Chapter 172: Guest, Please Do Not Assault Contestants

"Who will emerge victorious? The Japanese jiu-jitsu warrior or the American street fighter!?"

As always, Sayaka kept the crowd pumped with her hosting.

In the arena, the two imposing fighters stared each other down. The referee raised his hand and shouted, "All right! Face off and take your stances!"

Imai Cosmo slowly crouched into position, while Adam Dudley assumed a boxing stance.

"Two completely different martial arts styles from East and West—who will prevail? Let's watch and see!"

Sayaka continued heating up the atmosphere wisely, not bothering to ask Rinji's opinion and letting him quietly do his homework.

With the start of the match, the fighters began to stir.

Adam looked down at the low posture of Cosmo and smirked disdainfully. "Pathetic. Japan's sending women into the ring now?"

Cosmo's looks were more on the cute side, and Adam used it as ammunition for his trash talk.

He had nothing but contempt for these so-called "frail" types.

Despite only having fought in one Kengan match, Adam was no pushover. He once knocked out Texas's top street fighter with a single punch, earning him the title of "The Emperor".

He had earned his arrogance.

"You sure talk a lot of crap. Better watch your mouth before you lose your chance to speak," Cosmo sneered.

"So this is the level of Kengan? Sending a woman who knows grappling and a girly-looking guest," Adam continued mocking.

As soon as he said that, Rinji abruptly put down his pen on the commentary desk.

Sayaka's heart sank—this wasn't going to end well.

"And after I deal with you and get into the top sixteen," Adam taunted, "I'll go handle that other 'woman' too. With a face like that, he should be a male escort, not here to fight."

At that, Rinji grabbed the mic from Sayaka and, using a voice that echoed through the whole stadium, shouted:

"You little punk, are you fucking asking to die?"

"…Huh?"

The entire stadium instantly descended into chaos. Adam raised his head to see Rinji walking straight toward him.

Sayaka covered her face, exasperated.

This was going to blow up.

—————————————————————

In the executive box seats, many spectators wore puzzled expressions. Meanwhile, watching from above, Katahara Metsudo burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Little Rinji is finally angry. Young people really can't hold back, huh?"

"Why the hell did you invite that little brat in the first place?" Kure Erioh muttered. Ever since the Karura incident, he'd been pissed at Rinji.

"Isn't this more entertaining?"

"And you're not worried it'll get out of hand?"

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm not concerned at all," Katahara laughed.

Elsewhere, all eyes were on Rinji as he approached the ring. A conflict between a guest and a contestant wasn't unheard of, but this wasn't looking like a minor scuffle.

—————————————————————

Standing before Adam, Rinji looked up at the massive foreigner.

"Don't you know what not to say? Are you really asking me to kill you right here?"

"Oh? You?" Adam sneered.

Cosmo at least looked decently built, but Rinji just looked... small and weak.

Adam snatched the mic from him and laughed loudly, "You really think someone like you deserves to be challenged by us? What are you gonna do, bat your eyelashes at us?"

WHAM!

One punch. Straight to the chest.

Adam's huge body flew back ten meters and crashed to the ground, eyes rolling back, blood dribbling from his mouth.

Silence fell over the arena.

What the hell just happened?

Did the guest really just knock a contestant out?

Even Cosmo looked stunned. He was supposed to face that trash-talking American in a proper one-on-one battle, but the guy got KO'd before they even started.

The referee quickly rushed over and felt for a pulse.

"His… his heart stopped…"

This was a first for Kengan matches: a contestant nearly killed by a guest before the match even started.

"Relax, he's just in a near-death state," Rinji said casually, pushing the referee aside and picking up the mic from Adam's limp hand.

He looked around at the silent stadium, tapped the mic, and made a declaration for all to hear.

"This is a warning. And I'm adding a new rule."

Standing in the center of the arena, he issued a clear ultimatum.

"I, Rinji, am a real man. Anyone—fighter, entrepreneur, even heads of state—who mocks my appearance…"

He swept his gaze across the tens of thousands in the stands.

"…I'll rip your guts out, tie them into a bow, and shove them back up your ass."

"..."

Not caring about their reactions, Rinji simply walked back to the commentary table and sat down beside Sayaka, who was sweating buckets.

Meanwhile, medics rushed onto the scene to carry Adam—now in critical condition—to the infirmary.

Ganryu Island had top-notch medical facilities, and they would do everything possible to save Adam. If he recovered by the end of the day, he'd get a rematch with Cosmo. If not…

Cosmo would move directly into the top sixteen.

Still stunned, Cosmo stepped down from the ring.

And so, the first match of the Kengan Annihilation Tournament ended in farcical fashion.

But more importantly, everyone—especially the contestants—now understood Rinji's true power.

When Katahara Metsudo said beating Rinji would make you chairman, it wasn't a joke.

With the first match effectively voided, it was time for the second round.

Rinji remained at the commentary table, still in his role as guest commentator.