Tyranny of Steel

Berengar sat in a VIP booth overlooking the Kufstein Town Square. In the center of the city was a boxing ring, with an awning above it, providing cover from the elements should they turn sour. A series of bleachers were constructed around the stage, allowing for thousands of people to be seated.

The rest could stand and witness the event. Attendance was free, and alcohol was served at no cost. Because of this, as many of the people as possible crowded into the town center to witness the spectacular event in person.

While people across the reich were feasting and celebrating the first ever Victory Day. Two fighters had gathered for the first match of the event. As Veterans of the Army, and men who had trained religiously over the past few years in mixed martial arts, these men were representing their individual states of the Reich, as they flew their local flags.

One man held the banner of Bavaria, while another held the flag of Austria over his back. The Bavarian fighter approached the ring as the theme of the event played in the background. An orchestra was nearby and played a tune that was remarkably similar to the one which the biggest MMA promotion in Japan during Berengar's past life had.

The Bavarian fighter stood at 195cm and weighed in at 120 kilos. He was a monstrous man of pure muscle who had trained his body and mind to fight in the ring for fame and fortune. While he walked his way towards the stage, an announcer spoke through a microphone, which was broadcasted throughout the entirety of the reich.

"Heinz Nefen currently is undefeated with a professional record of twelve wins, and zero losses. He is also the current heavyweight champion of the Bavarian Fighting Championship, a state sponsored promotion located in the Kingdom of Bavaria. He was chosen for this tournament specifically because of his size and record. If he wins the Victory Day Tournament, you can bet you will be seeing him on the national circuit soon enough!"

The moment Heinz entered the ring, he threw off his shirt and flexed his muscles in an attempt to intimidate his opponent, who was just now walking out. The man he was fighting against was an Austrian fighter by the name of Harthman Sackweber. He was significantly smaller than Heinz as he was 187cm tall and 90 kilos in weight. The announcer quickly began describing the fighter and his record to the people of the Empire.

"Harthman Sackweber is currently walking out. You can tell just by looking at him that he is clearly outclassed, at least in terms of height and weight. Most of you may already know this, but Harthman has a professional record of twenty-one wins and three losses. He is a current top contender for the National Title in the open weight division. That's right, Harthman has always fought guys bigger than himself, and tonight is no exception. We will see if he will be able to emerge victorious against the new up and comer!"

After saying this, Harthman stepped into the ring and threw off his shirt. He was an athletic man, with muscles much bigger than Berengar's. If Berengar had a prince's physique, then this man had that of an elite level wrestler. However, compared to his opponent, he came off as somewhat lacking in stature.

The two men stared each other down in the ring as the ref relayed the rules to them. In the sport of Kampf, which was what Mixed Martial Arts was called in this world, there were only three rules: no biting, no eye gouging, and no groin shots. Everything else was fair game. The fighters didn't even wear gloves, but instead wore gauze and tape.

To put it simply, this was a bareknuckle fight to the finish. After explaining the details, the men touched hands, before walking back to their respective corners of the ring where the fight began. Hans was sitting next to his father, and gazed upon the scene of the fight with excitement in his eyes, though he had trained in the martial arts himself, he had never seen a professional fight in person, largely because his mother considered the sport too violent for a kid his age.

However, his father insisted that the boy be front and present for the event, so even if Linde had not shown up to the witness the tournament, Berengar and his eldest son were eagerly anticipating the fight. As the father and son watched the spectacle together, they witnessed the two fighters meet each other in the center of the ring.

Harthman was the smaller man, and because of this, he used his teep kick to keep his opponent at a distance. All while battering his legs with lightning fast leg kicks. Heinz responded to these legs kicks by attempting to check them with his shin, but Harthman was too fast, thus he decided to go for a different strategy. In the next moment, Harthman threw a solid combination, a jab, a cross, and a modified teep that was referred to as the monkey kick.

Heinz skillfully moved out of the way of the punches, but ended up eating the kick. Despite this, he charged forward with a flurry of strikes of his own. A Jab, a cross, and a hook, before throwing a body kick. Most of which were masterfully evaded by his opponent and effectively countered.

The two men were exchanging blows on the feet, neither of which was attempting a takedown. Ultimately, Heinz would throw an uppercut elbow which missed, though he followed it with a downward elbow that found its mark, where it tore open his opponent's forehead, and spilled blood on the floor. The sight of which ignited the crowd into a violent symphony.

Heinz Did not let the elbow go to waste and quickly grabbed hold of his opponent's head with a plumb grip where here proceeded to knee and elbow the man against the ropes. Despite the brutal assault that Harthman was receiving, he did not go down, and instead threw a shovel punch into Heinz's liver, causing the man to wince in pain as he slowly collapsed backwards.

One solid shot had sent the giant to his knees. As the man was falling back, Harthman grabbed hold of his head and forcefully stood him up, where he threw an elbow to the temple, followed by three consecutive headbutts. Heinz, realizing he was in a bad position, mustered his strength, and attempted a double leg takedown. However, Harthman masterfully sprawled and put his opponent in a front headlock, where he kneed him in the cranium thrice, before the larger man collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

Despite this obvious defeat, Harthman proceeded to the throw fists onto his down opponent's skull and managed to land three of them before he was pulled off by the ref, where the bout was officially ended. The crowd roared with thunderous applause. Though the fight was brief, only being one round, both men came barrelling out at the start, and assaulted their opponents with everything they had. It was a true display of the warrior spirit that the German people had as a martial society.

Berengar had to admit, if either of the men, simply wrestled the other to the ground, and laid on top of them for twenty-five minutes, he would have walked out on the fight, and brought great dishonor to the participants, something he felt they would ultimately deserve.

In the sport of mixed martial arts, at least in his past life, there were too many competitors who played it safe and used such a boring tactic to grind out a decision on victory. Berengar would be lying if he said that he did not hate those fights, and those fighters who became champions using such a dull strategy.

The victor was declared for all to see, and eventually Heinz rose to his fee after such a brutal knockout, where he suffered his first loss like a man. Shaking hands with the victor, and briefly hugging him, all while congratulating the man on his victory, and wishing him good luck in the remainder of the tournament.

In Berengar's Germany, there was no need for the pro wrestling antics of shit talking, disrespect, and poor sportsmanship. In fact, if a fighter acted in such a way, they would be fined, and possibly suspended from fighting. These men were warriors, not clowns, and they respected each other's strength, honor, and integrity. Most of all, after the two men stood side by side, they threw up their salutes to the Kaiser and paid their respects to the man.

"For Kaiser and fatherland!"

The battle cry was mimicked by the crowd as the first fight of the night came to an end. Hans gazed upon the scene with a newfound respect for those who fought for fame and fortune. Perhaps, one day, he too could step in the ring. He looked up at his father, who stood from his seat and saluted the men who had fought for his, and all of Germany's, entertainment on this day of celebration. Wondering when one day he too could be so beloved by the people.