The referee scrambled to his feet as he moved closer to the combatants. Daymond stood tall as blood continued to flow down his eyes. He stared down at Thong Minh, who continued to breathe heavily from the impact of the attack.
Li: Get up, Thong!
Mike: Don't get yourself killed!
Gerald's lip quivered as he watched the match closer. His mind could not comprehend what Daymond had unleashed, but it was something that threw a wrench in his plans. He bit down on his thumb's nail as his mind raced.
Gerald's thoughts: There has to be some plan for this! Daymond used something that lets him react well, but there is a limit to it. Could Thong even survive such a thing? What chances does he stand now?!
Thong Minh clenched their fists as they rolled over, slowly pushing themselves back up as their eyes stared at Daymond. Blood covered both of their faces, their eyes burning with intense passion.
Yussuf: Take him down, boss!
Simon: Don't give him another opportunity to attack!
Hiroto and Sudu looked at each other, then back at Daymond.
Hiroto: He's only going to destroy his body further. If this is the fabled Automatic, he is only bringing himself closer to death.
Magnus: That shouldn't be possible. The previous Head was able to use Automatic without a single flaw and his body survived any and all uses of it without issue.
Sudu: I believe he's referring to mixing Automatic with the Kageyama secret technique.
Arthur: What could you possibly be talking about?
Down the far corridors of the building, Midori watched the fight from the screen in the infirmary.
Midori: Combining a tactic that gives one control over the body with a technique that allows the body to do what it deems necessary. Those are the ingredients for disaster.
Moll moved his eyes over to Midori, who placed a hand over his mouth.
Midori: Daymond is overwhelming his body with input. If he attempts to do it again, he will only kill himself.
Everyone had their eyes on Daymond, who seemed unable to move as Thong Minh continued to get up. In a burst of energy, Thong Minh jumped onto their hands, entering a backflip as they attempted to kick Daymond. Daymond's eyes grew pale as he instinctively avoided the attack. Thong Minh landed on their feet, spinning on their heels as they threw another chop at Daymond. He moved around Thong Minh's chop, clenching his fist as he slammed another punch into Thong Minh's face. Thong Minh slid across the ring, a trail of blood following them as they gave Daymond a death stare.
Minh's thoughts: We can't stop now!
Thong: Go on the offensive! We need to win now or never!
Thong Minh flew off the ground as their hands moved as fast as they could. Daymond avoided each and every attack sent his way. Despite not a single attack connecting, blood began to seep not only from his eyes, but his mouth, nose, and ears. He moved through every attack, finding the perfect opportunity as he threw a fist through Thong Minh's offense. The punch connected, leaving Thong Minh dazed as Daymond sent them flying back with a kick. He grabbed onto the side of his head as he began to grow lightheaded.
Zachary: Daymond is losing more blood than ever before! What on earth is going on?!
Zenzo: I have no idea! Thong wasn't able to land a single attack!
Daymond staggered as his vision turned red. He weakly reached into his coat, pulling out his Grimoire.
Daymond's thoughts: Release… has lost its effect. I can't… combat the pain anymore. Pressure points… Pressure points will do me some good…
Daymond's eyes grew wide as gasps were heard across the audience. The members of the Arachna stared in disbelief as an unbelieve sight stood before them. In both of Daymond's hands sat the Grimoire, torn in two, Thong Minh's hand in the middle.
Thong Minh: Don't go… forgetting me now!
Building up all the energy they had left in their body, Thong Minh unleashed the most powerful attack Wing Chun had for extremely close quarters: Wing Chun's One Inch Punch. Their fists tore through the air at extreme speeds, Daymond's eyes barely able to turn pale as he took the brunt of the attack. Thong Minh could sense that Daymond had tensed up his torso's muscles, but the damage had been done. Daymond staggered backward, dropping his Grimoire with both sides of the book open to Thong's information. Thong Minh raised their hand, seeing that skin had torn off the knuckle, shaking in pain.
Minh's thoughts: We hit him… but his defenses are still through the roof.
Thong's thoughts: We just… need to outlast him!
Thong Minh charged forward once more, unleashing every bit of power they could. Their fists flew through the air as Daymond's pale eyes stared at them. He swatted away each attack without as much as a single thought. Each movement seemed effortless, but the blood continued to roll down his face. Thong Minh could tell that despite Daymond's worsening condition, the power behind each block seemed to be as high as ever. The members of the Arachna watched with bated breath. Shun punched the wall next to him, gritting his teeth.
Shun: The boss better win! He's carrying all of our hopes and dreams on his shoulders!
Shizu: If he doesn't survive his own body, it'll mean nothing.
Dianshi: This ability was all he had left. His body had lost its power, but Automatic can force it back out. I hope his combined skill and newfound power will be enough.
In the deepest parts of Daymond's mind, he could only see the sight before him as a large screen. He watched as his body continued to block and defend against Thong Minh's onslaught. His body did all it could to keep him alive, and he could do nothing but watch.
Daymond: I need to win. It is right within my grasp as I continue to perfect Automatic!
Deacon: The only reason you can't perfect it is because you hold life far too dear. This is an ability of the dead. As long as you cling to life, you'll never perfect it!
Daymond: Abandon my life, huh? How exciting is this ability?
Daymond smiled as he felt a rush overcome his body. The excitement of a life or death match he had always hoped for.
Daymond: I'll win with everything I have. Including my life.
Daymond's physical body twitched as Thong Minh noticed an odd quirk to his defense. As their focus changed for a moment, their head flew back as blood sprayed into the air. From a jab so fast, Thong Minh was unable to detect or defend against it. Daymond looked at his hand and clenched it. He smiled as his eyes turned to Thong Minh.
Cero: He evolved further…
Jason: Without a doubt. He's now even stronger than in the previous tournament. That's terrifying.
With another sudden attack, Daymond struck Thong Minh. His attacks were faster, his movements were flawless. His body was perfect. He swung an extremely fast right hook, shaking Thong Minh to their core. They fell to one knee, their face swollen and bruised. They clenched onto their right knee as they closed their eyes. The pain that had enveloped their own body had finally caught up to them. Daymond slowly approached them, looking like a monster in his own right. The end was nigh. Silvia buried her face in Pablo's arm as she could not bear witness to what was moments away. The audience remained in silence as they continued to watch the spectacle before them. Everyone that watched the match could see that it was as good as done.
Deacon: Time's up.
Daymond whipped his eyes to the right, seeing a cloudy figure holding their index fingers up in an "X" formation. He tried to word his confusion, but it was fruitless.
Deacon: Your body is no longer capable of using this ability. You may have perfected it at the very end, but that means nothing when your body is failing. Your muscles have lost all strength, your blood loss is immense. Your desire to fight to the death is strong, but Automatic will prevent you from dying, even if it means stopping you in your tracks.
Daymond: No! I can keep fighting. I don't need to rest! I don't need to stop!
Deacon: This really isn't a debate, Daymond. You gave it all you had. Now bear witness to the consequences of your robbery.
Daymond's eyes moved slowly, looking at his opponent in front of him. Thong Minh had already gotten back up to his feet. From their perspective, Daymond's momentum had screeched to a halt. His steps were slow and sluggish. They furrowed their eyebrows as they charged in with a right straight. Daymond slapped the attack away with notably less power than before. Thong Minh smiled as they looked at their opponent.
Thong Minh: You were a great fighter to the end, Daymond. We have nothing short of great respect for you.
Daymond's thoughts: I… can still win!
Thong Minh pushed their body, running around Daymond and landing a chop to the back of his neck. Either through resilience or Thong Minh's own weakened state, Daymond was only brought to his knees. He moved his right arm, attempting to form a fist at Thong Minh. Cero stood up and turned away from the screen.
Mason: What's wrong, Cero?
Cero: I can't stand this sight any longer. He lost, he failed his position. I do not wish to watch someone falling this far in a flimsy pursuit of power.
Tico: Did he really have a choice after that last match?
Thong Minh grabbed Daymond's outstretched arm, bringing him back to his feet. The Head Spider looked so weak compared to the man that had met them at the beginning of the match. Thong Minh could do nothing but smile as they pulled their fist back.
Thong Minh: You were a real fighter, Daymond. I hope one day I can have the same drive as you to win.
Daymond's eyes never returned to their normal color. Thong Minh let out a huff of air as his body tensed up.
Thong Minh: Tran Style - Custom Technique, Spider Killer.
Thong Minh threw forward the punch, extending the knuckles of his index and middle finger. With one placed strike, Daymond fell to the ground as blood followed him. In the eyes of the audience, his fall was slow. His arms held no power in them. He hit the ground with a thud, blood quickly pooling around him.
Thong's thoughts: We… barely won.
Minh's thoughts: If it wasn't for his own body, we'd have lost without a single doubt. We got really lucky.
Zachary: IN A TOTAL UPSET MATCH… WE HAVE A WINNER! AND THAT WINNER IS THONG TRAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!
Thong's eyes returned to their yellow color as he staggered on his feet. He fell onto his back, breathing heavily with a smile on his face. His friends ran over to him as Pablo, Pedro, and Silvia cheered from the bleachers. Theodore crossed his arms, a look of relief washing over him.
Carrie: HE ACTUALLY WON!
Angel: HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!
Angel and Carrie had an arm wrapped around the other as they danced in joy. Daniel bounced in excitement as he looked up at Theresa.
Daniel: Can Daniel fight strong mask man?
Theresa: Maybe one day the opportunity will arise.
Mike and Hugo carefully lifted Thong up as Gerald and Li met him with nods of approval. Standing in the hallway opposing them, a gloomy, dreadful air surrounded the members of the Arachna.
Dianshi: The paramedics will be arriving shortly.
Magnus: He lost, didn't he? This isn't just a dream?
Yussuf: I wish it was…
Arthur: Boss…
The dread that filled the Arachna seemingly silenced the loud cheers of Thong's friends and the audience. The Head had fallen.