"Have you lost your senses, Hiro? What in the world are you thinking?" Kazuki's voice trembled with concern as he spoke from behind the iron fence, his grip tightening on the bars as he resisted the fervent push of the bloodthirsty crowd behind him.
"Hey, do me a favor, buddy. Place a bet on me. Just trust me," Takumi replied, his eyes locked on Ryuji as he swaggered back and forth with an air of arrogance, surrounded by his cronies who showered him with praise.
In everyone's view, what Takumi was doing seemed like sheer suicide. He had long been a target of Ryuji's harassment, enduring numerous near-death experiences at his hands. Even though Takumi had gained some muscle mass, everyone believed that his demise was imminent. Yet, to Kazuki, who had been by Takumi's side for many years, something felt off.
Kazuki was no stranger to fighting; he had trained in Muay Thai as a child with his older brother and had even competed in several tournaments. Boxing was also familiar to him, as were other fighting styles. With a single glance, he could discern that Takumi's form lacked experience. His stance was narrow, his posture unstable. A blow to his pelvis could easily send him sprawling to the ground. Yet, despite these shortcomings, there was something about Takumi's expression that conveyed a different message to Kazuki.
Confidence didn't quite capture it, though it seemed close. Arrogance was also not the right term. Could it be ignorance? Was Takumi simply unaware of his opponent's capabilities? That seemed unlikely; if anyone knew how hard Ryuji could hit, it was Takumi. So what exactly was it?
"This one time buddy? Just this once?" Takumi continued, noticing his friend's hesitation.
"Ah, fuck it. If you come back with a face full of hits, don't even think about leaving that ring!" Kazuki finally blurted out, his words aimed to motivate Takumi as he disappeared into the crowd that once threatened to crush him against the fence.
"Contestant 1, are you ready?" The announcer shouted out, turning Takumi's attention back to Ryuji, who now assumed a well-structured pose, the stance of a well-trained boxer evident in his posture.
"Ready." Takumi responded, his grin growing wilder as he stared straight into Ryuji's eyes.
"Contestant 2?" The announcer shouted out, shifting his gaze to Ryuji.
"Let's get this over with already, ref," Ryuji responded in an irritated tone. The wait had dragged on for longer than he'd wanted it to. His fist itched to connect with Takumi's face.
"All right then, Both contestants! keep your fight within legal standards and avoid any lethal hits that could possibly cause long-term injuries..." The announcer began before slightly shifting his gaze to Ryuji," or even death."
A short moment of silence took over the entire ring, one that seemed to stretch out for longer than both Ryuji and Takumi had expected. Emergency services were on their toes, ready to burst in at any moment, the crowd was poised for the bell to ring just for them to erupt into shouts, while Kazuki remained silent, offering silent prayers as he poured the last cash he had on him into betting for Takumi. Not surprisingly, he was the only one.
"Fight!" The announcer shouted out, perfectly timing the bell and sparking Ryuji into a quick leap.
His intentions were clear, and his movements were well-calculated. With each breath he took, he cultivated a sense of determination as he pounced on his victim, fist ready to deliver a devastating blow. He knew that Takumi had no chance of fighting back, even with whatever mass he'd gain...and he planned on keeping it that way as well.
Unlucky for Ryuji, his fist met nothing but air as Takumi effortlessly swerved away from the lethal strike. The potential impact of that first hit violated the rules; if it had landed, Takumi would have likely ended up with a fractured jaw or worse. However, this failed attack did little to instill fear in Takumi. After facing a rage-filled Taurus, mere human opponents seemed inconsequential to him. Despite Ryuji's boxing experience, Takumi knew that if he countered with an equally devastating blow, Ryuji would likely end up hospitalized for far longer than he anticipated.
Surprised by his miss but fueled by rage, Ryuji attempted to recover from his failure by throwing a sudden kick at Takumi. However, his kick found only empty space, nearly causing Ryuji to stumble and fall. Takumi's speed exceeded Ryuji's expectations, but he believed he could still handle it. If speed was Takumi's strategy, Ryuji knew exactly how to counter: with a relentless onslaught.
Without exchanging any words, Ryuji lunged forward, unleashing a barrage of blows, each carrying a lethal force. It was evident from the start that he had no intention of allowing Takumi to leave with mere injuries. At this point, a fractured jaw would be a merciful outcome. His strikes aimed to utterly paralyze Takumi, and he was fully aware of it. Yet, he chose to do what no one else would expect: to take every hit head-on.
Once again, his expectations were shattered. Initially, he had thought Ryuji's punches were weak, but after enduring more than one, it became apparent that he was simply immune to human attacks. Compared to blasting through walls, taking a blow to the abdomen, and fending off a horde of hellish hounds, Ryuji's attacks felt like mere scratches from toying with a cat. In fact, while the crowd cheered on, thinking he'd collapsed on the spot, Takumi had barely felt a thing.
"Oh, come on, pal. Is that the best you can give me?" Takumi mumbled out, startling Ryuji incredibly who clearly did not believe that Takumi of all people tanked a hit from him.
In disbelief and anger, Ryuji surged forward once more, his attack fueled by greater force, striking Takumi's face with a blow that spun him around. The crowd erupted into cheers, their excitement mounting as the emergency team cautiously approached the ring. Yet, their advance abruptly halted when Takumi let out an unexpected laugh, blood trickling from his nostrils.
"You've gotten soft. Is this how you used to hit me before, or are you going easy on me?" Takumi retorted, wiping away the trickling blood with his sleeve.
"Bastard, you want to die? Fine! I'll give you what you want," Ryuji spat back, his anger boiling over at Takumi's unexpected resilience. His blow had been intended to shatter Takumi's jaw and snap his neck, yet Takumi seemed to brush it off with little concern, as though he had merely walked into a wall by accident.
With all his might, Ryuji lunged forward once more, his fist clenched tightly and aimed with deadly precision. His intent was clear: to deliver a devastating blow to Takumi's head, one that could inflict a lifetime of mental trauma. It was a ruthless move, but one that Ryuji felt compelled to use, unaware that it was exactly what Takumi had been anticipating. As Ryuji leapt off the ground, he realized too late that he had fallen into Takumi's trap. The moment their eyes met and he saw Takumi's grin, he knew that he had played right into his opponent's hands.
And as such with little effort and swift movement, Takumi swung a blow at Ryuji's abdomen that left him lingering in the air for a moment.
The world seemed to slow to a crawl around him, as if time itself had been stretched thin. Ryuji's vision blurred and his lungs struggled for air, weighed down by an overwhelming pressure. Each part of his abdomen felt compressed and contorted, as if subjected to an invisible force. When his body finally collided with the floor, the impact echoed throughout the arena with a deafening bang. Ryuji's groans of pain mixed with the sound of his vomiting, as he expelled an unknown liquid from his tortured body were all that followed.
The arena fell into a hushed silence as the emergency crew, previously poised to intervene for Takumi, now rushed to attend to Ryuji, who seemed lost in a haze between reality and the afterlife. Kazuki, who had been silently praying for his friend's safety, now stood in stunned silence, his eyes conveying a mixture of shock and disbelief. His phone buzzed incessantly with notifications, each one a testament to the newfound wealth he had unexpectedly acquired.
"Silence?" Takumi's voice cut through the air, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Where's the cheers for the trash of all trades?"
The arena fell into an eerie silence, with not a single soul willing to speak out against the man standing before them—a figure they once thought they knew. Even Ryuji's loyal followers, who had showered him with praise throughout the battle, were now rendered mute. It was a startling turn of events: the weakest student in the school had triumphed over a formidable opponent, a former champion of the very ring they now stood in.
In the shadows at the back of the stage, a lone figure dared to speak, but their words were drowned out, unheard by all, including Takumi. They observed from a safe distance, hidden in darkness, communicating through an earpiece in a language foreign to the country.
"Do you have eyes on him?" a voice crackled through the earpiece.
"It feels like chasing shadows, but yes, I have him in sight," the figure responded, moving slowly out of the gymnasium like a leaf drifting on the wind. "This might be the first time I'm hoping your suspicions are correct. I'd rather not waste my time on this case."
"Don't worry, you don't have better things to do anyway, Ingrid. Just get closer to him until we confirm his identity," the voice in the earpiece responded before Ingrid yanked it off her ear and smashed it on the ground, showing no signs of anger.
"Roger." The female responded, absorbing the silence surrounding her before moving back into the arena.