Chapter 56 - The Price of Power

Zachary and Zenzo's eyes opened wide as they looked at the ring.

Zenzo: Did he…?

Zachary: There's a trail of blood all over the ring. Daymond isn't badly wounded enough for that. Kuro seems to be alright, yet…

Zenzo: Can a person even bleed that much?

Daymond controlled his breathing, bringing his body back under his control as Kuro slowly approached him.

Daymond's thoughts: His stamina must be draining. That much blood loss and his level of activity are through the roof. Anyone of his stature should be exhausted from that. However, with his lack of noticing pain, who knows how long it'll take for him to finally burn out?

Kuro made a mad dash, closing the distance between himself and Daymond in an instant. Daymond gritted his teeth, knowing he had no time to move away. The audience stared in shock as Kuro threw out a rapid punch, only to be facing an entirely different direction. Daymond's hands had noticeable marks on them, his hands feeling like they were burning.

Daymond's thoughts: It was only a gambit… But it worked…

Midori: That is nothing like the Krav Maga I was told he practiced.

Simon: Krav Maga is a very versatile martial art, but it was nothing more than a coverup to the vast array of moves he has access to.

Shizu: Simply put, Daymond keeps the truth behind his capabilities behind a veil of lies, but Kuro truly is dangerous. He has already forced Daymond to use several different kinds of footwork to avoid attacks and has now forced him to try a redirection technique.

Moll: Where did he even learn such a technique?

The Arachna got silent before Shizu pushed up her glasses and moved her eyes to look at Moll.

Shizu: He picked it up at a village we had visited a long while back. It seems he's become rather rusty with it since his hands show some damage.

Daymond clenched his fists, his breathing quickening again as Kuro turned to face him.

Kuro: What the fuck was that? Wait, it's no matter… Cause I still need to fucking kill you!

Kuro ran in, throwing out a series of quick punches in a much more controlled area. Daymond raised his defenses, feeling the onslaught hit his arms time after time. Daymond closed one of his eyes in pain, hearing a voice in his head speak once again.

???: What's the point in holding back? Are you truly wishing to die here?

Daymond gritted his teeth, moving his arms out, grabbing ahold of Kuro's right arm before throwing him over his shoulder. Kuro slammed into the ground with a loud thud before he jumped back up to his feet, spinning around on his heel, and slamming the back of his fist on Daymond's forearm. Daymond quickly grabbed onto Kuro's arm before pulling him in and slamming another elbow into his face before Kuro quickly grabbed onto both of Daymond's arms, meeting his eyes.

Kuro: Time after time, you try to find the most effective way to hurt me. But you've only failed. I expected better.

Daymond tried to free himself from Kuro's grasp, but his hold was tight. At that moment, Daymond kicked Kuro's shin to no effect. Kuro smiled at Daymond's futile attempt, only to notice a spurt of blood shoot up from his right arm.

Daymond's thoughts: He's finally noticed.

Kuro released his grasp as Daymond jumped back. Kuro looked around, noticing the amount of blood that followed them, and the amount flowing from his body.

Kuro: Ohoho… You were trying to play a long game, weren't you? Well too bad! I found out your goal!

Kuro charged forward, slamming his fist into Daymond's gut once more. Due to his lack of feeling, he could not sense that he had connected with Daymond's book once more. Daymond moved back with the punch, knowing that he still had the advantage due to Kuro losing his sense of touch. Without wasting another moment, Daymond charged forward, grabbing onto the side of his coat before the distance before the distance between himself and Kuro was under a meter.

Kuro: Yeah! Face me head-on!

At that moment, Daymond reached into his coat, pulling out his book, and throwing it into the air. The book had completely covered Kuro's line of sight. Kuro's expression turned sour as he slapped the book to the ground. Daymond had disappeared from Kuro's sight.

Kuro: Bitch! Where are you?

From the corner of his eye, Kuro noticed the fluttering of Daymond's coat. Kuro smiled as he spun around and threw another quick jab. Kuro quickly stopped his punch, moments from the referee's scared face.

Kuro: What the-?

Kuro immediately noticed his sight began to lower, his legs having been swept. Two hands wrapped around the bottom of Kuro's jaw, Daymond sitting on his back as he put Kuro into a chokehold. Kuro gritted his teeth, trying to speak, but Daymond's hold was strong.

Kuro's thoughts: What the hell? I thought he was running dry? But he still has the strength to grapple?

Kuro tried to move his arms but noticed their movement was quite limited. Daymond had planted his knees on Kuro's back as his shins and feet more securely left Kuro's arms under control.

Midori: I see… Daymond is quite talented.

Yussuf: He couldn't beat Kuro in a pure contest of strength, so he switched to grappling! That's our boss!

Simon: Was that really the smartest move?

Shun: I think it was probably a good move for the moment. Strikes weren't showing enough for a knockout and Kuro figured out the bleeding before the boss could use it fully. So he's trying to stop the airwaves as his final gambit.

Kuro struggled, feeling his breathing getting more jagged as he continued to grit his teeth. With one sharp turn, Kuro threw Daymond to the ground while rolling on top of him. Daymond refused to let go of his hold, but Kuro's arms were now free of the hold. With only the strength of his legs, Kuro lifted himself and Daymond off the ground, his mouth opening as he let out a loud roar. He sounded inhuman.

Daymond's thoughts: He's breaking through too quickly. I need to change tactics…

Daymond immediately released his hold on Kuro, Kuro immediately turning to Daymond before taking a punch directly to the face. He began to feel a bit delirious from the blow, unleashing powerful blows in random directions. Daymond jumped back, noticing that Kuro's dark red color had slowly begun to fade.

Daymond's thoughts: He's finally reaching the end of his stamina to keep that state up!

Daymond charged in, throwing a rapid right jab, only for Kuro to grab onto the punch with an open hand. Kuro laughed to himself as he stared at Daymond.

Kuro: Smart fuckers like you are so damn annoying. But that's alright. Even without that outburst, I can still take you down!

Kuro spun around, pulling Daymond along before throwing a knee to his gut. Daymond let out a gasp as blood escaped his mouth. Kuro quickly transitioned to a left blow to the side of Daymond's face, Daymond's head shooting to the side before he came to a halt. Kuro's breathing had become irregular. Daymond turned to Kuro, a bruise now on his cheek as Kuro stared at him.

Kuro: So, let's end this!

Kuro ran in with another quick overhead punch, Daymond's body finally looking exhausted from the fight. But the audience looked in shock as Daymond's head dropped. Kuro smiled widely as his punch was only moments away from connecting. In a split moment, Daymond quickly moved in, connecting a right jab with Kuro's face. Kuro's head shot back, his eyes turning to meet Daymond's. Daymond's eyes looked empty for a moment. It was as if he had fallen unconscious while throwing that punch. Kuro stumbled back, his breathing became harder from the chokehold. He stared at Daymond, his smile slowly fading from his face. Daymond's head moved back up, Kuro noticing his eyes had returned to normal.

Kuro: What was that? Explain it!

Daymond: I intend on ending this as you asked.

Kuro gritted his teeth, his mad smile being replaced with anger. Midori put a hand to his chin, staring down at the match before him.

Midori: You have grown from when I last saw you.