CHAPTER 385: CHAPTER 383 A TRULY EXHILARATING BATTLE_1

「Afternoon.」

The competition is nearing its end, Phoenix Academy Maggie thought, a surge of worry rising within her. In my view, Hojo Tetsuji should be losing soon.

She had secretly manipulated things behind the scenes to prevent him from encountering Amat, placing tough opponents in Hojo Tetsuji’s path, hoping to block his advance.

Unexpectedly, Hojo Tetsuji had cut down one opponent after another, and now, at the very end, he was still facing Amat.

Phoenix Academy Maggie couldn’t continue her underhanded tactics, nor could she send a message to Hojo Tetsuji suggesting he forfeit.

Butler Miwa stood behind her, ostensibly assisting with managing the event.

In reality, he was also there to monitor her.

Her mother already knew that Hojo Tetsuji was participating in the competition.

Although her mother wasn’t present at the event, she could watch everything happening here through the live broadcast.

To prevent Phoenix Academy Maggie from making wrong decisions due to emotional involvement, Kochou had Miwa Kazuki watch over her and forbade her from intervening in the match.

Phoenix Academy Maggie picked up her tea and took a sip, but it did little to ease her anxiety.

Defeat means either death or... encountering *that* kind of thing.

My only hope is that Hojo Tetsuji can keep winning.

But his opponent is Amat, a veritable human-shaped beast.

I don’t have much confidence in Hojo Tetsuji’s chances of winning. I only know that his fate will be miserable if he loses this match.

「...」

"Alright folks, C Zone has taken the lead in starting the quarterfinals!

The Beast Amat and the dark horse, our young prodigy! In today’s final match, who between these two will ultimately triumph?"

There was no on-site commentator, but the live streamer naturally had to stir up the emotions of his audience. With over one hundred thousand people watching, he had to rally his spirits to handle this massive wave of attention.

It was just that this match had dragged on for so long, he’d drunk bottle after bottle of water, and his brain felt nearly wrung dry of words.

His commentary was no longer as captivating as before, but the match itself was exciting enough to retain viewers.

He turned his camera towards the C1 entrance below.

The door opened, and Amat stepped out. His terrifying presence was palpable even to those in the spectator seats, as if a prehistoric behemoth had entered the arena, baring its fangs and claws.

He ignored the people in the stands, his gaze fixed on the young man at the C2 entrance opposite him. The joy deep inside turned his blood into fire coursing through his limbs.

His whole being felt warm.

It was the first time in Amat’s life he had felt such a strong urge.

Yet his expression showed no trace of excitement; he appeared colder than ever before.

Even the Dragon King did not look up.

THUD. THUD. He took a few steps forward and said in a low voice, "Hojo Tetsuji, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long, long time."

Though his words were calm, an intensely repressed, almost insane desire burst from between his lips.

Ever since discovering Hojo Tetsuji’s beauty, all the opponents he had faced afterward seemed ugly and unbearable, filling him only with the desire to beat them to death.

He sought to alleviate his excitement with blood and broken limbs.

He was willing to endure because he believed he would inevitably meet Hojo Tetsuji.

"Come on, please me to your heart’s content!"

"You’re too old for such cringey chuunibyou lines, uncle," Hojo Tetsuji retorted, then suddenly paused, touching his chin. "Wait a second," he mused aloud. "This contrast might not be bad. The supreme ruler of the universe who turns out to be quite the chatterbox. Aozawa also said that villains need strong personalities."

This string of remarks left Amat somewhat baffled, but he didn’t get angry. When a strong person has a strange temper, it’s called ’personality.’

He could understand, as he too was someone who talked to himself and lived in his own world.

"Referee, aren’t you going to start the countdown?"

Of course, Amat had very little patience with anyone other than Hojo Tetsuji. A single glance was enough to make the referee nearly wet his pants. The referee hastily shouted, "One, two, three!"

The man quickly backed away, stepping out of the ring.

A glint flashed in Amat’s eyes. Unlike in previous matches, this time he chose to attack first.

BOOM! The sound of wind and thunder exploded. Like a tiger pouncing from a mountain, his towering frame surged forward, wrapped in a fierce gale.

A knife-hand strike tore through the air, crashing down.

Hojo Tetsuji raised his hand to block.

BANG!

The tatami mats beneath Hojo Tetsuji’s feet shattered and burst apart.

Surprise flickered in Hojo Tetsuji’s eyes. This is the first time I’ve been so overpowered in terms of strength,

he thought. This uncle might be weird, but his power is unquestionable.

"Haha!" Amat grew even more excited. His right foot lashed out like a bolt of lightning or an unsheathed sword, aiming straight for Hojo Tetsuji’s chin.

Hojo Tetsuji quickly retreated, landing a backhand punch on Amat’s right calf.

Amat’s left foot stomped down, shattering the tatami. His massive body remained unshaken, maintaining a one-legged stance as his right leg pressed down on Hojo Tetsuji’s fist.

This forced Hojo Tetsuji to step back. The wind, sharp as a knife, cut the skin on his arm, and a trickle of blood emerged from his forearm.

"Hey, you’re capable of more than this, aren’t you? Don’t treat me like those third-rate fighters. Come at me with all you’ve got!"

Amat was clearly dissatisfied with Hojo Tetsuji’s performance. He spread his arms, and the tank top he wore instantly burst apart, revealing the clearly defined muscles rippling across his towering frame.

His massive physique seemed to don heavy armor in that instant.

"Now I’m getting really excited," he growled.

"Wow, is he even human?" Ayatsuki’s face was filled with shock. Amat had been terrifying enough before, but with his muscles now bulging, he looked even more ferocious, like a Demon God incarnate.

Even the experienced Takahashi Saeko had to admit that Amat was truly qualified to compete for the title of the world’s strongest martial artist.

Among all the martial artists she had seen, none possessed such an exaggerated and powerful aura of oppression as Amat.

It was as if even the strength in a single one of his blood vessels was greater than that of a normal person.

"A Transformation, huh? I see, that’s certainly one way to do it."

Hojo Tetsuji wasn’t intimidated; instead, a new idea sparked in his mind.

He took off his T-shirt and walked over to the referee, saying, "Could you hold this for me? If it gets damaged, Shouko will nag me about it when I get back."

"Oh."

The referee responded blankly, thinking, This isn’t about whether he can go back or not. It’s about whether he can stay alive!

「...」

The main dojo was well-lit. Hojo Tetsuji walked back to his spot, looked at the big guy in front of him, and beckoned, "Come on."

"Alright!"

Amat roared. The tatami under his feet instantly exploded, and the air shrieked as he charged forward.

The oncoming wind tried to slow him, but Amat didn’t decelerate. Instead, with incredible ferocity, he cleaved through the air itself and rushed before Hojo Tetsuji, unleashing a tyrannical punch.

Hojo Tetsuji neither dodged nor evaded, throwing a punch of his own. The large and small fists met in mid-air.

BOOM!

They were evenly matched. Neither retreated, but the tatami beneath their feet cracked and splintered.

A flicker of surprise crossed Amat’s eyes, quickly replaced by wild joy. Exhilaration surged through his chest.

"Hahaha!"

He laughed maniacally, his chest heaving as he took a deep breath. His muscles seemed to writhe, and his bones emitted a series of sharp CRACKS.

Amidst a flurry of sounds, like beans crackling in a pan, power erupted from his right fist once more.

Hojo Tetsuji lacked such advanced techniques; he instinctively leaped backward, trying to diffuse the force as much as possible.

As Hojo Tetsuji flew backward, Amat lunged forward.

Hojo Tetsuji tilted his head back, did a full flip, and kicked upward with his right foot.

Instantly, Amat’s left hand shot down and grabbed Hojo Tetsuji’s right ankle. A ferocious grin spread across his face as he prepared to slam him into the ground.

Unexpectedly, Hojo Tetsuji hooked his left foot around Amat’s left arm, using the leverage to engage his core. His upper body snapped upright in mid-air, and he brought both hands chopping down towards Amat’s temples.

It all happened in an instant. Amat had no time to block. He could only clench his jaw, the muscles on his temples bulging, veins prominent.

THUD! With a dull impact, blood spurted from Amat’s nose. His eyes turned crimson. "Argh!"

A roar escaped his clenched teeth. He twisted his torso, swung his arm, and slammed Hojo Tetsuji heavily onto the ground.

CRASH! A tatami mat shattered into pieces, and even the ground beneath it dented.

Wincing in pain, Hojo Tetsuji spat out a mouthful of blood. His left foot, straight as a blade, stabbed at Amat’s right eye.

"Aaargh!" The thin eyelid was no match for Hojo Tetsuji’s foot.

Even tightly shut, the eyeball burst. Blood seeped from the slit of his eyelid. Amat, growing more frenzied, stomped heavily on Hojo Tetsuji’s chest.

CRACK! The sternum broke. Hojo Tetsuji’s left leg went rigid.

The brief pause didn’t make Amat relent. He gripped Hojo Tetsuji’s right ankle again, used his own left foot as a pivot, and swung Hojo Tetsuji around. He spun him twice before slamming him heavily onto the ground again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Once, twice, three times! Amat, in a frenzy, used Hojo Tetsuji like a whip, repeatedly smashing him against the ground.

Each impact created a thunderous noise that drowned out the sounds of combat from the other seven zones.

It gave those present the illusion that the entire Tokyo Dojo was trembling.

The audience in the stands was dumbfounded.

Not enough! Still not enough! Amat roared internally. He didn’t need his eyes; he could feel it. Hojo Tetsuji could still fight back. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t give this kid a single chance. If Hojo Tetsuji recovered, I could very likely lose. This is the first time in my life I’ve been so desperate to take someone down.

He swung Hojo Tetsuji around, smashing all the tatami mats in C Zone to pieces.

Dust plumed, but still he didn’t stop. He continued for nearly ten minutes before finally releasing his grip. Hojo Tetsuji’s right foot dropped to the ground, and he was swallowed by the thick dust.

"Haah... haah..." He gasped for breath, unable to clearly see the person below, his hands trembling.

This was the first time in Amat’s life that his body felt unresponsive after defeating an enemy.

All his energy had been spent on defeating his opponent.

"What an exhilarating fight," Amat exhaled, experiencing an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. He turned and walked towards the C1 exit.

The referee snapped back to his senses and shouted, "The winner of C Zone is Amat!"

"Medical team, what are you standing around for?!" Phoenix Academy Maggie yelled.