While the fight between Denton and Kiernan happened on the other side of the stage, a way more fierce fight was brewing between Ryan and Nath.
Nath slightly lowered his right shoulder and then threw a punch directly towards Ryan's face. However, when his arm extended, it was as if Nath's arm started stretching like rubber.
It was only a little, but that gave Nath a greater reach.
However, Ryan wasn't surprised, as he was used to fighting Nath and knew all about his strange physique. He turned sideways and used his shoulder to steer the punch away from him.
At that moment, Ryan took a strong step forward and moved his entire body from back to front. It allowed his punch's speed to increase significantly.
Nath crossed his arms in front of him and tanked the punch. It still sent him sliding backwards, and soon his feet touched the edge of the stage. He was only one step away from falling down!
Ryan started weaving his upper body around and rushed straight at Nath. With quick steps, he reached the striking distance.
Without further ado, Ryan started unleashing his powerful jabs. He turned sideways, put his right arm in front of him, and threw a quick right jab towards Nath's jaw.
Nath blocked the jab with his forearms. He had been mostly defending so far. However, a small smile played on his lips as if he wasn't afraid of his current predicament.
Ryan's expression looked dull. He wasn't happy, sad, angry, or excited. It was as if he were just having a morning stroll.
He then continued raining jabs against Nath's arm. It sounded like a hammer hitting a piece of wood. Nath's expression was calm and collected, with a slight smirk playing on his lips.
After another Ryan's jab landed on his block, Nath saw an opportunity and quickly moved his leg towards Ryan's foot. Strangely, Nath's leg from knee to foot started stretching slightly.
Ryan quickly slid his foot backwards, not allowing Nath to stomp on his foot. A grin appeared on Nath's face.
He still kept his left arm in a defensive position, but he suddenly launched a punch with his right. His right arm started slightly stretching, and it looked like a javelin was being launched.
Ryan used his quick footwork to dodge the punch, but then Nath's fist suddenly changed its trajectory and connected with his shoulder, sending a jolt of pain down his arm.
"Ngh…" Ryan grunted slightly in pain, but he quickly regained his balance.
"One hit, Ryan!" Jin shouted.
To many's surprise, it was Ryan who got hit first.
'This stretchy bastard.' Ryan clicked his tongue. 'As soon as I dodged, Nath snapped his wrist to the left, causing his stretchy fist to change trajectory and land a hit on my shoulder.
'Nath has a strange physique that makes his joints very stretchy. It is almost as if his body is made out of rubber. He can extend his arm's and leg's length by 5 cm.
'He is also a practitioner of Kamala Style. A not a very popular style, and it only has a few users in the entire country of New Rakuya. His father happened to be one of them.
'It perfectly utilizes Nath's stretchy limbs as Kamala Style focuses on changing the trajectory of attacks.'
"Lalala~" Nath hummed a pleasantly-sounding song. "Ryan, how's that?"
"Hmph." Ryan formed a fist, causing his fingers to crack loudly.
A short distance away, Klaus continued rushing at Timothy with his powerful strikes. He was only punching. He didn't care at all about defense, which was the main reason he was already hit by Timothy.
'This muscle-brain is an easy opponent in this kind of match where hits matter.' Timothy thought while barely dodging Klaus' rageful strikes.
On the sidelines, Azer watched with his arms crossed.
'Klaus uses Tiamut Style. It is a style that originates from New Rakuya's capital city, Tiamut. It is one of the most famous styles in the whole country.
'Tiamut Style has two different forms—soft form and hard form—they are very different but also very similar. Soft form focuses on evading every attack possible and using quick attacks.
'Hard form focuses on tanking every attack. Users of hard forms almost never dodge or try to block. Most people unfamiliar with the style usually think users of hard forms are weak.
'However, that is not the case. Sure, you can easily land hits, but users of hard forms have conditioned their bodies to be as durable as steel.
'You can punch them a thousand times, and they might still not go down. Their punches are also extremely lethal. One punch from users of hard form can be the end of the fight.'
Azer smiled to himself. 'That's why I put the three hit rule. It is to balance teams even further. Klaus, in an ordinary match, would destroy Timothy, but with the three hit rule, he can lose.'
Timothy calmly evaded the strikes. He knew that if he were patient, he would win.
At that moment, Klaus rushed in with a wild swing, leaving his side very vulnerable. Timothy quickly circled to his side and landed a quick punch to Klaus's ribs.
"Second hit, Klaus!"
A small smile appeared on Timothy's lips, but then a wild elbow came flying towards him. His eyes behind the glasses widened, and then the elbow landed on his face, breaking his glasses and cutting his skin.
"Ah!" Timothy stumbled to the ground with a bloody forehead. His broken glasses fell to the ground beside him.
"One hit, Timothy!"
Jin shouted, but he also looked serious. He was ready to call off the match if it was going to be dangerous. Klaus was known for not pulling his punches, even during training.
"Shit" Timothy covered his bleeding forehead, but then saw a large shadow loom over him. He looked over and saw Klaus standing over him with a chilly look.
Klaus reeled in his fist and then slammed it down towards Timothy's face. Timothy quickly closed his eyes and braced for impact.
Jin put his whistle in his mouth, ready to call off the match.
At that moment, Klaus' fist stopped just inches from Timothy's face. He then pulled back his middle finger with his thumb and flicked Timothy's forehead twice.
"Got you." Klaus said before erupting in laughter. "You should've seen your face!"
Timothy hesitantly opened his eyes, and his cheeks were beef-red. "Fuck you, Klaus!"
"Three hits, Timothy; you are out!" Jin announced.
Timothy clicked his tongue and stepped off the stage.
Klaus turned his focus on the fight between Ryan and Nath.
"Haha, you're in trouble." Nath said while barely evading Ryan's punches that had somehow become even faster.
Ryan didn't react to that comment and gazed behind him. Klaus slowly walked towards him with a grin on his face.
"Is that so?"
Ryan pulled back his fist, then he suddenly turned around and accelerated towards Klaus. His initial acceleration was insanely quick—he immediately left Nath in the dust, who was watching the whole scene unfold with wide eyes.
"Raaah!" Klaus formed a large fist and slammed it towards Ryan.
Ryan's leg muscles swelled, and then, like a spring, he jumped over Klaus's fist. He was like a bird soaring through the air. Then, while mid-air, he slammed his fist straight into Klaus' face with incredible force.
It created a terrifying sound. Klaus had managed to deal with all sorts of attacks and never flinched. However, this time, the punch knocked him off his feet, and he fell to the ground with a stunned look.
"Third hit, Klaus, you're out!" Jin shouted with an amazed look. 'Ryan's agility is still as insane as ever!'
Nath sweated profusely with a smile on his face. "Still as monstrous as ever."
Kiernan, with a side-eye, saw it unfold. He had to agree that Ryan had impressive physical attributes.
'Ryan's what you call a Natural Fighter.' Azer thought to himself. 'Natural Fighters don't rely on techniques and instead fight purely on instinct. They're stronger when they only rely on their instinct and their immense talent.'