the floor in front of her. Thumbtacks.
And when Alice put her right leg in front of the Echidna's left leg, it became clear to her exactly what her rival was up to. If she hadn't been in such a bad condition, she would have immediately jerked to the side in order to prevent the brunette from sending her down. However, the only thing she had the strength to do was to take a step forward at the very last moment. For what? Well. When you have to choose from two piles of shit, it's better to choose the one that smells less. Nerissa took this step forward in order to fall on the thumbtacks not with her face, but with her torso. Although, of course, despite this, it was obvious what was going to happen next...
"KIAAAA!!!! FUCK!!! AAAAAHHHH!!! AAAAA!!!!!!"
Nerissa's heart-rending scream was so loud that those viewers who were closest to the women were forced to cover their ears with their hands. Dozens of buttons dug into Nerissa's skin in the neck, chest and abdomen. Just as her rival foretold, Nerissa found herself in a hellish vicious circle. Because of the terrible pain, she began to twitch convulsively and each movement only intensified her agony making her to twitch even more.
And while the Native American woman's mind was on the verge of losing consciousness, Alice decided to put a cherry on top of the cake. In one motion, the brunette pressed her shoulder against Nerissa's back, and then wrapped her arms around Nerissa's head and her left arm. With a cry that very clearly reflected her desire to finish off the Echidna, she began to pull Nerissa's upper body back and up.
How could it be described? Perhaps Nerissa had never felt something like this before in her life. Even though she immediately threw her right hand to Alice's palms, it seemed to her that her opponent was literally peeling the skin off her face. Because of such an unnatural angle at which her left arm was twisted, it seemed to her that the brunette was going to tear off this arm. This picture was completed by multiple wounds on her front side due to the thumbtacks. And while a pool of blood began to form under Nerissa's body, tears flowed from her eyes.
"You give up?" Sounded somewhere from the side.
She hated that question. And even though she knew the referee was just doing her job, it was another painful blow for the Native American woman. Did she want to give up? Yes, she wanted to. It seemed to her that if she did not do this, her head would simply explode because even with all her passion for BDSM, she simply could not bear such an amount of pain.
"KIIIAA!!!! FUCK!!!! NO!!!! AAAAAHHHH!!!!"
Yes, she didn't even have enough strength to resist. However, she would rather follow her rival's wishes and die than submit. Even with all this hellish pain, her pride was stronger. Even if she loses consciousness, she still won't give Alice the pleasure of hearing the cherished words of submission. Kicking the floor with her feet, Nerissa did the only thing she could do at that moment. Using her only free hand, she tried to grab Alice's palms as hard as possible in order to at least slightly loosen her grip. Crying and bleeding, the Echidna intended to fight to the very end. It was a matter of principle. And she just couldn't do otherwise. After all, otherwise all the lying shit that Alice poured on her will become true. No, she couldn't let that happen. She just couldn't.
Alice held on to the best of her ability, with last reserved of her strength. She hoped…hoped beyond belief that this was enough to either make Nerissa tap…or force her into unconsciousness. The strategy with the thumbtacks didn’t go perfectly, but it did enough damage for her to hopefully defeat Nerissa once and for all. The ref asked the question…did Nerissa submit.
And despite all the screams, despite all the blood…the Echidna said no.
”…hah…”
Alice couldn’t say anything. There were no more words left for her taunt Nerissa…nothing left to mock her with or for. The Echidna had already proved her mettle to her. Already proved that she was far…far from a weakling.
…but the match wasn’t over yet.
She held on, in spite of her rival’s attempts to break her grip, legitimately curious if Nerissa could survive this…whether she could get out of the hold, or would she allow the pain to knock her out…
Surely many in Nerissa's place would have plunged into despair because of the current situation. No matter how hard she tried to pull Alice's palms away, the brunette's grip remained strong. On the contrary, the British woman tried to put everything she had into her arms in order to prevent Nerissa from breaking this hellish submission hold.
Time was definitely on Alice's side, even the Echidna, despite all her stubbornness, understood this. With each passing second she was losing more blood. With each passing second, her strength was being depleted more and more. With each passing second she was getting closer to defeat. And even if she won't submit, it will all simply end with her fainting. It seemed inevitable.
"I... can't... I can't lose..." sounded in her head.
An unusual wave ran through Nerissa's body. It originated somewhere in the back of her head, and then rapidly headed down. The Native American woman felt as if she had been pierced by thousands of needles. She was well aware of what that meant. Her mind couldn't take the pain anymore. The Echidna's fingers, clutching Alice's palms, relaxed, and then her right hand fell to the mat. The Native American woman's eyes, filled with blood and tears, rolled up.
"No... no... no!!! FIGHT DAMN IT!!!!!!" She mentally ordered herself.
However, even though she was still partially conscious, her body refused to obey her wishes. For the referee, who had not seen such a brutal match for a long time, Nerissa's condition was a clear reason to check on her, which she hurried to do. The striped shirt took the Echidna's right hand by the wrist and lifted it up. And when she let go of it, Nerissa's hand fell lifelessly to the floor.
"ONE!!!" Echoed through the arena.
After Nerissa's body went limp, the pain became less. She still felt agony, but now that she stopped resisting, she felt better. That was exactly what her mind was striving for. Everyone has a limit. Nerissa had a very warm relationship with pain, most of her life was filled with pain. But hardly anyone would dare to accuse her of the fact that she could no longer withstand the hellish torture that Alice brought her. The referee raised and released her hand for the second time.
"TWO!!!!!!"
Perhaps only one person was not ready to accept the fact that Nerissa could no longer endure all this terrible pain. It was she herself. Despite the fact that her body at that moment looked more like a corpse, she was still trying to make herself moving. She didn't want to lose. Not after everything that's happened.
"Move damn it!!! It's just pain!!! TAKE IT AND MOVE YOU STUPID BITCH!!!!!!!"
The referee took Nerissa's wrist and raised her hand for the third time. She offered no resistance and only the most attentive person would have noticed that her breathing became faster. Even with the confusion in her head, she knew that she was one second away from defeat. The defeat from her rival's sister. Nerissa never liked to lose. She hated it. However, there are no invincibles. She knew perfectly well that defeat can wait for you in absolutely any match. This is a fact and it is necessary to accept it. She lost to Clara. She accepted it. But that didn't stop her. She wanted to get a rematch and she knew that sooner or later she would get it. So what prevented her from just accepting defeat from Alice and taking revenge later?
"Fuck the openweight title! Do you really want to lose to that lying bitch who called you a weakling?!!!! Do you really want all her words to turn into the truth???!!! DO YOU REALLY WANT TO LOSE TO BOTH GASTER SISTERS????!!!!!"
At the moment when the referee released her wrist and her hand began to fall down, absolutely every memory of the events that led to this match ran before her eyes. The defeat from Clara and subsequent ignoring. The meeting with Alice in the bar and her words. Even the moment before the bell rings. It was like a very quick slideshow, but she saw absolutely everything.
These memories were enough for Nerissa to feel something she hadn't felt for a very long time. The true bloodlust. Magma began to flow through her veins. Her whole body seemed to be immersed in fire. Halfway to the floor, her hand stopped and her palm clenched into fist. Amid the astonished screams of the audience, the Echidna opened her eyes. Tears and blood could not hide what was reflected there. There was a cold rage.
"I... won't... lose... today..." she growled.
With these words, she placed her right palm on the floor, and her whole body tensed. At the same moment, she again felt that even the smallest movement was driving her crazy because of the pain. She was still lying on the thumbtacks, not to mention the fact that Alice did not let her out of the submission hold.
"GGGHHHHHHMMRRRRRRR!!!!!!!"
Even her gritted teeth didn't help her stifle a painful groan. Saliva mixed with blood seeped through Nerissa's teeth. She looked like a distraught wounded animal. And it wasn't far from the truth. Resisting the pain, Nerissa channeled the force into her right arm in order to lift herself off the concrete floor. In another situation, Alice's weight would not have caused her problems, but now she was in such a bad condition that this task seemed almost impossible. However, at that moment, the pain was not a curse for her, but a blessing.
Lifting herself up on her right arm, Nerissa bent her right leg first, and then her left, thereby ending up on three limbs. Alice was still holding her left arm, and the pain seemed to have reached a climax. Nerissa could no longer see anything in front of her. Her mind was ready to shut down, but she, making sounds that many would surely find otherworldly, forced herself to straighten up, simultaneously rising to one knee.
Many spectators covered their faces with their hands, because not everyone could withstand the sight that opened for them. Most of the front side of the Echidna was dotted with the thumbtacks, from under which blood flowed. Some of the audience did not even suspect that the human body is able to withstand so much damage. However, this was not the end.
Holding her breath, Nerissa, with their last strength, intended to get to her feet with one sharp movement, at the same time directing her left arm forward in order to throw Alice away from herself with a simple, but still effective hip toss throw! No. It's not over yet. And even if she won't get the victory today, she'd rather die trying to get it than just let the brunette enjoy this moment!
The hold was approaching a full minute after being locked in. Many tapped in it before the 10 second mark. But Nerissa was not quitting…not tapping out at the very least. Quite soon, however, Nerissa’s resistances faded, as she released Alice’s hands…to many, it seemed like the match was over…
The ref approached the Native American quickly, trying to confirm the KO. She lifted the arm up once…and it fell. Second time…it fell down again. At this point, Alice waited with bated breath…was it really over?
Ref lifted the arm for the third time.
The crowd came alive. Alice looked at the screen as it zoomed in onto Nerissa’s face…with her eyes wide open. In spite of blood and tears in them…the Echidna was full of rage.
Alice kept firm on her hold: ”Wrong…”
But right as she said that, Nerissa took that almost as a dare, as she pressed her free arm and legs against the ground. Slowly, in spite of the pain…or maybe even driven by it, Alice’s rival got up…and up…and finally, regained enough ground to successfully, as she spun around, and with the momentum, tossed Alice off of her, breaking the hold!
”GRAAAH!!!”, Alice screamed as her spine hit the ground…but after the scream, her face twisted into a bloody smile…her body felt fatigued, she just wanted to lay down and rest…but she knew…she knew she had one last attack to try…one last desperate attack to take the Echidna down!
As both competitors rose to their feet, Alice would spin on the spot, aiming her fist straight for her rival’s jaw for a Death Scythe, her finishing Spinning Backfist, as her final attempt to knock Nerissa out!
Literally the second Nerissa threw Alice off, she immediately fell on all fours. Her head involuntarily lowered and large drops of blood began to fall on the floor, flowing down her face. She practically did not feel her left arm as if this limb had been amputated. White spots appeared and disappeared before her eyes. She had reached the limit.
But at that moment she didn't care about it. She didn't care about anything but just one thing. She wanted to win. And it was probably the first time since signing her contract that she wanted to win so much. Even the matches with Clara, Sienna and Sheila were far behind for her now. None of this mattered to her.
And that's why, even without wiping the blood from her face, the Echidna once again pushed off the floor and got to her feet at exactly the same moment when Alice did it too. Both women staggered, but managed to find their balance. For just one brief second, they just looked into each other's eyes. Their bodies looked as if they had been mercilessly tortured by the Inquisition. It was obvious that they were both literally ready to fall due to exhaustion. But they were on their feet. They looked at each other. And they both knew that neither of them would back down.
Nerissa and Alice simultaneously took a step towards each other, accompanied by a loud ovation from the audience. For those who came here today, it was no longer important who exactly would win. They felt that both women had something to fight for. Each of them was ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of victory. And now it remains only to find out who exactly has the strength to reach the end.
Suddenly Alice put her foot forward and her body began to spin. Straightening her left arm, the British woman aimed her fist at Nerissa's face, no doubt intending to use the incredible strength and speed of this punch in order to send the Echidna into oblivion once and for all. It seems that Alice knew perfectly well that in her current state, Nerissa simply has no chance to evade it. She even calculated that attacking the Native American woman from the left side increases her chances, because Nerissa's left arm was injured. It seemed that she had taken absolutely everything into account.
Except for one thing...
Biting her lower lip in order to concentrate the pain at least for a moment in one single place, Nerissa grabbed her left wrist with her right hand. She intended to throw both hands up, helping the injured left arm with her right hand. There was an eerie sound of bones colliding. The backfist crashed into Nerissa's bone. But it wasn't her skull. It was her left forearm, which she covered her head with. At that moment, it seemed to her that the bones inside her forearm had cracked. The pain was so severe that she almost fainted. But she was still there. She still hasn't lost. She still intended to win.
"Right..." she hissed, as if refuting Alice's last said word.
When she let go of her left wrist, her left arm fell down like a rag. But she didn't need that arm right now. Trying to act quickly, Nerissa intended to use her healthy right hand to grab the wrist of Alice's attacking arm. And if she had succeeded, she would at the same second have turned around on her axis, thereby twisting Alice's arm with an arm wrench hold!
This way she wanted not only to confuse the brunette for at least a second, she also wanted to make her lean forward slightly. In another situation, Alice's height would not have caused her problems, but now Nerissa was not sure that she could make a high enough jump. What jump? The answer would not take long to wait. She may have been one step behind Charlotte in the kicks art, but she was still one of the best at it! If the Echidna managed to twist Alice's arm, she would immediately jump up, simultaneously turning to the left like a corkscrew. Making an arc with her right leg, the Echidna intended to send a damn hard enzuigiri kick to her opponent's head to knock her fucking out!
As Alice rushed to her feet, the only thing motivating her now was victory. Nerissa more than earned her respect...but there was no way she was going to allow her to win. She was still defending her sister's honor. She was still fighting to potentially win the LAW Openweight title...but perhaps most importantly now, she wanted to beat Nerissa because she respected her so much now. Because she saw just how strong and ruthless the Native American woman was. As she charged at Nerissa, looking dead into her eyes...both knew that they simply wanted to defeat the other!
Between the shoulder tearing crossface, Alice deliberately chose the angle of her attack. There should've been no way for Nerissa to counter or even block the Death Scythe...
...except, just barely in time, Nerissa's left arm was lifted to her face by her right, blocking the shot! Alice tried to pull her arm back...only for Nerissa to catch it by her right hand, twisting it: "AAAAARGH!!! You...fuck----!!!"
As Alice lifted her left hand to fight back...Nerissa jumped into the air, twisting herself as she launched her leg at Alice's head, successfully connecting with an Enzuigiri!
"AH!"
Everything went black for a second...for a moment, the Brit believed that she lost her consciousness...until she realized that she was still thinking. The image returned to her eyes as she looked at the blood stained concrete below her, as she grit her teeth...and pushed up:
"IS THAT IT, MOTHERFUCKER?!"
Alice rose back up to her feet, screaming her battle cry, fiercely trying to throw her left hand at Nerissa's head! She was desperate for one final shot. She knew if she hit it, Nerissa was done!
If she had used this move under other circumstances, she would hardly have complained that she had to fall in the end. But the fact was that she fell on her front side. And if someone forgot, there were still a lot of fucking thumbtacks. The sharp spikes dug deeper into the Native American woman's body, causing not only more pain, but even more bleeding.
However, the click that resounded throughout the arena at the moment when her foot crashed into Alice's skull became her medicine. She struggled with the pain, but she knew that Alice was not in a better condition right now than she was. Being on the verge of losing consciousness, the Echidna knew that in the next few seconds the outcome of this match would be decided. And she had no right to let the agony stop her. Placing her palms on the concrete floor, she used the last remnants of her strength to push off and rise to her feet.
At the same moment, her eyes widened. Her opponent didn't stay down. Even after such a powerful kick, Alice was not ready to give up. Even if it was only for a split second, she was able to get to her feet faster than Nerissa. In the furious words of her rival, the Echidna heard an unshakable determination. Alice wanted to win. Alice wanted to protect her sister's honor. Alice wanted to become a champion. She put all this into a fist aimed at Nerissa's face.
The fist crashed into the very center of the Echidna's face. A terrible crunch stuck in the ears of the audience. Two streams of blood gushed out of the Echidna's nostrils because her nose was undoubtedly broken. Her head jerked to the side and for a brief second there was nothing but darkness in front of her eyes.
They say that before death, a person's whole life runs before their eyes. That's about what happened to Nerissa at that moment. However, it was not her whole life, but absolutely every moment of this match. From the ringing of the bell to the fist that just crashed into her face. Even hardcore has limits. But in this match, she and Alice went beyond any reasonable limits. Considering how much blood has been spilled today, surely both of them will need hospitalization. And yet...
"Are you ready to lose?" Nerissa asked herself mentally.
All the laws of logic and sanity pushed her to an affirmative answer. Never in her life had her body been as scarred as it was today. Alice was an amazing woman. Nerissa couldn't even remember the last time she had to confront someone with such strong willpower. So what will be the answer?
Putting her right leg half a step back in order to keep the balance and not fall, the Echidna threw both hands forward in order to grab Alice's head. Absolutely every millimeter of her face was covered with both fresh and dried blood. Her lips and nose were like a piece of freshly cut meat. She was as close to defeat as ever. But that's why her heart was beating so fast. Alice deserved to win. But Alice wasn't the one Nerissa was ready to lose today. So what will be her answer?
"NO!!!" She roared, answering both her own question and her rival's one.
All or nothing. It couldn't have ended any other way. Nerissa came here to find out if she has enough strength to earn the right to become the first openweight champion. For this, she was ready to sacrifice absolutely everything. And even if after that day she has to spend days and weeks recovering, but she will pay the price. She will pay this price in order to prove that she is worthy to stand on a par with the veterans of this federation.
Bending her arms at the elbows, she intended to pull Alice's head towards her. All or nothing. Victory or defeat. So be it. Having sent everything to Hell, the Echidna was going to direct her own head forward in order to hit the brunette right in the center of her face with a hellish headbutt, into which she put all her determination with which she came here today!
”MGGGH!!!”, Alice groaned as her punch hit, her arm hurting from fatigue alone after everything she and Nerissa put herself through. She could tell it was shocking for the Echidna that she was still standing after the Enzuigiri…but both women were determined to win this, to prove each other wrong. The crowd couldn’t be any happier of the match. As the strike exchange occured, a loud: ”FIGHT FOREVER”, chant broke out. Had both women had infinite stamina, it might’ve as well lasted forever…but as was clear to everyone, Nerissa and Alice were fighting on their last reserves…
And for just a moment, Alice believed she took Nerissa’s last bit of energy with that punch….
…and yet, she kept her balance. And yet, Nerissa grabbed at Alice’s head. And yet, Nerissa could give Alice a clear cut answer to her as she screamed at her…and threw her head at Alice’s nose:
”GWWOOOOOH!!!”
Alice nose gushed blood from the impact, almost certainly broken. Alice’s vision became blurry from the tears…and spun from the hurt. She tried to keep her balance, but started falling forward, as much as she didn’t want:
”No…no…”
Desperate to stay up, her arms grabbed at what they could, which just so happened to be her opponent’s shoulders. Her head hung low as her vision got darker and darker, her grip starting to slip off her rival’s shooulders…
Amazing atmosphere. There was no other way to describe it. That was the essence of pro wrestling. The emotions that were born during the match are the most amazing thing in the world. Nerissa and Alice didn't come here just for the opportunity to become the first openweight champion. They came here for personal reasons too. And although Alice's sister, Clara, had a significant role in their story, viewers understood that these two women first of all wanted to find out which of them was better. And that's why they supported them in this endeavor with such loud chants.
At the moment when Nerissa's forehead crashed into her rival's nose, darkness covered her eyes. She barely managed to force herself to keep her grip tight while continuing to hold Alice's head. Just like a moment ago in Nerissa's case, blood gushed out of the brunette's nose, which caused a real scarlet puddle to form under the women's feet.
They both leaned forward, thus involuntarily using each other as support. And while the Echidna was holding her rival's head, the British woman grabbed Nerissa's shoulders. If their bodies were not covered with terrible wounds, and there was no blood splattered here and there around them, one would think that this was some kind of sweet moment before a kiss. But the cruel truth was completely different.
It was at that moment that the fate of both Nerissa and Alice was being decided. Perhaps no one would have said it out loud, but absolutely everyone knew that the one whose body went limp in a few seconds would lose almost all chances of winning. That's why the audience held their breath. That's why Nerissa, being on the verge of losing consciousness, held her breath. The tension reached its apogee. It seemed that time had stopped. And then...
Alice's head lowered and her hands began to slide down. Nerissa, who was not peculiar to such things, let out a painful groan, in which, despite everything, one could hear the most sincere relief. She never doubted her own abilities. In this match she and her opponent beat each other so cruelly that Nerissa lost confidence in the middle of the match that it was she who would take the victory today. But now...
The Echidna's legs were shaking so hard that she was ready to fall to the floor. But instead she took a step back, still holding Alice's head. Because of fatigue, she was staggering and absolutely everyone could see the mist in her eyes. Nerissa was barely able to distinguish the features of the brunette in front of her. But now she didn't have to. There was only one thing left for her to do. Finally send Alice down. Once and for all. This was her last chance.
Feeling that her body had long gone beyond her capabilities, Nerissa decided to take the last step into the unknown. No matter how it would end, she intended to use what little she had left in reserve. All out. Just this once.
"EYES!" Nerissa screamed.
Accompanied by the screams of the audience, who knew what this meant, the Native American woman intended to channel the force into her legs and jump up, at the same time bending the left leg at the knee and pulling it up to her chest. Most of the other fighters needed at least a few steps to do this, but Nerissa had amazing leg strength and truly outstanding agility. Now she intended to use it to hit Alice on the chin with a high knee strike in order to soften her body even more and make her fall to her knees!
