[Hell-Bound Train Match] Astrid Arvidsson (c) vs Piper Sherwood for the LAW World Openweight Championship

[skip-stop]

Although Astrid wasn't as noble as her best friend, Charlotte, she still had her own code that she tried to follow. The simplest solution in the given situation was to start hitting Piper on the head until the contender lost consciousness. However, the Golden Dragon couldn't afford it, not against a fighter she respected.

Grunting and puffing, the descendant of the great Vikings moved towards the pedestal, dragging with her the woman whose stubbornness seemed to be something beyond. To some extent, it was even funny. Even knowing it was over for her, Piper still wanted to make Astrid's every step a real agony. And she certainly succeeded.

“Grrrr... fuuuuuuck!!!”

Astrid was so exhausted that every time she closed her eyes, she had to make an effort to open them again. Although she tried to focus on her goal, but at some point the darkness covered her mind so much that she stopped and staggered. She even had to lean forward and put her palms on her knees.

Blood was still dripping from her face, and she looked like she had been to hell and back. Well... it wasn't really that far from the truth. The champion looked ahead, there were no more than three steps left to the pedestal, although this distance now seemed insurmountable.

At the same moment, a treacherous thought crossed Astrid's mind. Piper can't go on. So if the Golden Dragon allowed herself to lose consciousness right now, then the result of the match would be a draw, which would allow her to retain the title as a result. If she had a little more strength, she would have laughed out loud because of that idea. But instead she just smiled faintly and then looked down at Piper, who seemed rooted to her leg.

“You'd like that, wouldn't you, huh?” Astrid asked, as if Piper could know what the blonde was thinking about a moment ago. “But, unfortunately for you, I never give up and that's why I'm the champion!”

Astrid took a deep breath, and then bit her lower lip so hard that a new thin trickle of blood ran down her chin. She took the first step, dragging her opponent with her. Then she took the second step, even though her whole body was shaking like a leaf.

When she was within arm's reach of her golden belt, the descendant of the great Vikings felt as if gravity had increased tenfold. A huge force was pulling her down, as if trying to force her to give up. The last step seemed impossible. But Astrid believed with all her heart that she was born to make the impossible possible. That's why she never stopped being one step away from her goal. That's why she won't stop this time either.

“Grrrrrrrraahh!!!”

With a furious growl, she took the last step. To maintain her upright position, she had to wrap her right arm around the pedestal. But it didn't matter anymore because she had reached her goal. Breathing raggedly, the Golden Dragon used her left hand and took the golden belt. The viewers, who had gathered tightly around them, roared like a herd of wild animals.

She won.

If she had allowed herself to lose consciousness at that moment, no one would have blamed her. However, Astrid was the first openweight champion, she was the face of the best pro wrestling federation and the strongest woman in the world. No, the audience shouldn't see her faint after winning. The openweight champion is the strongest champion. And therefore…

“Happy Halloween!” The Golden Dragon said as loudly as she could at the moment, simultaneously raising the title belt above her head.

A smile appeared on her exhausted face. The openweight champion is a symbol, and that's why she couldn't let them see her weakness, not at this moment when they're celebrating her victory. However, no matter how much unshakeable willpower she possessed, even she couldn't hold the title over her head forever in her condition, so after a few moments Astrid sank down on her butt. Her vision was terribly blurred, but even that didn't stop her from seeing that several medical teams were rapidly approaching her and her rival.

“A hell of a match, Piper...” she said tiredly, placing the title belt next to her opponent. “A hell of a match...”

[Bare]

Piper was biting down hard onto Atsrid's leg, or at least, as hard as she was able given her current state but that wasn't saying much given that with each agonizing step Astrid took a little more of Piper's consciousness faded.

Already the edges of her vision were black and darkening with each passing second, getting dimmer and dimmer with each passing second and by the time Astrid reached the belt and picked it up, Piper had finally reached the last dregs of her strength, so by the time that Astrid bellowed out a happy halloween Piper could no longer hang on and rolled over onto her side, eyes half lidded, looking up at Astrid's legs from her side , barely managing to see that the woman had slid down to her but right beside her.

"Ngh... You...." Piper groaned out, unable to speak full words as she inched closer especially as the blonde placed her belt down between herself and Piper... and proceeded to congratulate Piper for the match... and all Piper could do was reach out weakly towards the openweight belt, trying and failing to grab it only for her arm to fall just a inch away before Piper finally passing out.