Versus Diagram 9:1

 

「A sword of flame…!?」

Uriel moved to close in while maintaining the blaze—but Flack calmly pulled away, keeping his distance.

「It’s all for show, Kou. Don’t be fooled. You too, Flack, did you hear me?」

「Thanks, Asia-oneechan! …I mean, Asia-sama!」

「You can call me ‘Asia-oneechan.’ I like that better!」

Cheered by being called ‘Oneechan’, she brightened up. Kou turned to her with a question.

「What do you mean, ‘all for show’?」

「If a blade was hot enough to melt enemy armor with plasma, the edge of the sword wouldn’t last. It’s just mechanically cloaked in plasma—think of it as a reinforced version of a high-frequency thermal blade. Those kinds of weapons are too fragile for blocking, right?」

「That’s true.」

Kou recalled why he’d initially chosen a greatsword for Unit 5. High-frequency blades were too fragile and couldn’t be used to block—that’s exactly why he’d steered clear from them.

High-frequency blades had become widespread as secondary weapons—lightweight, powerful, and extendable. But because of their intricate mechanisms, they were prone to breaking even after receiving Whis reinforcement, and weren’t nearly as reliable as good old-fashioned mass-based weapons.

「Weapons like the Kogetsu are just special. Arges’ technique is incredible. When he gets serious, no one can match him.」

Kogetsu, like its namesake ‘solitary moon’, was a sword that emitted plasma only for an instant. And it lacked any mechanical gimmicks. Even to Asia, it seemed like a painstaking weapon to manufacture.

「An Antique Silhouette built for close combat, huh.」

Arthur refused to let Uriel get close.

He kept circling—looping around to the enemy’s rear and above—ensuring Excaribur’s rounds hit their mark.

Uriel couldn’t keep up with the sheer speed. His feathered thrusters flared wildly, spinning him in circles left and right, seemingly at random.

「Just how big is the gap…?」

Arthur never closed in. He kept a cautious, deliberate distance.

「To put it in a way you’d understand, Kou… the versus diagram is 9:1. Maybe even 10:0.」

Asia, who had spent a lot of time merged with Aimer, gave a fighting game analogy using character tier ratios.

「Which side is the 9?」

「Arthur, obviously. It’s plain to see. Uriel’s like a heavy-hitting grappler character with suction moves, the ultra close-range kind. Meanwhile, Arthur is a character with spammable projectiles on the ground and in the air, plus his supers are long-range. On top of that, he’s got five health bars—ultra tanky, ultra versatile.」

「…Uriel’s screwed.」

「And yet, the fact that it’s still ‘9:1’ shows how insane Uriel’s potential is. Counting specs alone, it should be 10:0. It all hinges on whether he can force close quarters and find a win condition.」

「But joint locks are out of the question, right?」

If Uriel was a Mythology Weapon based on a Lanius or a Badb Catha—Silhouette models built with armored muscles—he might have been able to use joint techniques effectively. The Fennel OS could even simulate core body dynamics, so with knowledge and enough mobility range, it wasn’t impossible.

However, Another Level Silhouettes and Antique Silhouettes were just too well-engineered as industrial products.

They could mimic human motion to an extent, but their range of motion was limited—because such motion range had been deemed unnecessary for combat or work.

「No chokes or armbars. But I’d say… the current Uriel probably can pull off other grappling moves. Tackling, grabbing, throwing, dragging, pinning—those kinds of takedowns are doable with a Silhouette.」

Kou nodded at Asia’s insight.

「Takedowns? Oh, wrestling!」

Only now did Kou connect the dots—realizing his own ignorance. It was hard to imagine an angel… wrestling.

「Wrestling goes all the way back to Sumerian civilization. Passed down through ancient Greece. A martial art with solid synergy with an artificial being created by a super AI based on Greek myths.」

「Makes sense.」

Kou returned his gaze to the match between Arthur and Uriel, silently observing.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

「All units, be advised. The Kashas and Cait Siths have taken control of the sealed chamber where Echidna’s control room is located. Arthur and Libya-sama have reached the deepest level.」

Cheers broke out across the field.

「Remain on alert. The enemy will likely use all their remaining forces to take us down. As we speak, colossal Mythology Weapons are engaging Seth and Garuda’s group. We’ve confirmed several colossal Teras: the Colchis Dragon and Ladon. And now, one of Typhon’s most formidable subordinates—Delphyne—has entered the battlefield.」

Hearing the final name, Kinukawa’s face darkened.

「Delphyne… the half-human, half-dragon gatekeeper of the cave that sealed Zeus. Which means—she’s powerful enough to monitor Zeus himself.」

Eri, commanding the Cu Sith and the Type-0s, let out a shriek of frustration.

「They’re still throwing things at us!? As if the horde of reptilian Teras wasn’t enough, now we’ve got Angel Series Antique Silhouettes fused with quadruped chimeras and sphinxes. And Orthros dead ahead! Seth and Garuda can’t handle this alone!」

「Hold on. We’ve still got the Eidolons Bastet and Bahamut. We’re not outmatched yet.」

Aimer responded calmly, unshaken by Eri’s mounting agitation.

「For them to commit this much firepower all at once—it means Arthur and Libya-sama are on the verge of victory. If we hold out just a little longer, the win is ours.」

「But without Kou, Bastet can’t go all-out either. If only we could at least stop Orthros in its tracks…」

Mythology Weapons shrugged off support fire with ease.

Orthros tore across the ground like a walking nightmare. The fact they’d even managed to take down Cerberus was nothing short of a miracle.

「Wait. What do you girls think you’re doing?」

「Isn’t it obvious? You just want us to stall it, right? No way we can beat that thing! So leave the delay tactics to us!」

To confront Orthros, seven Kryptos took off—each riding spinning wheels that rocketed forward like roller skates. The Habetrots sped off to intercept Orthros.

 

 

 

AN:

This time I included wrestling references to celebrate the Olympics.

Remember versus diagrams? Got the idea back at TGS when I caught the finals for Street Fighter Zero 3—30 out of 32 players were using X-Ism Gou***. The other two were X-Ism Ryu***. Balancing characters is hard. But I hope fighting games can make a strong comeback as true esports.

Meanwhile, in the skies and foothills of Mt. Etna—the location of Morgan’s Realm—the battle is becoming a true kaiju clash. Only the Trireme Fleet has a proper concept of supply; the Mythology Weapons mostly rely on lasers or direct attacks. Still, like bugs needing to eat, they do need fuel. With no chance for Uriel to win, it’s now or never—make it a short fight.

 

TN:
About versus diagrams. Some readers might not have heard about them, so I’ll explain a little what they mean.

Versus diagrams (often written as “VS charts” or “matchup charts”) in fighting games are visual tools used to show how different characters perform against each other. They help players understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of characters in 1v1 matchups.

A 9:1 in a versus diagram (or matchup chart) means a very one-sided matchup—specifically, that one character is heavily favored to win 90% of the time, and the other has only about a 10% chance of winning if both players are equally skilled.
A real example of a 9:1 versus diagram can be found in older versions of Street Fighter II, the Zangief vs. Dhalsim matchup was often considered close to 9:1 in Dhalsim’s favor. This was because Dhalsim could zone and keep Zangief out all match with long-range normals and fireballs, and Zangief had almost no tools to close the gap safely.
Most matchups in modern, well-balanced games range between 6:4 (slight advantage) and 5:5 (even).