Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 107

With incredible speed and insane strategies, Olympus' Achilles has been unstoppable towards Senkuu, defeating him with unrivaled tactics and skill in every way! But to every Achilles, there is always a heel...

Chp. 107: Achilles’ Heel!!

46.
Toramaru: Wh…what~~~! Achilles came from underground~~~!!
Togashi: With that, he can throw Senkuu’s head from the air into the ground---!!
Achilles: Fuffuffu, I’ve got you. The seventeenth human pillar will be you!!

47.
Achilles: Hmph!!
Achilles: Uo!!

48.
Senkuu: Ha!!
Achilles: Fu, I have to watch out for those blades you’ve prepared on your legs.
Achilles: Those Gousou Birds, said to be the hyenas of the sea, are gathering as they’ve sniffed out the putrid death of the human pillars. Hold on, birds…now I’ll be feeding you much fresher bait.
(TN: First of all, Achilles comment of “putrid death” is using the term “shishuu”, which is a term for “the putrid smell of a dead corpse. Secondly, “Gousou Birds” or “Gousoudori” = “Huge Burial Birds”)

49.
Achilles: OLYMPUS: SPINNING SAND STORM!!
Senkuu: !!
Toramaru: Th…that wheel is spinning with incredible force again, kicking up a dust cloud---!!
Togashi: Is…that guy diving underground again----!!

50.
Togashi: Senkuu, you shouldn’t concern yourself with him. Don’t pay attention to where the mole guy is and strike the ground~~~!!
Rasetsu: That’s not it. Even though he’s disappeared underground, he should be sensing Senkuu’s movement.
Momotarou: Right. Moving randomly with him is dangerous.

51.
Senkuu: Here---!!
Toramaru: Right: Senkuu can’t move with a human pillar behind him.
Togashi: If he’s patient without moving like that, then likewise that guy grow impatient and come out from the ground!
Achilles: Fuffuffu, you’re trapped.
Senkuu: !!

52.
Senkuu: Ugu!!
Achilles: An idiot pays attention merely to the ground; they don’t notice there’s one extra human pillar.
Toramaru: Wh…what~~~!! That guy wasn’t underground~~~~!!
Togashi: It’s disgusting that he became a human pillar----!!

53.
Achilles: I can strangle you to death like this!!
Senkuu: Ugugu!!

54.
Senkuu: Nuu!!
Senkuu: Haa!!

55.
Achilles: You’ve done quite well in escaping by grabbing a human pillar with your steel wire. But you’ve taken quite the damage!!
Senkuu: Gu!!
Achilles: I can already see this match---!!

56.
Achilles: We’re driving towards it together!! You’re no match for my unicycle attacks!!
Senkuu: It…it really is as he said: there are no openings to take advantage of with his speed. As is, I’ll be defeated…………!!

57.
Achilles: I’ve got you—!!
Achilles: Tei!!
Senkuu: Ugu!!
Toramaru: Se…Senkuu---!!
Togashi: T…this is bad, that’s quite a severe wound~~~!!

58.
Senkuu: Nuga!!
Achilles: Fuffuffu, that’s match. With your injuries, you won’t be able to avoid my next attack.
Achilles: Look: even the Gousou Birds in the sky will pleased in wanting to eat your corpse.
Senkuu: …………………………
Senkuu: !!

59.
Achilles: DIE!! You should tell your tales headed to Hades of the strength of Achilles, one of the Olympus 16-Battle Gods----!!
Toramaru: Aah, Se…Senkuu’s going to be killed----!!
Senkuu: Ha---!!

60.
Achilles: !?
Gousou Bird: Gyapi----!!
Achilles: ARE YOU STUPID!!

61.
Achilles: Where were you planning to aim?
Achilles: Further, were you trying to make useless wicked mischief on me again?
Senkuu: In…truth, you are strong.
Senkuu: B…but, according to the legends of ancient Greece, Achilles, who was called invincible, was taken down due to his only weak point: his heel. Your Achilles heel…it is…
Senkuu: Your negligence born of being overconfident in your own power and a conceited heart!!
Achilles: What are you joking about……!!

62.
Gousou Bird: Gupi---!!
Achilles: This will end it now---!!
Achilles: !!
Achilles: Huu~~~h?

63.
Achilles: GUGYA!!
Senkuu: At any rate, the Gousou Birds had wanted to eat your corpse. How about it, Achilles?

TN: You know, with everything going on and probably one of the longest and most ranting Kinnikuman chapters as of late, it's great that you have some mangaka who really know what they're doing in regards to their battles, strategies and even opponents to make a captivating fight. And in some ways, that's one of the things I liked about the Senkuu/Achilles fight: what won it wasn't merely just internal strategy, strength or skill, but the smarts to be able to use them in an appropriate manner. Probably there were two scenes in particular in this chapter that showed off how great the fight was: the first was Achilles literally becoming one of the human pillars to destroy Senkuu's belief that he would go underground like before, showing that even a villain can be smart and not just go on with the same means over and over like some seem or tend to do. Changing things up is always a great way to deceive an enemy like such. On the other hand...the other was merely how Senkuu finally defeated the Olympus opponent: by using the environment around him and taking advantage of the Gousou Birds to strangle Achilles to death! I know I've mentioned it time and again, but the key in a battle is not just to rely on yourself but to take advantage of the environment and the situation you are in to win at all costs. We saw that three times just in the final battle of the Paaren Seiha, where the lightning did something crucial in each match that allowed for a change in the flow. Here it was not really hubris but just a genius strategy: Achilles mentioned the Gousou birds that were coming for the corpses, but merely expected them to eat whatever is there. But on the other hand, Senkuu decided to use the birds with the element of surprise to finally kill Achilles. Some probably would say "oh, if it weren't for the Gousou birds flying there, Achilles would have won"...but that's what makes this series so different and so great: Achilles knew the birds were coming with the dead bodies they eat but merely saw them as background features; Senkuu saw them as a battle assistant and used them appropriately. In a way, this isn't just a measure of Senkuu's brilliance in fighting on the fly but also on how unstoppable Achilles was that forced Senkuu to do something so desperate that worked. But of course, if Achilles was the front line...who knows how powerful the rest of Olympus will be!