Re: Blood and Iron

As the fire continued to burn across the lands of Austro-Hungary and the Werwolf Brigade performed its duties to the absolute letter of the contract they had signed with no remorse or lament.

A new balance of power was shifting through the world, and the winds of change were in the air. Germany's dominance during the Great War had set the scene for a new era—one that could not be more perfectly displayed on the world stage than at the Summer Olympics.

Originally, the Olympic Games were supposed to be held in Berlin during the summer of 1916, but due to the ongoing global conflict, they had been tragically canceled, as most of the men who would normally participate were instead in the trenches, killing one another.

Germany was the sole exception to this rule. Under Bruno's leadership it had begun to think in very long terms. Not years, or even decades ahead, but centuries. And he had the power to enforce policies that matched such a mindset.

As a result, students' and athletes' training in Germany's various national athletic educational facilities were exempt from conscription altogether. And were even prohibited from voluntary enlistment. Rather, they had spent the last few years preparing for the events that had been rescheduled for the summer of 1918.

Over a decade ago, Bruno had established a style of physical education in Germany that allowed state-funded and nutritious meals provided to all students, and for those physically gifted in athletics to pursue a lifelong career in the field—one entirely sponsored by the German Reich.

Whether it was enhanced physical education across all public schools or the creation of dedicated centers of learning for the most athletically gifted students to pursue their natural talents, the youth of Germany were raised in a way that promoted a fit and active lifestyle.

Not only that, but there were even established universities, degrees, titles and reserve schools for those men aspiring towards greatness on the national and global stage. It wasn't just athletes—there were also robust programs for trainers, coaches, and managers.

The system integrated biomechanics, psychology, and nutrition, using state-sponsored research to enhance performance. All the while, athletes could pursue careers as coaches or sports scientists after their competitive careers, often staying within the system.

By 1918, with these structures already in place since the early 1900s, one could say that Germany was well ahead of the rest of the world in the field of athletics—especially when it came to sports like wrestling and boxing, which the German Reich put great emphasis on when training young boys.

As a nation descended from the martial traditions of the Kingdom of Prussia, it was the ambition and pride of every German athlete for the Reich to dominate all medals in all weight classes when the Olympics finally arrived.

And Germany had clearly done so these last few years. Every gold, every silver, and every bronze in these two sports had been completely and overwhelmingly dominated by the German Reich, contributing largely to the nation's overall medal count.

Throughout the past decade, whenever Bruno had the spare time, he would drop into the Olympic Reserve Schools and National Universities to introduce his limited knowledge of modern boxing and wrestling styles. He had often trained in such combat sports in his spare time while in the Bundeswehr as a means of maintaining fitness and discipline, especially when not deployed abroad during the Global War on Terror.

Combat sports would evolve significantly over the coming century, and Bruno brought a level of fundamental knowledge in 21st-century boxing and wrestling that gave German athletes an overwhelming edge over their opponents in the ring, no matter where that may be.

Today, however, Bruno would witness the true extent of his influence on the combat sports world as he entered the training center, where he saw German boxers sparring in the ring.

They wore full 16-ounce gloves and headgear, just like one would see in a 21st-century boxing gym, strategically attacking one another in an aggressive style that still allowed for ample head movement to dodge oncoming blows. Their exceptional footwork and ability to cut angles caught their rivals of the era completely off guard.

However, these men were not sparring hard—rather, much lighter and more playfully, much like Thai fighters did in Southeast Asia. Bruno knew all too well the risks associated with repeated head trauma, and he understood that one could still perform exceptionally well without excessively aggressive sparring.

Germany was already ahead in the fields of psychology and neuroscience, not only as a means of treating addiction and PTSD—problems that had arisen as a result of the war and had been anticipated a decade in advance—but also to understand how to increase the longevity of its combat sports athletes.

Nobody in the gym was even aware that the guest who had entered and was silently observing them was the fabled Wolf of Prussia, the man who had led Germany to a decisive victory over its enemies on the world stage just a year prior.

No, they were too busy training to care about some random stranger who had walked in from the street. The only person who recognized exactly who Bruno was, was the head of the school, who was giving him a tour of the facility and its athletes—who were performing beyond anyone's reasonable expectations.

As you can see, Your Excellency, our school produces the finest boxers in the world! Many of these young men will go on to win gold, silver, and bronze for the Fatherland next year during the Olympics held right here in Berlin—just as they and their predecessors have done these last few years!

Your investments and the government's support in establishing this school, and one's like it across the country, have gone a long way toward producing future champions, whether in the amateur or professional worlds of competition."**

Bruno did not say a word as he silently observed a grappling match. Freestyle wrestling had yet to replace Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling in this life, and Bruno had helped advance the knowledge of submissions, resulting in a wrestling style that was a blend of Freestyle, Greco-Roman, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and other submission-based grappling styles.

In this form of grappling, the goal was to submit one's opponent, and points were primarily awarded for takedowns and dominant positional control. To avoid pitfalls like "pulling guard" (which had no practical basis in real combat in Bruno's previous life), such techniques were seen as a successful takedown for the opponent who ended up in the top position.

Meaning that the two men would stand and grapple until one was lying flat on his back—with the other either choking him out or trying his best to break a limb. At that point, a simple tap or referee stoppage determined the victor.

And Germany had pioneered this lethal form of hybrid wrestling, introducing it in the previous Olympics. Next year, however, there would be a new combat sport entering the Olympic stage.

Kickboxing, as it was being called, was being introduced to the Olympic Games at the behest of the German Reich. The rules were similar to K-1 or Glory-style kickboxing in Bruno's past life, with one major change—the inclusion of elbows.

How was this different from Muay Thai, you might ask? Well, clinch exchanges were limited, meaning that fighters had to separate quickly rather than engage in long, grinding clinch battles. Sweeps and trips were also prohibited, meaning this version of kickboxing was focused purely on exchanging strikes from a distance, rather than clinching for maximum violence.

Competitors were expected to wear regulation gloves, along with elbow pads, knee pads, shin guards, and headgear. And as the innovators of this sport, Germany naturally had the advantage—with all of its kickboxers expected to cross-train in traditional boxing for greater effectiveness with their hands.

As Bruno shifted his eyes toward one of these sparring sessions, he noticed a fighter land a truly astounding roundhouse kick—coming up and over his opponent's shoulder completely unexpectedly before smashing into his jaw, dropping the man to the mat, cold.

Normally, knocking out your opponent in sparring was considered bad etiquette… but Bruno couldn't help but shout in approval.

"Nice shot!"

It was only then that people began to realize a wolf had walked among them.

Every athlete in the facility turned wide-eyed, as they recognized the greatest hero of their nation. Even those in the middle of sparring froze mid-round at the sight of him.

Bruno was used to such attention by now. He looked over at the instructor with an approving smirk before expressing his thoughts aloud at what he had just witnessed.

"Mark my words… that man is going to be a champion one day."

Nobody knew what to say to Bruno's words. And though he didn't realize it, the fighter he had spoken about had heard him.

From that moment on, he dedicated himself to becoming the greatest kickboxer the world had ever seen.

After all, who the hell would want to disappoint such a fearsome and heroic legend?