"This can't be happening!" Bernard punched the window, which rattled in its frame.
"This is the difference between Ryan and Kang." Azer smirked. "Natural Fighter doesn't only mean that they fight without proper martial arts techniques. It means they adapt and improvise in any situation."
"You…" Bernard looked hatefully at the ring. 'Kang, I have spent a fortune on giving you the best training environment. Do not betray my trust!'
On the medical wing.
The doctor fixed up the mounted television. He made it so that it would point down at the patient's bed, allowing them to watch TV comfortably while recovering from the fight.
"Is this good?" The doctor asked.
"Yeah, thank you…" Nath said with a whisper. He was lying on the bed, and he couldn't move an inch.
That was not his main concern for now. His entire focus was on the television screen.
'Ryan, you're truly great…' Nath bit his lip. 'However, how can I defend against both Super Acceleration and Super Jump? He has become even stronger.'
"Your classmate is strong."
A voice came from the neighboring bed. There, Shura was sitting while holding an ice bag against her stomach.
"Yes, he is." Nath said with a smile and then looked at her. "How's the injury?"
"I'll survive." Shura replied with a meek smile. "You could've gone easy on me~"
"If I had, you would still be fighting Ryan." Nath said with a wry smile. "Anyway, how long will I be paralyzed? My nose is itching."
"Well, here~" Shura stood up from her bed and scratched his nose with a mischievous smile. "Is it better?"
"I might not be able to move, but I can still bite." Nath said with a smile.
Shura pulled back her hand and innocently smiled. "You'll be paralyzed for about two hours. How's the wound, by the way?"
"Hurts." Nath replied with a grimace. "You poked a hole in me."
"I am sorry; I truly am." Shura said and bowed in apology. "I don't usually do that. I've learned to control my techniques so I wouldn't do what I did to you, but at that moment, I couldn't think about going easy."
"I understand." Nath sighed. "It was a stressful situation."
"Anyway, the fight is not over yet." Shura looked over to the television with a serious look. "In times like this, Kang's very dangerous. He has lived in the streets since he was very young, which helped him develop an aura of some sort."
"An aura?" Nath asked.
"Killer's aura." Shura said. "I don't know whether he has killed anyone. Not in official matches, as far as I am aware. However, I don't think he managed to live on those streets without leaving a few corpses behind.
"When he is on the brink of defeat, his killer's aura awakens. During that time, he is at his most dangerous."
Nath looked worriedly toward the television.
…
"Haa… haah…" Kang breathed heavily and grabbed his broken shoulder with a look of anger.
The stadium had quieted down. It was like the audience knew that the fight's ending moments were near.
'Still standing…' Ryan breathed out loudly and moved to a low stance, but at that moment, a look of pain surfaced.
He turned to look at his feet. They were bleeding and bruised. His Super Jump was even more draining than Super Acceleration.
He couldn't use either one of them in this match anymore, and now his speed had also been cut in half. All his trump cards had been used up.
'Kang, are you about to lose?' Kang spoke to himself in the third person. 'I fought my way out of that place. All I had to do was get to the nationals to pay off my debt. I won't go back there…'
Kang stepped forward and cracked the ground beneath him. It caused the ring's floor's tiles to shatter into tiny pieces. That was his plan all along.
At that moment, Kang kicked up a cloud of dust that came from the shattered tiles. It concealed him from his opponent.
Ryan squinted his eyes, as he couldn't see Kang anywhere.
Instantly after, Kang's large fist punched through the cloud of dust and smashed into Ryan's block. Ryan's block was successful, but his arms shook afterwards and his feet slid backwards from the force of the impact.
The cloud of dust cleared up, and then Kang kicked up the shattered pieces of the tile towards Ryan. Those small pieces were like small rocks flying at the speed of a bullet.
Ryan hid his head behind his block, and he tanked all those immensely quick pieces. Some of the pieces missed, but the majority landed on his arms and legs, leaving small cuts and bruises.
This was Kang's Street Fighting!
"Haa!" Kang rushed in with a rageful yell and smashed his fist at Ryan's block.
Ryan's body rattled from the force of the blow, and a few grunts of pain escaped his lips. He couldn't keep blocking forever, or his body would break like glass.
Kang screamed and smashed his fist at Ryan's blocks one after another. Pow. Pow. Pow. Pow. Eventually, Ryan's block cracked, and Kang's fist broke through, connecting with Ryan's jaw.
The fist pushed Ryan's head backward with a sickening crack. It sounded like his neck had cracked in two.
The crowd jumped to their feet. There were cheers and voices of shock and amazement filling the arena.
After taking Nath to the medical wing, Jin returned to the sidelines just in time to see Kang's fateful punch. His eyes widened in shock.
"No…"
Klaus and Timothy jumped to their feet, clenching their fists. They were screaming inside their minds for Ryan to keep on fighting!
Ryan stumbled backwards. His eyes looked unfocused and clouded with pain.
At that moment, Kang rushed in to deliver the finishing blow. His fist flew through the air like a missile of pain.
Ryan suddenly started falling backward. Karuza High's supporters hearts sank as they expected the worst. At that moment, he regained his balance on the edge of the ring, and then he slammed his head against Kang's fist.
POW!
The fist struck Ryan's forehead—the forehead was one of the hardest parts of the human body.
"Ngh…" Kang's face grimaced in pain.
At that moment, Ryan tensed up his fingers on his left hand, and then he thrust his hand towards Kang's face. His fingers stabbed into Kang's right eye, momentarily blinding him.
"Argh!" Kang screamed in agony.
'He went for the eye!' Jin screamed inwardly. 'However, he didn't puncture the eye, as he didn't want to cause permanent damage.'
Ryan pulled back his hand with a weak smile. He turned to Kiernan on the sidelines and motioned with his mouth:
"I'll leave the rest to you…"
Kiernan's eyes widened.
At that moment, Kang grabbed Ryan by the head and smashed him to the ground. It was an instant knockout.
Rio quickly jumped to the ring and pushed Kang away from Ryan. His strength was surprising high; he even managed to push Kang, who was filled with muscle and was almost three heads taller than him.
He quickly checked Ryan's pulse. It was steady.
With relief, he announced. "The fight's over; the winner is Kang Moon!"
"Argh…" Kang put his hand over his right eye. It was bleeding profusely. 'This fucker intentionally went for my eye, so I'll be half-blind for my final match. I'll make those fuckers pay!'
As soon as the announcement of Kang's victory was called out, Irio High's supporters jumped to their feet and started waving their banners. They were in a very festive mood.
The biggest hurdle—Ryan Lee—was cleared!
Now, there was only one person left.
Karuza High's supporters gaze landed on a single person—Kiernan—the youngest fighter in the entire representation tournament.
Jin, Klaus, and Timothy turned to look at the black-haired young man. They were nervous, for an obvious reason.
"Kiernan…" Jin paused, his heart filled with both fear and hope.
"I know." Kiernan stood up and rubbed his stiff neck. 'Ah shit, I slept in a bad position, and now my neck's stiff. I'll probably need a massage after this.'