Rin's eyes widened for the mistake he just realized, 'Wait, I didn't have to finish the fight early.', he cried inside his head. A higher chance of an opponent as strong as the bodyguard may show up if the number of fights increases. If his every battle was short then it will increase fights!
He thought while walking to the side of the cage when he almost tripped by his own feet and fell forward but his hand immediately supported him.
"…", the cheers stopped and became silent.
'Huh?', he wouldn't trip like that like a kid. Rin them looked above and saw Elihim glaring at him. Rin knew what was Elihim trying to say: "Don't even think about it.", like he knew what was inside Rin's head.
"Ugh!", Rin felt conscious but now he had to get out of this awkward situation where he was leaning forward while his hands supported him like a position of a dog. He haven't had the chance to stand yet.
The administrator just stared dumbfounded and hadn't ring the bell yet.
The new challenger just stared in awkwardness. The crowd just stared in awkwardness. It was silent.
Rin's face went red. Inside his head, he was panicking but then absolute idiotic idea formed in his mind like an autistic boy. He kicked the ground and then used his arms and supported him further and he landed back on his feet. He looked like a child practicing a handspring. He stood up from crouching down and slowly raised his hand like he performed something.
"…", the room was in complete silent. They only heard his feet landed on the ground and that's it.
Rin realized his idiocy and then pulled his hood down using both hands, hiding in embarrassment.
"…"
"Rin! Rin! Rin!", the cheering suddenly came back with laughter and then some followed.
There were people that was stunned:
'What the ****?', some just stared in confusion
'That's a bit cute even though it was cringy.', some nodded in agreement.
'What the ****??', some still stared in confusion.
'I think I'm awakening to something.', the administrator embarrassingly thought as the bell rang.
This is serious. Even the teen was dumbfounded by that. Why did he do that?
One who have entered the First Stage of Focus must have at least a ca and serious mind. The teen safely thought Rin was at least at the First Stage of Focus since he could defeat one but the teen wasn't still able to confirm it.
Was it unintentional? Something made him do that? That was something made quiet and made the room awkward.
Nobody knew that it was not an accident and somebody who's power was out of their imagination used that to warn Rin.
However, the teen no longer thought of that but his eyes looked at anger and hatred toward Rin.
'How could he have gotten this treatment when he failed miserably?!', his mind were spiraling on these kinds thoughts.
This could look unreasonable. This could look baseless. This could look childish but his eyes told that there are much deeper reasons about this. His emotions are in complexion at the moment. Nobody but he could only relate and understand himself so he would look stupid if they told them why he was getting angry.
"What did you do to deserve this?", the teen said with a heavy tone but his glare was of sadness and disappointment.
Rin who was still flustered and didn't know how to answer that question because he didn't even know what and why is the opponent even asking that. However, this teen seemed to be pointing out the loud cheer and his treatment. If that was what the teen was asking then he definitely didn't know how to answer that. He was just there, fighting, he didn't think he was showing something admirable or is he even charismatic. Why is the crowd seemed to be in favor of him? Is it sarcastic? No, it doesn't looked like it at all.
Rin was now feeling the glare of the teen more and more intense.
'Did I do something wrong?', he wondered.
"I'll show you how hard something is!", the teen took a step forward.
Rin felt uneasy and stepped backward, "Is that sexual harassment?!", he unintentionally shouted. He wasn't trying to joke but he really thought that.
Some of the audiences puffed their cheeks from laughter.
This made the teen embarrassed. At the same time, his anger flared up and he used it as a fuel to kicked the hard ground and rushed to Rin with all his might. His body glowed pure blue.
Rin was a bit surprised. This teen's Stage of Focus should be stronger than the Second but weaker than the Fourth, meaning, he's definitely in the Third Stage of Focus!
This excited Rin. This should be the perfect opponent for him. A Fourth Stage of Focus Practitioner is too dangerous for him at the moment but a Third may be his standard right now. Although, it was tough to defeat Paul, a Second Stage of Focus Practitioner, but he thought that could take much more.
Rin readied himself but was still caught unguarded when the teen rushed at the speed where Rin still couldn't catch up. He could just strengthen his defense for now and take the blow.
Pa!*
Rin held nothing and the fist went to his side, "Ugh!", he stumbled to the side, 'When did his punch changed its trajectory?'
Rin caught a glimpse of the teen's expression and saw a proud smile. It was an expression that said; "Look at this! I'm stronger than you!"
At the next second, he saw this expression closer and if Rin saw it correctly, four fists was coming to him!
This is the first that Rin encountered a technique which he didn't expect. However, in the next moment, these four fists hit him, his face was punched with another Pa!* resounding in the air.
From the four fists he saw earlier, only one struck him! What this did mean? It was pretty obvious. It meant two things: one was that it was intentional for some reasons and two, which seemed more like it, the three were just illusions.
But any of the two is still problematic for Rin. The problem was that there are still four fists coming at him.
Rin closed his eyes and retreated to make some distances between them but being hot-headed, the teen didn't let him and followed him.
"Hah! Are you closing your eyes to sense the real fist from your mind's eyes?! Hahaha! Just give it up! Even a Fourth Stage of Focus Practitioner was even struggling to sense the [True Fist]!", the teen laughed as he struck another punch which became five fists! The glow on his body became brighter.
"Ah!", Rin shouted.
"You're done for, arrogant brat!"
Rin placed his hands in front, trying to catch the True Fist but failed and it landed on his chest area!
Rin was solidly punched and made him jump a little. However, instead of giving a desperate look, Rin laughed.
"Who concluded that I was done for?! I just shouted because you gave me the answer before I even figure it out!", just from the teen's words, there are many things you can realize.
The teen realized his mistake and heavily frowned but at the next moment, he smiled, "So what?! I just said that even a Fourth Stage of Focus Practitioner is having a hard time figuring it. How about you?"
"Heh, we will see.", Rin secretly healed his injured face and chest, his side was already done the healing. He was covered all over so he didn't try to hide it.
Tsk!* the teen clicked his tongue, "You truly are an arrogant brat. We will see, yeah, we will definitely see!", he took just three steps and he was already in front of Rin.
"You really hate me, don't you? Why is that?", Rin causally asked as he prepared himself.
"It is because you're arrogant!", in front of the teen six fists showed up and his body glowed even brighter.
Rin observed it as fast as possible but he still couldn't figure it out and just randomly chose what fist is the True Fist, he raised his hands.
"Idiot! You said that I gave you the answer but you aren't even doing it!", the teen smiled widely.
This time was not different, Rin couldn't blocked the incoming fist and was hit in the stomach.
"Ugh!"
The crowd who was watching was cheering for Rin when they saw that he is in disadvantageous.
"Ih!", Rin pulled his raised leg and backed off. He held his stomach tightly. A punch of a Third Stage of Focus Practitioner was seriously different from his punch.
Rin laughed, "Who said about blocking?"
The teen was also holding his stomach with a bit of pained expression as he stood straight, "So you just counterattacked, huh?"