Chapter 169 - Two on One

A cold sweat broke on Thong's forehead as he stared at his opponent. The man he had been fighting until now was nothing but a shadow of what stood before him. Daymond grinned as he disappeared before Thong's eyes.

Daymond's thoughts: Lightning Kata - Creeping Shadows.

Thong spun on his heel as he turned to see all the Daymonds that had appeared around him. Shun and Yussuf laughed as they watched the match.

Yussuf: The boss is using our technique!

Shun: I guess he's finally interested enough to act seriously.

Thong raised his guard as he was punched to the side of his torso. He turned around as he took another strike to his back. Strikes came from every direction as Thong lost track of his opponent.

Mike: This is getting bad!

Li: Yeah! Thong can't handle that type of technique yet!

Gerald: Just hold out for hope. He's seen this, so he just needs to evolve further.

Thong's eyes flashed red as his fists clenched. Minh threw a high-speed jab at Daymond, only for his fist to go through his opponent. His expression of shock quickly changed to one of pain as Daymond ducked under the attack, his fist firmly in Minh's abdomen. Minh stumbled back, clutching his stomach tightly as he kept one eye on his opponent. The pain was like a fire, spreading across his body as he continued to clutch it tighter. Daymond's stance changed to that of a boxer, striking Minh several times in the face with flicker jabs. His stance changed once more into that of a wrestler, wrapping around Minh as he pulled him into the air and slammed him with a suplex. Minh let out a gasp as he rolled across the ground. He pushed himself up with his forearms before taking a soccer kick to the face from his opponent. Blood spurted out of his mask as he was forced back onto his feet.

Zachary: Daymond is refusing to show any mercy to his opponent! Hitting him with a devastating combo!

Zenzo: I feel bad for Thong. This was clearly one of the biggest mismatches we've had so far.

Zachary: We had a match end much sooner, so I doubt it. But the skill gap is still immense!

Minh struggled to stay on his feet as he felt the blood run through his mask and down his chin. The stitches in his face felt as if they had begun to loosen as he stared at Daymond.

Minh's thoughts: Our chances of winning… seem like zero right now.

Thong: No way! But we finally got a hit in on him!

Minh's thoughts: We did… but whenever you defend, he works around it. Whenever I attack, he powers through it. No matter how good we're at something, he had a perfect solution… Can we even win?

Thong: Wait… You mentioned something interesting…

Daymond charged at Minh, pulling his fist into the air as he aimed for an overhead blow. Minh's eyes changed to yellow as his right arm moved out. Thong used the Man Sau to meet the side of Daymond's strike with his own, sliding past the Head's attack and behind his opponent as Daymond's punch continued its downward motion. Thong's eyes shot to red as he spun around to land a heavy elbow to Daymond's spine. With one well-placed strike, he would be able to dislocate or fracture one of Daymond's vertebrae, leaving him unable to move. Minh smiled under his mask, only for a heel to strike his jaw. Daymond had kicked his leg backward, anticipating a strike from behind. The crowd cheered as Minh was left in a daze. Daymond stood back up on his feet as he turned to face his opponent. The audience was then left in amazement as Daymond's arms seemed to multiply from the number of punches that moved Minh's way. Minh simply raised his arms as he took the full assault of Daymond's strikes.

Minh's thoughts: He works around each of our tactics! How can one man be this dangerous?!

Thong: Mr. Oneiroi and Gerald weren't lying… This guy… He's seemingly unbeatable…

Daymond weaved around Thong's defense, pulling back his left fist as he spun around and landed a swift left hook. Minh's mind began to rattle as Daymond began to land blow after blow on his unprotected opponent.

Daymond's thoughts: Your mind is far too divided to ever stand a chance against me. Even the opponents I've beaten had a single-track mind and were unable to stand a chance against me. Yet here you stand, distracted. You did well to last this long, but this match is over.

Daymond threw forward a right straight faster than any attack he had thrown thus far. His punch aimed directly at Thong's nose, knowing fully well of the injury he had sustained from the previous round. However, his fist struck something far more solid. He looked at his opponent, noticing that his fist connected with the forehead.

Daymond's thoughts: He must have moved at the very last second… How did he manage that?

Minh's eyes looked cloudy, with one of his red eyes looking fiercely at his opponent. Daymond frowned as he decided to follow with another left hook. Minh's arm moved in a masterful motion, using Huen Sau to move through Daymond's strike and enter Daymond's range. Daymond ducked as Minh continued with a swift spear hand. He jumped away and regained his composure.

Zachary: What is this?! Daymond just moved away from his opponent! Are my eyes deceiving me?!

Zenzo: Whatever tactic Thong just pulled was something that not even Daymond was prepared to take head-on!

Daymond's thoughts: He's changed… He changed in a way that his red eyes normally do not allow.

Daymond's eyes opened wide as he stared at his opponent. Minh placed a hand on his forehead, lifting his hair slowly as he stared at Daymond. Daymond was left in disbelief when he saw the eyes of his opponent. The left eye was the same crimson red it had always been, but the right eye was a brilliant shining yellow. It was beautiful enough to almost be called gold.

Thong: You said something that sparked this, Minh. Individually, we stand no chance.

Minh: You bastard. So for this, you managed the one tactic we had left.

Thong Minh: We will fight as one, got it?

Mike, Li, and Hugo stared in amazement as Gerald let out a laugh.

Gerald's thoughts: Thong actually managed it! I thought it was a crazy idea, but the possibility was there! Instead of them switching control to fight as things appear, they work together and fight together! This is no longer a tag team match, Daymond. This is a proper two-on-one!

Daymond: You changed, haven't you? Are you finally ready to take this match seriously?

Thong Minh: Yeah, I'm sorry for taking too long. So please, let us continue.

Zachary: The fighters are talking amongst each other! Whatever changed in Thong has piqued an interest in his opponent! So the real match is underway!

Zenzo: It's hard to tell, but it's almost like a new breath of air has been pumped into Thong. Can he actually hold a candle to his opponent now?!

Thong Minh charged at his opponent, his arms moving like serpents. His arms moved wildly as Daymond continued to move through. Their eyes kept close to their opponent, as Daymond followed the attack patterns closely.

Daymond's thoughts: Lightning Kata - Flashing River.

Daymond changed his center of gravity at the last second, moving completely out of the range of Thong Minh's attacks. Their eyes darted as he kept up his speed, moving around the fighter as he charged forward with a tensed-up fist. Their body spun on its heel to face Daymond, immediately using Huen Sau to divert the strike. Daymond continued his strikes with a smile on his face.

Daymond's thoughts: Raging Tempest.

Theodore stared in shock as Daymond's attacks became more and more similar to his techniques. Each strike aimed for one of Thong Minh's joints, aiming to weaken and disable them.

Theresa: Dear, isn't that…?

Theodore: It is. He replicated them much faster than I had expected. It's hard to tell the difference between his and my own Raging Tempest.

Theodore's thoughts: No wonder Deacon and Cero were so afraid of this man. The moment he can get his hands on a technique, he will attempt to perfect it to no end.

Deacon: Come on, use it.

A voice echoed in the back of Daymond's mind as attacked Thong Minh with all he had. Thong Minh continued to use Huen Sau to counter the onslaught of strikes. He furrowed his eyebrows as he could see blood flying from his arms.

Minh's thoughts: His strikes are far more dangerous than I thought…

Thong's thoughts: That's because his strikes are just like Theodore's! We can't stay on the defensive! If we do, we'll be torn to shreds!

Thong Minh smiled under his mask as he aggressively threw both of Daymond's strikes away. In the split moment this had given him, his knee shot off the ground, flying past his arms and into Daymond's chest. The strike sent Daymond sliding back and returning his fists to his side.

Daymond's thoughts: He's improving even faster. He can finally land strikes on me.

Deacon: This is why you need to use it. Otherwise, more strikes will come.

Daymond's thoughts: Shut up. It was one lucky strike. That is hardly enough to worry me.

Theodore: Thong was able to successfully ward off Raging Tempest. Daymond's mind isn't in the match right now.

Carrie: What do you mean? He's clearly not able to do it as well as you, Terry!

Angel: Yeah! He took quite a beating from you before, so he isn't able to keep up with the same pace!

Theodore's thoughts: They're right. Daymond should be suffering from those injuries, but he was able to pull off the speed necessary for the Raging Tempest regardless. How much has his control of Kuro's ability grown?

Daymond took the stance of a kickboxer. His feet exploded as he flew at his opponent at amazing speeds. He unleashed a flurry of punches which Thong Minh barely managed to dodge. In a moment so small, smaller than the audience could notice, Daymond had found an opening. His foot flew off the ground and aimed directly for Thong Minh's head. But the opponent was prepared for this small variable.

Thong Minh: Tran Style, Flowing Tree.

Thong Minh grabbed onto Daymond's leg with both arms. The power behind the kick was immense, but they had hoped so. They used their own power along with Daymond's to whip Daymond around to their opponent's surprise. In one motion, Thong Minh threw Daymond across the ring, rolling across the ground as they caught their breath.

Mike: He overcame him?!

Zachary: Unbelievable! For the first time in this match, Daymond is the one left on the ground!

Zenzo: Thong's skills have definitely been honed through this battle. Perhaps he was rusty at the start!

Simon: Boss!

Yussuf: No way this is happening!

Daymond jumped back to his feet, staring at his opponent across the ring. Thong Minh clenched their fists as they decided to take the offensive. They unleashed their own rush of attacks as Daymond continued to weave through it. They changed their tactics, using the Lin Wan Kuen, making their chain of punches faster and stronger. Daymond smiled as he began to block each strike. He broke through their powerful offense, throwing a jab directly at their face. Thong Minh dodged with hardly any room for space. They felt blood roll down to their mask, slowly raising their arm and touching right underneath their eye.

Daymond: Slowly but surely, I will overcome your new growth. What you've accomplished is nothing new.

Thong Minh: Heh… I think it's way too early to say you'll beat us. I feel as good as ever!