Hsiao-Han.
The reason for him disappearing from combat sports years back was because of blackmail. This was also the reason he was here now.
Hsiao-Han is comparable to Andreas's savagery. No, Hsiao-Han was considered a monster in the underground and is not even close to being morally righteous in any manner. If someone were to wrong him or even stare at him wrong when he wasn't in the ring, they would be found close to death, or just outright dead the next day. Hemorrhaging in the brain, broken noses, jaws, contorted faces, indented skulls.
He was a psychopath through and through. He would fight anyone and anything. It was all he lived for after all. One day though, he met a boy.
He was going to kill this boy - Hsiao-Han had told the boy to fight him. The boy didn't know what was going to happen to him but he complied gleefully. A boy with the potential to become an amazing fighter.
The boy's determination threw Hsiao-Han off. He didn't know how to respond. No matter how hard he tried beating the boy to the ground, no matter how hard it was for that boy, he would continue fighting back, using all that he could. Rocks, his own fists, sticks. All of it failed to do significant damage to Hsiao-Han, but it was the first time he'd had this much fun with an opponent that wasn't in the ring. Hsiao-Han murdered the boy.
The boy's arms, legs, ribs, all of it was broken. The bruising was visible all across his body and his brains were leaking out from his skull, bashed open by Hsiao-Han's hands.
Hsiao, covered in blood, laughed.
It wasn't of joy, it was of realization. He has just snuffed out "potential". He had realized for once that he was wrong. Not for the reasons you think. No, he wanted that boy to grow up and become a strong warrior, he wanted the boy to polish his skills. Hsiao-Han wanted to die for snuffing out this potential.
But Hsiao-Han didn't want to die by any normal means. He wanted a battle, he wanted a war.
One day, Curico approached Hsiao-Han, using the evidence he had for the murder of the boy against him, to use him in his game. Hsiao-Han agreed to it.
Partly because of the blackmail, but another deal was put onto the table by Curico.
He had said this.
"If you follow me, I will give you what you want. I will give you a warrior's death."
Curico knew that using the blackmail would only take up 50% of the requirements needed to get Hsiao-Han to work under him, so, Curico promised to give Hsiao-Han what he wanted.
Hsiao-Han complied.
***
"So... you're the rumored Ox-King." Hsiao-Han murmurs as if he was only saying that to himself.
Andreas turns to Yua and Logan behind him and smiles. "Step back a bit."
Andreas moves closer to Hsiao-Han. If Andreas was already considered massive, Hsiao-Han overshadowed him significantly. Hsiao-Han's body is covered in scars overlapping tattoos covering his body. Hsiao-Han notices Andreas has tattoos as well, making him grin. "Do your tattoos have meaning?"
Andreas puts his hand over his back. "Got this baby in China after winning a fighting tournament. Its how I got my nickname."
"Ox-King."
"What?"
"I want to have your head."
Hsiao-Han's fist flies into Andreas's face, who is sent flying back. Andreas rolls, trying to regain his balance. Hsiao-Han is already readying himself, twisting his body, and going for a wide swing overhead. Andreas jumps back into a standing position, moving himself to the side, Hsiao-Han just barely missing, grazing the side of Andreas's face.
The part Hsiao-Han grazed. The skin was falling off and you could see behind it, blood bubbling to the top. Andreas's nose starts bleeding - Hsiao-Han backs away from Andreas, preparing himself for an attack that never came just to see Andreas's expression.
Andreas looked furious. Eyes red, veins popping out of his neck. He looked like he was going to explode, right then and there.
"FUCKER!"
Andreas screams, getting low to the ground and sprinting toward Hsiao-Han.
Hsiao-Han suspected that Andreas would be going for a takedown, so, Hsiao readied his knee. Just when Andreas was going to takedown Hsiao-Han though, the instant Hsiao raised his knee, Andreas spun around, using his back fist to his Hsiao-Han straight in the ribs. Andreas quickly switched up his stance, elbowing Hsiao in the face, causing his nose to bleed just like Andreas.
Andreas doesn't hesitate for a second, ducking his body in towards Hsiao, socking him in his solar plexus, following him with an overhead cross into Hsiao's face causing his nose to break.
Andreas tries sweeping at Hsiao's leg but is quickly blocked, Hsiao-Han tensing up his leg by bringing his thigh to his chest. Hsiao-Han lets out a massive kick into Andreas's ribs, making him spit-up. Hsiao-Han quickly spins his body around, going for a Brazilian kick to the head. Andreas takes it, still stunned by Hsiao's previous kick, causing Andreas to bleed, even more, his head cut open by Hsiao-Han's foot.
Hsiao brings his foot down, going for another kick with the same leg using the back of his heel. Hsiao goes for it and Andreas weaves under it, socking Hsiao in the face.
Andreas does a successful sweep on Hsiao's leg, making him drop to the floor.
Hsiao tries quickly recuperating by trying to kick Andreas while still on the floor. Hsiao-Han didn't know this though, Andreas had trained in Capoeira while Hsiao-Han didn't, this move was fruitless because of this. Capoeira has a lot of moves dealing with kicks coming from an opponent who is on the ground.
Andreas dropped himself low to the ground, this is called Negativa. Placing both on the ground, using only his legs and body to prevent his knees from touching the ground. While Hsiao was still in the middle of his kick, while only one leg still kept him from falling the to the ground, Andreas swept it from under him.
Hsiao was now fully back onto the ground.
Bananeira, this was the next move that Andreas used. After completely putting Hsiao on the ground, he bends his body forward, brings his knees inward, and as he got closer and closer to Hsiao's face...
BAM!
Andreas's legs rocket out, stomping Hsiao while he was down. Andreas quickly spins himself around, still in a handstand position, he flips himself back into a standing one.
Andreas was now doing something called Ginga.
A simple dance used to give a user momentum for their kicks. With one leg position to the back of his, while one arm is in front of it, his other arm sits at the side of the leg in front, curled to be closer to his chest. He switches from right to left, moving his legs in this rhythm.
Hsiao gets up violently, backing up from Andreas, trying his best to analyze what Andreas was doing.
A drunken dance that put Hsiao in a rage.
Hsiao felt as if Andreas was mocking him. Hsiao had no idea what Capoeira was so to him it looked like he was just doing this to provoke him. Hsiao charged forward, switching to a southpaw stance and going in for a jab on Andreas.
Andreas quickly tries backing up from the punch, but it is quickly switched into a hook, smacking Andreas in the face.
Andreas falls to the ground, leaving Hsiao-Han with an arrogant smile of victory run across his face. Hsiao notices what Andreas was actually doing too late though. Andreas had lowered himself to the ground, his ass pointed towards Hsiao-Han's face, Andreas's leg then smacking Hsiao in the jaw, Andreas spinning back around into a standing position.
Hsiao-Han drops to the ground, stunned by the kick. Confused as to what just happened.
A critical flaw of Capoeira is that when one knows of its techniques and what Capoeira as a whole, using solely Capoeira moves becomes inefficient. It's easy to counter by getting close to an opponent using Capoeira, giving them no room for their wide kicks and movements, which is why most Capoeiristas who are involved in Mixed Martial Arts and instead come up with their own technique that is more effective than Capoeira is by itself. This applies to all ancient Martial Arts in the world as well. But Hsiao-Han did not know of this mysterious technique.
Not many did, Capoeira still being a niche Martial Art for years to come and even now.
The move that Andreas had used though is called, Rabo de Arraia. This being the most popular technique within Capoeira's arsenal and the most effective since, once you have started its movements, there is no way for someone to stop it since if they did, they would, no matter how hard they tried, get hurt in the end.
Hsiao-Han tries regaining his balance multiple times, slipping to the floor at each attempt. Hsiao-Han's breath ran ragged, Andreas already knew that he'd won.
In a spiteful rage, Andreas kills Hsiao-Han in the most brutal way possible.
Andreas wasn't just pissed off by being hit, no, Andreas was pissed off at what Hsiao-Han had done. Everyone knew he was the one to do those crimes but no one could find evidence against him for it. Andreas thought of him as a weak and petty man who sought strength in the most cowardly way possible.
Andreas hates cowards.