Main Event: GASTER vs Astrid Arvidsson (c) for the LAW Openweight Title

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Her entire front side, including her face, crashed into the concrete floor under Clara's weight. It was so unexpected that in a way it knocked the wind out of Astrid. Due to the fact that she did not have time to group up and turn her head to the side, she received a tear on her lower lip, as a result of which blood began to flow down her chin. However, considering the four wounds from the table fragments, it was only a drop in the ocean. Breathing heavily, the descendant of the great Vikings tried to find the strength to pull herself together. But after so great damage she had significant problems with it.

At the same time, Astrid's condition opened up an opportunity for GASTER that she wasn't going to miss. Grabbing Astrid's still in pain by the head, she pulled her up. Considering that the Golden Dragon was weak at that moment, the British woman had to put a lot of effort into it, but this did not stop her. As a fighter, Astrid knew that Clara wouldn't have wasted her time on this if she hadn't planned something big.
When Clara dragged her to the ring, Astrid realized exactly what her opponent wanted to do. Even though her vision was slightly blurry, she could see both the open coffin and the pumpkin lying inside. Without a doubt, GASTER intended to kill two birds with one stone.

It didn't take long for the contender to climb up the apron and then drag bleeding Astrid there. Under the growing hum of the audience, GASTER swapped one hold for another, as a result of which the Golden Dragon's back arched, and her head turned towards the pumpkin lying in the coffin. At the same time, Clara said what could be called parting words to the champion.

With a strangled groan, Astrid put her left hand on her opponent's waist, and with her right hand grabbed one of Clara's hands. These words did not become a motivation for her, only a harbinger of what was to happen next. But it wasn't enough to put up significant resistance. Her body was still in too bad a state and the words that Clara said were not enough for the blonde to be able to shrug off the agony she was in.

The real motivation for her was the following words of GASTER.

When Clara said it was time for Astrid to fade into the shadows and for her reign to begin, the Golden Dragon's eyes widened. As if she had received a shot of adrenaline, her heart began to beat several times faster. Despite all her pride, she knew that she could not be a champion forever, sooner or later she would face someone who would take her belt and take the top of LAW. The descendant of the great Vikings promised herself that when that day came, she would not regret anything. However, if she lets it happen today, right now... then she won't forgive herself. She will have to live with the regret that she gave the most important title of the federation to someone who wanted to get it out of greed.

"NEVER!!!" She growled through clenched teeth.

At the moment when Clara lifted her lower body, wanting to increase the angle of fall, Astrid held her breath. Resisting the pain that permeated her body, she bent her knees, and then abruptly straightened her legs in order to change the center of gravity and thereby prevent her opponent from leaning back. As soon as her feet touched the apron again, she straightened up in one sharp movement to get a little more free space to act. First of all, she needed to get Clara to let her go, and she had no better option than to turn to her opponent, while simultaneously throwing such a powerful right uppercut into GASTER's solar plexus that it might seem to some that she wanted not just to punch the brunette, but literally punch her through!

[Vc0m]

The anticipation was palpable. Clara was so...so close to getting the belt, the reward that she's been pursuing for her entire carrier in wrestling! After saying her taunt, she took another deep breath. She never hit her finisher to a heavyweight before, but neither did she ever suplex one out of the ring. She knew she had the strength - she just needed to call on it one final time. Clara took a deep breath...

...and as she did, she felt Astrid's arm grab at her arm, attempting to block the manuever. Clara grit her teeth, trying to fight through the champion's resistance to her finisher...right as the blonde cried out "NEVER" in defiance!

With a scowl on her face, the Brit tried to lift Astrid up... only for Astrid to use her legs to shift her center of gravity! Losing control of the move, Clara dropped the blonde back on her feet and releasing the Inverted Facelock, unable to keep it locked in after pouring so much of her strength into finishing attempt. And in response to everything, throwing her out of the ring, squashing her with a Frog Splash, splitting her lip in process, and trying to put the champion away for good, Astrid had 1 very simple response to GASTER.

That came in the form of a large fist ramming itself straight through the middle of the smaller woman's body, straight into her Solar Plexus!

"GUK!!! GKKH...!!!"

Immediately, Clara fell on the apron, her mouth open under her mask, but unable to get anything in or out, not a sound, and not a whiff of air! While a second ago she was almost ready to finish the match, now the Shadow Lord was reduced to gasping in pain on the ring apron...

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Quite a few people would dare to question Astrid's physical strength. She was able to hit so hard that it seemed to some that thunder really rolled through the arena at such moments. However, even the most powerful blow can become even more powerful due to the power coming from the depths of the soul. This is exactly what happened at the moment when the champion didn't allow Clara to use the finisher. When Astrid's feet touched the apron again, it was as if she was engulfed in flames.

And she directed this flame into her right fist, aimed at Clara's bare stomach. When the blonde's knuckles crashed into the contender's solar plexus, GASTER let out a strangled scream, along with which the air came out of her lungs. Clara's face was hidden behind the mask, but no one had any doubt that after this punch, the British woman's eyes were ready to fall out of their sockets. Unable to withstand such a powerful blow, GASTER sank onto the apron in a futile attempt to force herself to start breathing again.

But.

Clara wasn't the only one who fell. Literally immediately after that, Astrid dropped heavily to one knee. She even had to grab onto the rope as she felt herself stagger a lot. Yes, the adrenaline after Clara's bold words helped her forget for a moment that she had received four open wounds, not to mention fatigue and pain all over her body.

Breathing raggedly, the Golden Dragon cast a brief glance at the audience, who at that moment were equally supportive of both her and her opponent. Perhaps not everyone encouraged Clara's motivation, but no one would dare to doubt her skills and her importance in this federation. The descendant of the great Vikings caught herself thinking that under other circumstances... no... no... no matter...

The champion knew that in just ten seconds the adrenaline rush she had experienced would end, and she would have to spend an incredible amount of energy to act despite the pain. Time was definitely not on her side. And if she was going to face pain and fatigue in all its glory, then the best thing she could do was make sure she wasn't going to be alone in this.

The Golden Dragon reached for Clara's head to wrap her left arm around it and thereby close the British woman in a simple front facelock hold. However, even if she had not encountered resistance, she intended to use her free hand to grab the contender's left leg in the thigh area.

"Gggrrraaa!!!"

Uttering a battle cry that clearly reflected the pain returning to her, Astrid intended to stand up to her full height, at the same time lifting Clara into the air. The bleeding wounds on the blonde's body made this sight truly incredible for the audience, but, unfortunately, for Astrid herself, these wounds became a significant hindrance. Initially, she wanted to do the same thing that Clara wanted to do just a few moments ago, but she did not have enough strength and time to aim well.

Therefore, the champion simply leaned back, accompanied by cheers from the audience. Unfortunately, she couldn't correctly calculate the trajectory to throw Clara directly into the pumpkin lying in the coffin, instead, Clara's body was directed rather at the gurney platform on which the coffin was located. But although it was unfortunate, the Golden Dragon was sure that even this would be enough for her fisherman suplex to become a starting point for GASTER straight to Hell!

[Vc0m]

Clara paid close attention to each action her opponent committed, and despite her breathless state, she took note of the fact that Astrid fell after unleashing her punch. It seemed for both women, that any attack now was taking a little bit of their energy out of them, especially with how, despite the match not going for too long by the standards of a LAW main event, both of their bodies were hurting.

"G...ghaaa..."

Finally, Clara could take a gulp of air into her lungs, as she started to push herself off the apron to get up on her feet. She couldn't move much more than that, unfortunately, and Astrid hurried to capitalize on her punch before the Shadow Lord recovered! Trapping her head under her arm, she also grabbed her leg, making it difficult for the Brit to block any potential lift off the apron...

...for a second, as Astrid lifted her, Clara realized the unfortunate fact:

"Wait...the angle is wrong! I won't hit the...!!!"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

Clara screamed loud enough to not be drowned out by the shocked fans. Once again, her back was getting massive amounts of abuse, as Astrid's Fisherman's Suplex collided not with the inside of the coffin, for the blonde to claim the final point and potentially win the match, as the Brit instead collided with the gurney the coffin was on!

GASTER fell on the floor next to the coffin. Her body demanded air, but could barely take it in. It felt like it was on fire. For a moment, Clara truly believed that the Golden Dragon was taking her through hell...

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It was loud. Damn loud. It was a symphony of different sounds. Amid the deafening screams of the audience, first Clara's body crashed into the metal gurney, then the British woman let out a scream, then both women collapsed on the concrete floor at the same time as the coffin fell from the gurney, the final chord of this symphony was Astrid's painful groan. Yes, it really was an exciting sight that the audience expected from the main event.

"Gggrrrhhh..." lying on her back, Astrid groaned.

This fall was far from the most pleasant. Some might even say that it was reckless on her part. Given her condition, perhaps falling off the apron really wasn't the most sensible decision. However, she was one hundred percent sure that her opponent had a much worse time. The champion was willing to pay the price. Even though her body was also damaged, it opened the way for her to what could have been the end of the match.

Therefore, the Golden Dragon gritted her teeth and rolled over on her stomach. Now every move hurt her. Although the amount of blood flowing from her body has decreased slightly, her wounds have not gone away. Large bruises could be seen on the parts of her body that were not covered by her costume. As minimum for this many should give Clara credit, because despite the size difference, she gave Astrid a really tough fight.

Speaking of Clara…

Rising to all fours, the descendant of the great Vikings immediately looked at the brunette. Even with the mask on, Astrid could hear her rival's heavy breathing and it didn't look like GASTER was ready for action at all. The fall from the apron onto the gurney and the concrete floor did its job. All Astrid has to do is finish what she started. Holding her breath, she got to her feet, and then immediately took a step towards the fallen coffin. Kicking the wooden construction with her foot, she put it in the correct position and opened the lid. Turning her head to the side, Astrid barely restrained herself from a sigh of relief. This time, luck was on her side, the pumpkin that fell out of the coffin did not roll very far. It turned out to be enough for the champion to simply stretch out her hands to first take it and then return it to its rightful place, namely in the coffin.

It was only after that that Astrid noticed that the audience was slowly but surely building up the noise. They had a reason for this, because they were sure that the champion was preparing something big. Yes, they were absolutely right. And in order to bring the noise to a new level, the Golden Dragon clenched her fist and raised it above her head. Hearing the cheers, Astrid took a step towards her opponent and bent down to grab GASTER's elbow.

Still huffing and puffing because of the pain coursing through her body, the descendant of the great Vikings intended to lift Clara up. It would be fair to say that on any other day, she would have no problem lifting a woman like Clara with pure physical strength. But because of the wounds and other damage, it seemed to her that the brunette weighed a damn ton. So, if she managed to lift Clara's body off the floor even a little, she would immediately reach for her opponent's leg.

Holding Clara by both her elbow and her leg, Astrid intended to put the British woman on her shoulders and then straighten up to her full height, thereby placing Clara in a fireman's carry position. Surely at that moment the noise level in the arena would have moved to a new level, because now those who have closely followed Astrid's career have no doubts about what she was up to. Yes, she had spent an incredible amount of effort to get to this point, but now she intended to end it all.

Under Clara's weight, the champion's face turned very red, which treacherously betrayed her fatigue. But if she had not met resistance, she would have taken a step aside, straight to the coffin. And only then she held her breath. Whatever it was, Astrid respected Clara for being a brave woman who knew what she wanted. However, like GASTER, she had her own goals and dreams. The Golden Dragon was not ready to give the title to her rival. Not today. She intended to throw Clara's legs back while jumping up at the same time. If she had succeeded, she would have thrown her own legs forward in order to take a horizontal position, while simultaneously wrapping the brunette's head with both hands. That's right. Astrid intended to use what brought her the most wins in this ring. Someone knew it as a fireman's carry cutter, but she called it the Jormungandr's mouth! It was her finisher and now she intended to use it both to smash the last pumpkin and to put her opponent in the coffin!

[Vc0m]

Clara wondered sometimes, especially after her APEX match: how long could she keep doing this? Human body, no matter how well trained, was never meant for the amount of abuse that the Brit was experiencing every few months for particularly vicious PPV matches. She did several checkouts, both before and after PPVs and painful matches, to make sure she wouldn't get a long term injury of some kind while in the ring. So far, she didn't get anything that a few weeks of rest wouldn't deal with... but the Brit worried that one day, maybe tomorrow, maybe in the decade, her luck would run out.

But for now, her luck dictated that she was tossed in the edge of a metal gurney, back-first, with a, at first red, and then a black and blue line forming on her back, adding to more than a few bruises already adorning the Shadow Lord from this match alone. But ultimately... they were worth it. Clara knew they were. In just a few minutes, she would get up, she'd smash Astrid into a pumpkin, then into the grave, and then close the lid. Just a few minutes from now, Clara was going to be a champion. She wouldn't accept any other result.

Astrid, naturally, would object to that thought.

The crowd got excited. Clara lifted her head, groaning as she looked at Astrid. Despite the tumble both women took, the blonde was already up on her feet. Before the Shadow Lord could even lift a limb, The Golden Dragon would pick her up, first to her feet, then onto her shoulders for a Fireman's Carry position. Clara tried to lift her arm up, to drive her elbow into Astrid's jaw... but, hurting and fatigued as she was at the moment, her attempt to escape would be as weak as if a fly flew onto Astrid. Unpleasant, but annoying, not hurtful whatsoever.

Astrid stepped towards the coffin, standing over it threateningly, making sure GASTER had a good look at the inside of the coffin, as well as the pumpkin lying inside. The Brit had a good look at the inside of the coffin for the first time in the match. It wasn't meant for comfort at all. The inside of it was lined, but it barely seemed soft. When Clara was going to slam Astrid inside, she didn't know how painful her move was going to be. If luck dictated that the Shadow Lord's back had to hurt like hell, then karma dictated that the Brit was the one to be slammed into the coffin first...

Astrid spun Clara around, catching the Shadow Lord's head from mid-air to make sure she fell face-first into the pumpkin with her signature Jormungandr's Mouth! Clara's head impacted the pumpkin, as it broke apart, the insides and juices painting GASTER's signature mask orange. The crowd exploded, not just in excitement for the move... but for the message on the screen...

The pumpkin count. GASTER : Astrid Arvidsson. 2 : 3.

Astrid Arvidsson is now eligible to win the match

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"Gggghhhh..." Astrid let out a painful wheeze.

As in the case when she sent Clara to the gurney from apron, Astrid knew that her finisher would be painful not only for the brunette. Hardly a single person would be willing to say with a serious face that the coffin provides a lot of free space. No, it doesn't at all. The Golden Dragon's painful wheezing was caused by the fact that her back landed on the short wall of the coffin and it was far from the most pleasant feeling, especially considering the wounds she had received earlier. However, there was a slight smile on the champion's tired face.

Yes, it was painful, but it was definitely worth the result she got. GASTER's head smashed into the pumpkin, completely crushing it. And while the audience was clearly excited by the fact that Astrid fulfilled the first condition of their match, the British woman remained absolutely motionless. Even without the pumpkin, the Golden Dragon's finisher was a truly devastating move. There was no bragging in this, it was a fact confirmed by a lot of women for whom this movement was the last thing before defeat.

Breathing heavily, Astrid let go of Clara's head, and then rolled to the side, thereby sliding off the coffin onto the concrete floor. She felt a burning pain all over her body, and large drops of sweat were running down her face. From the very beginning, the champion was not going to treat Clara lightly, but being honest with herself, Astrid was surprised to find out from her own experience how tough her opponent was. Clara definitely deserved her reputation and all those words of praise that Astrid heard about her before the match. Yes, even though she found the motives of the British woman to be not the best, she had great respect for this woman.

"Even the shadows..." Astrid muttered, getting up on one knee.

She intended to grab GASTER's shoulder to turn her onto her back. She didn't know if Clara was conscious at the time, but if that was the case, then Astrid wanted her rival to see the light one last time. It was definitely a very subtle symbolism that hardly anyone could understand. However, an attentive person would surely remember the words that Astrid said on the day when Clara demanded a title shot. Astrid promised to close both her rival and all her sins in a coffin. That was the reason she wanted Clara to see the light one last time before…

"Can't survive in absolute darkness!"

Clara was definitely a strong fighter. However, on the way to the top, her moral compass went astray. Some might disagree with this, but Astrid thought so. And if the only way to convey this to Clara herself was to plunge her into utter darkness, then so be it. After saying her last words, the Golden Dragon intended to grab the coffin lid and close it!

[Vc0m]

Clara was face down, her vision filled with blurry shapes and orange pieces of the pumpkin as she laid in the coffin. Surprisingly, she could still think, albeit in short bursts of thoughts, rather than anything coherent. It was as if she was already in a dream...

"Was I knocked out?"

This was the first coherent thought in the Shadow Lord's head after being hit by her rival's finishing move, the thought that, by its own existence, made the Brit realize she was still awake... but after being hit by Astrid's finisher, she couldn't move her limbs. Best she could manage for the moment was moving her fingers. She smelled a fruity smell from the pumpkin. She knew how bad her predicament was. One motion from her foe is all that would be needed to finish the match.

One that Astrid was taunting the Shadow Lord for herself.

The Golden Dragon turned Clara to face her, her mask hiding whether she was awake or not... meaning quite simply, this was a statement from Astrid to the Brit - she won. She beat Clara and her greed, and with the closure of the lid - GASTER, her sin, and her chances of victory will be all sealed in the coffin.

Astrid closed the lid.

And it wouldn't close.

"AAAAAAAGH1!!"

The lid impacted against Clara's raised arm, and with the strength with which Astrid closed the lid, it simply bounced upwards to open back up!

Immediately afterwards, GASTER rose back up from the coffin in front of her rival:

"...I'll disappear into the darkness...", she would say, in a voice hoarse from all the pained screaming in the match, before she suddenly turned and drove her foot into the champion's jaw for a Superkick!

"But not without my belt!"

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Just one simple move. That was the only thing separating the Golden Dragon from winning her second title defense. When she received the golden belt from the LAW general manager's hands, she vowed that she would do everything in her power to give her title the prestige it deserves. And, of course, it was impossible without strong contenders. Clara, refuting any stereotypes about lightweights, demonstrated in all its glory why any woman can claim Astrid's title, regardless of the weight division. However, the Golden Dragon wasn't going to lose her title today. That's why she slammed the lid of the coffin without any hesitation.

The descendant of the great Vikings expected to hear only one sound, namely the loud knock of wood on wood, which would symbolize the end of the match. But if there was one thing she didn't expect, it was her rival's heart-rending scream. The coffin lid was again in an upright position, and only after a second the Golden Dragon understood why this happened. Clara almost literally sacrificed one of her hands, making it an obstacle in the way of the closing lid of the coffin. Astrid's dilated eyes made it clear that she did not expect her rival to be capable of something like this.

Clara's words brought the champion back to reality, but before she could force herself to act, GASTER turned to the side, bending her leg at the knee at the same time. The instincts of the Norwegian woman let out a scream, forcing her to throw both hands up because she knew exactly what her rival was up to. Yes, her instincts had not failed her, but it was already too late. Clara's boot crashed into the center of the blonde's face, causing a blinding white flash in her eyes.

"UUUMMMGGGHHHH!!!!!"

Covering her face with her hands, Astrid backed away. Even though she remained conscious, the impulses in her brain went crazy. The white flash in front of her eyes was replaced by a black one, and then for some reason by a red one. When the Golden Dragon stopped, she barely found the strength not to fall to one knee. Still groaning through clenched teeth, she took her hands away from her face. Only after that she understood where the red color came from. Her gloves were stained with blood, flowing profusely down her face. If last time Clara only tore her lower lip, this time blood flowed from the blonde's both lips and from her nose.

Because of so much powerful and unexpected kick in the face, her vision was unfocused, but even so, she understood that she should not give her opponent free rein. She had to take a deep breath and hold it because she was afraid she might lose consciousness. Why? Because the Golden Dragon intended to run forward, straight to Clara. She had only one chance and she had no right to miss it. She was hoping to get GASTER back in the coffin with a quick clothesline!

[Vc0m]

Clara's arm hurt. Badly. Whether Astrid put in some strength to close the lid for dramatic effect, to make more noise, or any other reason, the result was that, even though the Shadow Lord was still in the fight, she was weakened even further. In its own way, however, the pain woke her up from her daze after Astrid's finishing move, drove her on as the match kept going... but without her left arm, there was little chance of GASTER doing any more holds or lifting her foe off the canvas...

It didn't matter now. She had to get even with Astrid. And that started by slamming the sole of her boot into the blonde's face for a Superkick! Her attack found its mark... too well even. Clara's kick busted the blonde's nose and upper lip...

And Clara didn't feel any sympathy. More than likely, looking back on the match, she would definitely feel bad for Astrid, as besides a few small cuts and a lot of bruises, the Shadow Lord was still not bleeding... but right now, the driven Brit was taking every advantage she could find and get to fight back against her Heavyweight foe!

And although it didn't floor The Golden Dragon, the kick did severely weaken Astrid. She could see her eyes were not looking straight for her... even as the blonde rushed forward with an outstretched hand!

With Clara's renewed strength, she leapt straight out of the coffin, and over the clothesline to avoid getting hit! The leap would end with Clara on all 4s, trying to use her momentum to roll a short distance away from Astrid!

"Mggh...", she would grunt, nursing her hurt limb as she rose and turned around.

She bought herself sometime, forcing the Heavyweight to turn around... and as she did, Clara aimed her leg for the side of Astrid's head, jumping into the air as she nailed the champion with an Enzuigiri!