Chapter 95 - Change of Intent
Kuro looked at the screen in front of him with large eyes. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.
Kuro: How the fuck did he land such an absurd attack like that?!
Tico: He landed a feint. You know what that is at least, right?
Kuro: Just explain it, bitch!
Tico's thoughts: I really don't want to. But I feel like he might go after me if I do…
Tico: Sure sure. Feints were something more common in fencing and other types of swordsmanship before spreading to the rest of martial arts. To put it simply, it's the art of misleading your opponent, such as throwing an attack before landing one that they didn't expect, or sometimes not even throwing a hit at all. Such a tactic can be what decides a match easily. If you manage to catch your opponent off guard, the match is clearly in your favor, and from what Hamadeen has shown us, it looks like he's on his way to mastering it.
Kuro: That bastard… He gets my blood boiling!
Kuro clenches his fist as a wide twisted smile grows on his face. He looked intently at the screen, looking at Hamadeen standing above Simon. Simon clenched at his side tightly, feeling the impact of Hamadeen's Tasmanian Hook.
Simon's thoughts: God, I'm lucky that the strike didn't rupture my liver. I'm still in the game, but I can't get back up just yet. I need to find a way to bide my time…
Hamadeen: Usually in a boxing match, being down for this long would count as a knockdown. But since you're still clearly conscious, they'll make you keep fighting. So get back up, Simon.
Simon: You don't need to tell me twice… I'll show you exactly what I'm made of…
Magnus pushed his glasses up, looking closely at the monitor.
Magnus: He's already beginning to recover from that liver strike. His endurance is insane!
Yussuf: Simon was always someone that was built tougher than others. His limbs are like naturally built in swords and his body is like a tank. The fact that Hamadeen took him down is a bad sign!
Shun: You two are worrying over nothing. Simon isn't someone to have a little liver shot stop him. We've fought with him at our side before, and you know he's easily one of our most reliable guys.
Daymond: Shun's correct. Simon is one of the Arachna, he will not allow defeat to occur easily. Watch as he shows the world what he's made of.
Simon gritted his teeth before shooting off the ground, throwing several quick jabs at Hamadeen. Hamadeen bobbed and weaved through Simon's strikes before landing a heavy hit to his left forearm. Simon responded quickly, entering a sanchin-dachi stance. Both of his feet pointed inwards, his legs shoulder's length apart and the knees slightly bent. He raised his arms as Hamadeen began to lead in with a heavy series of straights. Simon pushed each strike away with his forearms and slightly shifted himself to avoid a stray punch. It was clear to anyone watching that Hamadeen had complete control of the match. Hamadeen moved in with a right hook before moving in with a left uppercut, breaking through Simon's stance. A following right hook sent Simon stumbling back, Hamadeen kicking off the ground and flying forward.
Violet: He's pretty fast, isn't he?
Joseph: Of course he is. He's naturally light on his feet, but he also knows how to make great use of kicks.
Violet: Kicks? I thought he was a boxer, not a kickboxer.
Tristan: He's not talking about kicks in a natural sense. Boxers use kicks in an entirely different way. Instead of striking an opponent with them, a boxer uses kicks to push off the ground more effectively and enter an opponent's range. And when you're an out-boxer like Hamadeen, having an opponent constantly in your range makes all the difference.
Hamadeen continues his onslaught on Simon, with Simon moving his arms as quickly as possible to prevent more strikes from landing.
Simon's thoughts: Dammit! He's got me right where he wants me! I can't lose… I refuse to lose to people given the world. You're the king of welterweights, right? Then I'll take you down myself.
Simon charged in, surprising Hamadeen as he threw several chops. Hamadeen avoided each one, keeping a close eye on Simon and preventing him from moving around him. Hamadeen quickly shifted to Simon's right, throwing several right jabs that hit their mark. Simon twisted around and threw a large chop at Hamadeen, only for Hamadeen to kick off the ground and avoid the strike entirely. Sweat dripped down Simon's head as he kept moving in and swinging his chops at Hamadeen. Hamadeen let a smile grow on his face as he ran in, Simon's eyes widening as he tensed up his fingers.
Simon's thoughts: This is my moment!
With a heavy swing, Simon's hand cut through the air, making contact with Hamadeen. But this moment lasted for only a split second, with Hamadeen weaving away from Simon's strike. Simon immediately noticed, but it was far too late. Hamadeen's fist twisted in the air before connecting with the side of Simon's temple. Hamadeen twisted his body fully, unleashing another Tasmanien Hook that lifted Simon off his feet and slamming into the ground. Simon laid motionless on the ground, his face laying on the concrete. Hamadeen let out a sigh as he smiled, looking up to the ceiling. The referee ran over to Simon, holding his hands over him before getting back up to his feet, waving his arms. Magnus and Yussuf couldn't believe their eyes, Magnus' head dropping.
Magnus: Bastard… you spoke all that game but didn't even win…
Yussuf: Simon nooo!!
Bodin: Well, this was unexpected.
Daymond: Or was it?
Zachary and Zenzo looked at the referee before Zachary nodded and grabbed his mic.
Zachary: WE HAVE A WINNER! AND THAT WINNER IS-
The referee was blown back, the entire audience, Zachary, and Zenzo all looked on in shock. Hamadeen's head whipped back down, his fists shooting up as a primal sense kicked in when he felt the pressure of the man in front of him. Standing in front of him with his knees slightly bent, his feet pointed inwards, his head drooping, and his arms fully relaxed was none other than Simon. Hamadeen immediately jumped to his right, a trail of dust in the air as Simon charged forward with a spear hand. The referee swung his arms back at Zachary and Zenzo, both of them immediately recognizing what happened.
Zachary: An unexpected development has happened in the ring! The fight is back on!
Hamadeen's thoughts: What is with this guy? He's entirely different from before…
Simon's head turned slowly to look at Hamadeen. His eyes felt piercing despite how one eye was covered by his bangs. He raised his left hand, a bit of blood resting on them. Hamadeen looked down at his chest, noticing a new cut had formed.
Simon: I'm done playing around.
Hamadeen was filled with fear as he stared down Simon. Simon fully turned to face Hamadeen, his head slightly tilting back as his eyes stared down at Hamadeen.
Simon: From this moment on, I'm going to kill you. Royalty has no place down here.
Hamadeen's thoughts: Royalty? What the hell is he talking about?
Hamadeen: Did that strike to the head mess you up?
Hamadeen's eyes opened wide when he noticed it. Looking all over Simon's face, Simon no longer had any fatigue. Any sense of pain and exhaustion was entirely gone, filled with what felt like unimaginable rage.
Yussuf: What the hell is up with him now?
Arthur: I've never seen him like this before. Could it be…
Daymond: His memory and thoughts are scrambled. It appears he's having a case of mistaking Hamadeen with someone else. And as such, his murderous intent has kicked in. If Hamadeen doesn't win soon, he'll face a death far worse than any of Simon's victims had to face before.
Bodin: Could it be that this was something you were expecting?
Daymond: It's hard to expect something that only has a minor chance of happening. But something within me told me this will be the time we get to see Simon fight without restrictions.
Simon's eyes tensed up before exploding off his feet, using okuri ashi to close the distance between himself and Hamadeen. Before Hamadeen could sidestep, Simon's right spear hand launched out, stabbing into Hamadeen's right side before harshly whipping his arm to the right. Blood exploded from Hamadeen's side as a large chunk of his side was torn off. He let out a scream of pain that made the entire audience wince. The referee's filled with fear as he looked at the match.
Referee's thoughts: I shouldn't have let this match continue… Hamadeen, I'm sorry.
Kuro and Tico, Thong, Li, and Hugo all looked at the monitors in shock, seeing how quickly the fields had changed.
Li: Just who is this guy?