Aside from these basic fighting moves, Nightmare had a weapon all his own, one that was almost impossible to guard against and supposedly impossible to counter-Toe Stomp.
Fighting techniques fell into three schools: moves anyone could master through diligent practice, moves only exceptionally gifted people could unleash under certain circumstances, and moves created through sudden insight into one's own abilities. These were known as Diligently Learned Martial Techniques, Innate Martial Techniques, and Self-Created Martial Techniques.
Nightmare's Toe Stomp belonged to the Self-Created Martial Techniques. At least, in all the decades this Underground Fighting Arena in the Temple Capital had existed, its spectators had never seen anyone use such a move. He was the first.
Toe Stomp was a move people scoffed at over casual conversation, dismissing it as something only children used in fights. Yet here in the fighting cage, its effectiveness was undeniable.
Whether he was controlling an opponent through wrestling or clinching, as long as they had not gone fully to the ground and remained somewhere between standing and grounded, Nightmare's Toe Stomp gave him a tremendous advantage.
It consumed almost no stamina, landed nearly a hundred percent of the time, carried no risk, and produced excellent results. Those were all benefits of Toe Stomp.
When he controlled his opponent's balance, their footing became unstable. A simple stomp could give him a huge advantage then. Just one light stamp left them helpless and in agony, delivering almost as much damage as a punch that could not be thrown with full force in that position. It also disrupted their rhythm, hampered their movement, and weakened their kicks, setting him up for the next round.
"Whoosh!"
Nightmare did not merely use the move in fights. He also devoted particular attention to practicing Toe Stomp in private, making it devastatingly powerful.