The moment the family head sealed the Enlightenment Pills with the rest of the stakes, the semi-final began.
Jason moved first, determined not to give Larry the same free opening Todd had enjoyed. He closed the distance in three rapid steps and threw a straight right aimed at the centerline. Larry was simply faster. A heavy fist cracked against Jason's left cheek before the counter could fully form. Jason's head snapped sideways; he managed to raise both arms in time to catch the follow-up punch on his forearms, the impact driving him back several paces.
Larry stepped away, rolling his shoulders as though the exchange had been nothing more than a warm-up.
"Lucky you stopped the second one," he said, smiling. "That was the end of your luck. Let's see how you handle real power."
He exploded forward again, momentum and spiritual energy concentrated into a single driving fist. Jason ducked under the punch, but Larry had already committed to the next movement. A brutal kick slammed into Jason's ribs. The force lifted him clean off the ground and hurled him across the platform. He hit the packed earth hard, skidded, and came to rest near the edge of the ring, breath knocked from his lungs.
Larry remained where he stood, chuckling. "How do you like that? Still think you can take it?"
*You still breathing, kid?* the bracelet asked.
Jason pushed himself onto one elbow, then both knees. *I'm fine. Just a hard landing.*
*Can you continue?*
*Compared to the beast-blood refining, this is nothing.*
He rose fully to his feet. The crowd noise surged the instant they realized he was standing again after a kick that should have ended most outer-camp fighters.
From the side of the arena Austin's laughter rang out, loud and deliberately provocative.
"Hahaha! Larry, I thought you were going to finish this quickly so we could have that manly talk you promised. Looks like you're going to spend the whole afternoon trying to make him quit—just like Todd ended up begging."
Larry's head snapped toward him. "Shut your mouth, Austin, or I'll shut it for you."
Austin's smile only widened. "I'd enjoy that. First, though, you have to make it past this stage. Then we can discuss whose mouth gets shut."
Larry's face darkened. "Watch closely. This ends now."
He charged at full force, one hand outstretched. Jason tried to slip the grab, but Larry's reach and speed closed the gap. Fingers locked around Jason's throat. In the next heartbeat Jason's back slammed into the ground hard enough to drive the air from him a second time. Larry dropped with him, knees pinning Jason's arms, and the punches began to rain down—short, heavy, methodical blows aimed at the face and upper chest.
Jason's vision blurred. Blood filled his mouth. He twisted hard, drove a knee upward into Larry's side, and used the brief loosening of the pin to shove the larger fighter off. He scrambled backward, creating distance, and rose again on unsteady legs. His face was already swelling; blood ran freely from both nostrils. Breathing came in short, painful pulls.
In the higher seats the family head gave a small nod of reluctant approval.
"It will be a miracle if he wins this round. Even if he does, the damage will be so severe he won't have anything left for Austin."
The grand elder stroked his beard, eyes never leaving the platform. "I disagree. That boy is persistent to the bone. He will not leave the ring until he has given everything. That kind of will can carry a fighter farther than pure strength."
One of the other elders frowned. "If he continues absorbing this kind of punishment he risks damaging his foundation permanently."
"He knows the risk," the grand elder replied, a cunning edge entering his smile. "Which means he still has a plan. Otherwise he would already have yielded."
The family head turned to study him. "You're holding something back."
The grand elder chuckled softly. "Do any of you remember the disturbance in the outer formation roughly a month ago?"
"Of course," the family head said. "A beast triggered it from the forest side. What of it?"
"The beast was chasing him." The grand elder inclined his head toward Jason. "He entered the beast territory, came back out alive, and left with beast blood. I heard him screaming in the woods that same day while whatever he did with that blood took hold. That is why the formation activated."
A stunned silence settled over the cluster of elders. Several of them looked back at the bloodied young man on the platform with new eyes.
"He entered the beast territory alone and returned with usable blood?" one elder muttered. "Then the stakes we placed on Larry may already be lost. Who knows what other cards he is still holding?"
Lower in the stands Andrew and his group were still enjoying the spectacle of Jason's punishment.
"Boss, it doesn't even matter if he somehow scrapes past Larry," Dennis said, smiling. "He's already half-ruined. One clean hit from my brother and the fight is over."
Andrew's gaze stayed locked on the arena, expression tight. "I know. I still don't want him winning this round."
On the packed earth Jason wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his wrist, settled his stance once more, and let spiritual energy begin to coil through both legs and both fists. The Invisible Iron Fist coating settled into place. The Phantom Kick pathways opened. Larry was already closing the distance again, confident the end was only moments away.
Jason exhaled once, steady despite the pain, and prepared to meet him.