"The Evergreen Tree's Blossom."
It was a swift kick that rose like a spring; Hyuk-Jae displayed enormous flexibility by raising his leg completely straight, countering the formless, leaping punch with a kick straight to Baskoro's chin.
"He-he!"
"--?!"
To the surprise of the taekkyeon master, the man wasn't stopped by the sharp blow straight to the chin, continuing down as he slammed his fist against his cheek with a blow that sent a howl of wind against the audience.
What's this man made out of? A kick like that should've laid him out, Hyuk-Jae questioned in disbelief.
Baskoro laughed wildly, stomping down as he threw wild haymakers without any restraint, leaving his opponent helpless, guarding himself with his arms that were repeatedly battered by the powerful impacts.
While Baskoro charged forward without any stop, Hyuk-Jae was soon forced back against the ropes as his guard was shattered to pieces with the next blow, leaving him wide open.
He was an unstoppable beast; like a rhino charging forward with reckless abandon, but the power to back it up.
"--This is how a real man fights!" Baskoro laughed in ecstasy.
With a full swing of his burly arm, Baskoro launched a tremendous uppercut directly into Hyuk-Jae's stomach, digging his knuckles against his internal organs before launching the man straight into the air several meters.
[--It's too much! Baskoro is too much for Hyuk-Jae! If this continues…!]
Jumping up, Baskoro planned to follow up while grinning, swinging around and sending his opponent crashing back down against the arena floor with a brutal kick.
There was a clear difference in physical prowess, that much was clear from the savage beatdown that the taekkyeon master was on the receiving end of.
Touma watched curiously while other fighters were spectating as well. It was frustrating to watch Hyuk-Jae be brutally overwhelmed, but he knew better to be angry for a warrior's bout.
It's not that Hyuk-Jae is weak, but Baskoro is just on a different level entirely from him. At a certain point, there's a "power check"--all the martial arts in the world…can they make up for a big enough disparity in strength? He questioned.
–
Repeatedly being kicked, thrown to the ground, and punched in the gut, ribs, and nose, Hyuk-Jae was leaking blood from his mouth, nose, and various cuts on his face. Meanwhile, Baskoro didn't have a scratch on him.
"Come on," Baskoro smiled, rolling his shoulder nonchalantly, "This is getting boring now–"
The brutal man found himself interrupted as a powerful aura exuded from the bleeding fighter's position.
Despite being beaten and battered, hardly able to open his eyes, Hyuk-Jae manifested a fighting spirit far exceeding that from before.
[What's this? Does Hyuk-Jae still have some gas left in the tank!? Don't count him out yet!]
It could be felt from the stands; a serene swirl of air, yet harsh to those that it found to be its enemy:
This was the aura of Hyuk-Jae, who remained stalwart in his stance once more.
"Taekkyeon Technique: Divine Dragon Parade."
With a burst of speed, disappearing from the untrained eyes of the audience, Hyuk-Jae launched forward while staying low, keeping Baskoro on his toes.
Baskoro raised his left arm, blocking the swift kick that came his way which resulted in a shock wave.
"Not bad–"
Before Baskoro could smile with his words, a swift fist slammed against his nose, followed by more punches thrown in succession while the man's leg was being blocked.
This was the essence of "Taekkyeon"--the unison of kicks and punches; the full-body experience.
"Gh!" Baskoro winced, stumbling back after being harshly smacked in the nose.
Hyuk-Jae didn't let up, swooping in for a sweep of the man's legs, causing him to lose his footing before seamlessly spinning around into a crescent kick against Baskoro's side.
"Grgh…!" Baskoro clenched his teeth.
Before the burly man could fall down, he caught himself with one hand, picking himself back up as he stomped down, emitting a deafening shock wave.
"Get your licks in while you can! You're going to be groveling by the end of this!" Baskoro yelled.
As the man went in for a thunderous kick, it was swiftly slipped through by his blood-drenched opponent:
"Ultimate Taekkyeon Technique: Five Talons of The Dragon."
It was a perplexing attack to witness; to the audience, it looked as if a single kick was launched, but five booming impacts resounded, causing Baskoro to stumble back.
"Huuuh?! What was that?!" Ishikawa said.
"I couldn't see it…" Tadashi noted.
"Ya' both didn't catch that?"
–Taking them both by surprise, a familiar man with slicked-back hair leaned forward between them from the seat behind.
"Ch-Chimon?!" Ishikawa looked back in surprise.
"You're here, too?!" Tadashi said.
Chimon ignored their surprise, watching the fight that took place in the spotlight below, "That guy is scarily fast. But…"
But, in the waiting room, the golden-eyed competitor saw what had happened:
…It was fast. That's almost an understatement. In that moment, that guy launched five kicks all in one movement, he thought.
However, it wasn't enough.
"He-he-he…" Baskoro grinned, still standing on his feet.
"What…?" Hyuk-Jae looked up in disbelief.
Despite receiving the successive kicks that landed cleanly, the man still stood strong, raising his fist high.
"Let me show you something special," Baskoro told him words privy only to him, "...This is what makes you worthy of being called 'strong' in this world."
Surrounding Baskoro's fist was a black aura, manifesting into a visible form with an ominous hum exuding from its erratic form.
Such a sight garnered surprised reactions from multiple viewers of this match, though most of the audience couldn't seem to perceive the tangible energy.
That's…Touma thought.
"Overwhelming strength surpasses all technique–remember that, if you survive this one! Ha-ha!" Baskoro said, slamming his fist towards the man's head.
It carved through the air with a dark hiss, parting the winds in its path straight towards the taekkyeon master who hardly seemed conscious by this point.
Still, Hyuk-Jae remained resolved, tightening his core and straightening his stance again as he stomped forward to the surprise of all of those witnessing the climactic encounter.
"Ultimate Taekkyeon Technique: Absolute Reversal."