Zhang Shuai was a little surprised that Haruhi Hideaki could speak Dragon Kingdom's language. Then again, it wasn't strange. The island nation had admired Dragon Kingdom's civilization since ancient times, and plenty of Dragon Kingdom characters remained in its language today. Many people from the island nation had studied Dragon Kingdom's language.
"Dragon Kingdom brat, they all say you know kung fu. Today, I'll show you that my island nation's karate is the most powerful martial art in the world!"
Zhang Shuai looked at Haruhi Hideaki disdainfully and said coolly, "You're a fucking idiot!"
Haruhi Hideaki obviously understood that Zhang Shuai was insulting him. He flew into a rage. "Good. You've successfully made me angry. I was going to let you live, but since you dared insult me, you won't leave this arena alive today."
Zhang Shuai sneered. "Tch! You—"
Before he could finish speaking, the whistle signaling the start of the match sounded, cutting him off.
The instant the whistle blew, Haruhi Hideaki, who had been poised to strike, charged forward. He stomped his right foot against the ground and leaped into the air, then brought a powerful kick crashing down on Zhang Shuai.
This was a jumping kick from karate. Haruhi Hideaki put tremendous force behind it, which showed that he was highly skilled in the art.
To be fair, karate was fairly impressive to watch. Haruhi Hideaki's attacks looked fierce and imposing, enough to intimidate anyone.
The spectators immediately grew excited. The fight had started as soon as the match began. There was no doubt it would be a thrilling contest.
Some spectators knew about the bitter history between the island nation and Dragon Kingdom, and began explaining it to their companions. This only made more people look forward to the match.
Haruhi Hideaki's moves looked powerful and fierce, but to Zhang Shuai, they were like a tickle. If he hadn't wanted to make the match more entertaining, one punch would have been enough to kill the island nation's brat.
So Zhang Shuai casually raised an arm and blocked Haruhi Hideaki's jumping kick.
"Thud!"
A muffled sound rang out. Zhang Shuai deliberately acted as though he couldn't withstand the kick, stumbling backward several steps before barely managing to regain his balance.
Seeing this, Haruhi Hideaki looked down on Zhang Shuai even more and immediately unleashed a relentless flurry of attacks.
Straight punches, knife-hand strikes, hooks, elbows, knee strikes, flying knees, roundhouse kicks...
He didn't just use karate moves; he mixed in Muay Thai as well. Haruhi Hideaki's attacks looked vicious, and the spectators cheered and screamed with excitement.
Zhang Shuai countered each move without rushing to strike back.
To the spectators, it looked as though Haruhi Hideaki had Zhang Shuai completely on the defensive. Many of those who had been rooting for Zhang Shuai grew anxious.
"Zhang Shuai from Dragon Kingdom... Come on! Beat him up!"
Zhang Shuai faintly heard a woman in the crowd shouting encouragement in Dragon Kingdom's language.
There were too many people in the audience for him to tell which woman was cheering him on.
When he figured enough time had passed, Zhang Shuai decided to end the fight.
Since the island nation's brat had put on such a good show, Zhang Shuai decided not to kill him. But the man was far too arrogant and obnoxious, and he'd even threatened to kill Zhang Shuai in the arena. He might be spared death, but he wouldn't escape punishment. At the very least, Zhang Shuai would cripple one of his legs and one of his arms, leaving him to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair or a hospital bed.
Haruhi Hideaki had been attacking for a while without managing to seriously hurt Zhang Shuai, and he was visibly growing frustrated. The Dragon Kingdom man was far too slippery. He always managed to deflect the force of Haruhi Hideaki's attacks or evade his full-powered blows.
Then Haruhi Hideaki suddenly spotted a perfect opportunity. Zhang Shuai ducked to avoid his left hook, putting his head right within range of Haruhi Hideaki's right roundhouse kick. With years of fighting experience, Haruhi Hideaki wasn't about to pass up such a good opening. He concentrated all his strength in his leg and kicked hard at Zhang Shuai's head.
If that kick landed, Zhang Shuai would be seriously injured and unable to keep fighting.
Just as the kick was about to hit Zhang Shuai's head, he suddenly tilted it aside and dodged. At almost the same instant, he threw a punch that slammed into Haruhi Hideaki's knee.
"Crack!" The sound of bone breaking rang out.
"Ah..."
A tremendous force knocked Haruhi Hideaki back several steps. His right leg went limp, and he lost his balance and fell to the ground. Only then did he realize that Zhang Shuai had shattered his kneecap with a single punch.
A moment later, pain wracked Haruhi Hideaki's body, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.
What kind of terrifying force was that?
Haruhi Hideaki was horrified. Zhang Shuai's fist didn't feel like a fist; it felt like an iron hammer. That single blow had smashed his leg and shattered the bone.
A thought flashed through Haruhi Hideaki's mind: Had the Dragon Kingdom brat been holding back the whole time?
Before Haruhi Hideaki could react, Zhang Shuai's attacks rained down on him again.
Zhang Shuai suddenly dipped low, grabbed Haruhi Hideaki's arm, then gave it a light pull and twist. Haruhi Hideaki's right arm was wrenched around in a full 1,080-degree rotation, like the artificial arm of a machine.
There was no doubt about it. Haruhi Hideaki's right arm was nearly torn off, with only a little flesh still connecting it to his shoulder.
The excruciating pain left Haruhi Hideaki's mind blank. Zhang Shuai followed up with a punch to his face. The blow sent blood spraying from his nose, and Haruhi Hideaki toppled face-first to the ground, his body twitching uncontrollably.
It all happened so quickly that the spectators didn't react until Haruhi Hideaki had fallen flat on the ground. Then deafening cheers and screams erupted.
Hearing the audience's excited cries, the host waited a moment. When Haruhi Hideaki still hadn't moved, he loudly announced that Zhang Shuai of Dragon Kingdom had won the match.
Soon, the octagon's iron gate opened, and several staff members carried the injured, unconscious Haruhi Hideaki away on a stretcher. Zhang Shuai was once again mobbed by excited female spectators, but he was experienced now and nimbly slipped through the crowd of women.
It was already ten at night by the time Zhang Shuai returned to the hotel, but he felt a familiar pang of hunger. It seemed his body's standby time was up; he needed to recharge and replenish his energy again.
Zhang Shuai had been in the Beautiful Country for several days, fighting in one match after another, before he felt hungry. His standby time had grown much longer than before.
However, Huang Tianli was staying with him, which made it a little inconvenient for Zhang Shuai to recharge.
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