But there was nothing to hide here, Astrid treated this with a slight irony. She never considered herself a judge, jury, and executioner. And it was definitely not for her to judge the methods and especially the words of other fighters. "I will become the Openweight champion!" "If necessary, I will kill for this belt!" "I've been going for this all my life!" "The waiting time has passed, now it's time to take what is rightfully mine!". And so on and so forth. Words. Too many words have been said since the announcement of the start of the Openweight title race. All these words were different, but the meaning of these words was always the same. Everyone already considered themselves a winner.
"Don't fuck up," Victoria said, adjusting her glasses.
"Not a chance, huh," Astrid chuckled.
No more than two seconds of increasing tempo, and then the arena was filled with explosive music. And it wasn't just music. It was a symbol. The symbol of the descendant of the great Vikings. Amid loud shouts and applause, Astrid Arvidsson, the Golden Dragon, came out from behind the curtains. The young woman's lavender eyes were filled with excitement, and there was a confident smile on her face. She raised her hands above her head and folded her palms in the manner of a crown. The audience needed a show. And it's time to make a new statement. Her statement.
Astrid started down the ramp. A lot of water has flowed since she first stepped on this ramp. At that time, she unceremoniously broke into the showdown of two major players. It has become a kind of tradition. Alison was far from the last LAW star that Astrid openly challenged. Big players have always preferred to solve their cases exclusively with other big players. However, the Norwegian woman was not going to put up with such things. She knew one simple truth. No one will ever give you what you want. If you really need it, you'll have to come and get it. Yes. That's why she was here today.
Taking the microphone from the commentators' table, the long-haired blonde rolled under the lower rope. Jumping to her feet, she walked confidently to the center of the ring. Spreading her arms out to the sides, she turned around her axis, paying tribute to all the spectators and, of course, her fans. The moment her music ended, the Golden Dragon pointed her thumb at herself with a cheeky smile, not forgetting the tradition with her signature gesture. The arena was once again filled with incredible noise and Astrid was forced to wait a bit for the crowd to calm down a little. And when the screams had almost completely died down, she took a short pause before bringing the microphone to her mouth.
"Should I tell a story about the long and difficult path that brought me here, huh?" the Golden Dragon asked, not hiding the irony and sarcasm at all.
The arena was filled with negative noise almost in the blink of an eye. Astrid laughed good-naturedly. She was glad that during this time those who supported her remembered her character well. Building the right reputation is an incredibly difficult task. Many people spend months, if not years, in order to present themselves correctly. Someone needed to find the right words. Someone needed to perform specific actions. And all this in order for the image to be deposited in the minds of the audience. But that wasn't Astrid's case.
"I thought so," the long-haired blonde said with a sincere smile, "we've been hearing too many words and promises lately, haven't we? But don't you all remember what I said the very first time I stepped into this ring?"
Giving the crowd a chance to express their emotions, Astrid lowered the microphone for a moment. Why didn't she need to build the right reputation? The answer to this question was not a secret. Astrid always preferred to act rather than talk. And in those rare moments when she needed to make a promise or say a bright speech, she did not throw words to the wind. That was her principle. That was her essence. She preferred to act rather than talk. But if she had to speak, she was always ready to confirm every word she said.
"For those who have forgotten, I'm ready to remind you," she said, raising the microphone again, "standing in this ring in front of Alison Seong, I said I'm not here for empty talk, I said I'm not here to show off in front of the cameras, I said I'm not here to make empty promises, I SAID I'M HERE TO FIGHT!"
Astrid's last words, which she literally shouted without restraining emotions, mixed with the wild screams of the crowd. Yes, that's what she got her reputation for. When the Norwegian woman was faced with the choice of which organization to sign a contract with, she chose LAW for a reason. It was here, in her opinion, that the best fighters from all over the planet were. It was here, in her opinion, that there was an unprecedented opportunity to unleash the maximum potential. After leaving her career in MMA, she traveled halfway around the world not to exchange words with opponents, standing at opposite ends of the ring.
"I made only one promise, on the first day I said I would fight with anyone," the Norwegian woman continued, despite the fact that the noise in the arena has not completely subsided, "a veteran, a debutant, an ordinary fighter - it doesn't matter. Anyone who considers themselves a strong fighter is my potential opponent. Only one thing is important to me. To fight to the last drop of sweat in every match! To fight until the moment when I or my opponent can no longer stand on feet! To fight in order to show what a real battle of warriors is! To fight in order to show what real pro-wrestling is! AND ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU DESERVE???!!!!"
Astrid spoke so loudly and emotionally that her face turned slightly red. Her words provoked a reaction. She didn't prepare this speech. She spoke from the heart. But she knew she was right. She's never said anything she doesn't believe in. And she believed that those true fans and viewers who come here deserve only the best. They deserve a real match. They deserve to see fighters in this ring who are ready to go beyond any limits in order to earn the right to call themselves the best.
"And I have never broken that one promise! I have met both veterans and newbies in this ring. I have seen both victories and defeats in this ring! My friend recently said that if a fighter has an endless string of victories, then perhaps this does not mean that the fighter is the strongest, perhaps it means that the fighter chooses insufficiently strong opponents. And isn't that what confirms the truthfulness of my promise?!" this time Astrid didn't stop talking, despite the roar of the crowd, she was overwhelmed with emotions. "That's why you won't hear any new promises from me. I will not tell you and promise loudly that I will never lose to anyone! I will not say and promise loudly that I will fight only with champions and other tops of the federation! I will not say and promise loudly that I will be the one who wins the Openweight title! Do you know why? BECAUSE MY FISTS WILL SPEAK MUCH LOUDER THAN ANY WORDS AND PROMISES!!!"
For a brief moment, Astrid was forced to take several deep breaths. She had not succumbed to the emotions that gripped her now for a long time. Being in the very center of the arena, seeing all the fans and spectators, the long-haired blonde felt better than ever before. In this ring, she could be who she actually was. A warrior who seeks weakness not thanks to words, but thanks to hard work.
"The biggest event of recent years is waiting for all of us! Every fighter will try to prove that they are the best in this ring! And I will be among them! I will be glad to meet and measure strength with every woman who considers herself strong enough to take the Openweight title!" taking a deep breath, Astrid moved on to the most important part, for which she was here. "Four qualifying matches. And then the final Apex match. These are new challenges on my way. And you won't hear anything new from me! Why? Because I always keep my word! The way forward is never easy. And only a weakling is looking for easy ways! I made my promise and I don't intend to break it!"
Astrid turned towards the ramp and pointed to the curtains. Now her intentions were more than obvious. The audience was already ready for this. Knowing the temperament of the descendant of the great Vikings, it was obvious what should happen next. And so the Golden Dragon wasn't going to delay this moment any longer.
"Anyone who hears me! Anyone with enough courage! Anyone who is confident in their abilities! Anyone who believes that real pro-wrestling is not about words, but the battle to the end!" Astrid said. "My five matches start right now. And I challenge anyone who is ready to accept my challenge! I challenge anyone who is ready to enter the ring not to talk, but to meet in battle as two real warriors!"
In order to further inflame the situation, the long-haired blonde again pointed at herself with her thumb. Be that as it may, but the audience is the heart of any federation. Without the support of the audience, no fighter will ever reach the real top. Astrid felt connected to them and she knew what they needed. Because of her overwhelming emotions, she was ready to throw the microphone to hell, smashing it to smithereens. But the Norwegian woman knew that this was not the end. She was sure that her challenge would not be ignored. And she was even more sure that after the one who would become her first opponent in qualifying came out from behind the curtains, she would have to say a few more words. But so far, she has received some time to catch her breath after such an emotional and sincere performance.
