The medical staff exchanged glances. Under everyone's gaze, Serizawa staggered, but he made it down from the Competition Ring without anyone's help.
The unyielding will Serizawa had shown during the fight earned thunderous cheers from the crowd. It also made the vast majority of spectators remember him and acknowledge his strength.
After Serizawa's match against Zhebulizi, more than half the day's events were over. Golden Flash, Superalloy Darkshine, and Serizawa had left the deepest impressions, but many other contestants had also given the crowd thrilling fights.
Some contestants who had not had the chance to show their full strength in the regional rounds now began to reveal what they could do.
They had only started to shine at this stage because the regional rounds simply had not been tough enough to draw out their true abilities. Now that the top contestants from each region had gathered, the competition had grown far more intense, forcing some of them to reveal more of their hidden cards.
It was easy to imagine that plenty of upcoming matches would still deliver surprises the crowd never saw coming.
The next match, for example.
The moment the two contestants stepped into the arena, an oppressive atmosphere settled over it.
The two shared something in common: both were dressed in dark, somber colors, with styles steeped in darkness.
Put simply, neither looked like a good person at first glance.
Their titles only reinforced that impression.
Shadow Stinger and Night Owl.
Shadow Stinger was a frail-looking middle-aged man. A white cloth covered the lower half of his face. Above it, prominent brow ridges made his eyes appear deeply sunken.
Set in those deep sockets was a bizarre pair of eyes. His pupils were nothing like a normal person's: each was shaped like a vertical slit, rather like a