Merely standing in the ring, "Stone Fist" and "Twin Hammers" were enough to draw wild cheers from the surrounding crowd.
Both stood eight feet tall and had honest, solid faces. One was extraordinarily lean and muscular, his abdominal muscles gleaming like stones on a rainy night. The other was somewhat bulky, but beneath his fat lay exceptionally thick muscle, like an iron barrel wrapped in bark. Anyone foolish enough to underestimate him would learn exactly what it felt like to have their head knocked off.
Though underground fighting differed from ordinary fighting, the basic rules were the same: five rounds, each lasting five minutes. The difference was that neither gloves nor groin guards were required here, because nothing was forbidden. Eye gouges, groin strikes, downward elbows, soccer kicks, fish hooks, skin pinches, finger bending... none of these moves would cost a fighter the match. Instead, they were unexpected paths to victory, and the thrilling techniques the spectators most loved to see.
Clang! The instant the clear bell rang, the match began.
At that moment, everything seemed to slow before the spectators' eyes. The power that Stone Fist and Twin Hammers had long been storing in their bodies suddenly surged through their bones. Drawing on the ground beneath them, they transferred that force from their legs to their hips, accelerated it through their waists and shoulders, and finally concentrated it in their fists, unleashing punches that cracked more sharply and swiftly than a whip.
They exchanged blows in an instant. Stone Fist took the first hit, catching a punch from Twin Hammers square in the face. Without a trace of panic, he moved precisely, adjusting his breathing and footwork. Two seconds later, he threw a feint, then twisted his hips into a rear-hand punch that landed solidly on his opponent. Below