Let us rewind time to the previous match.
"The next bout. Fourth division. Chiaotzu versus Mercenary Tao."
At the referee's announcement, the contestant area, moments ago as noisy as a marketplace, fell into sudden silence.
Every gaze, whether filled with curiosity, contempt, or fear, locked onto the reinforced concrete arena hastily constructed for the tournament.
On one side of the platform, Chiaotzu hovered in midair, his small figure appearing painfully fragile.
He wore his signature green, Qing-era official-style outfit. The fabric fluttered lightly in the airflow. His pale face, painted with two round blush marks, was drawn tight with fear.
Those once-innocent, wide eyes were now filled with instinctive terror.
Cold sweat slid down his smooth forehead, dripping onto the floor and shattering on impact.
Opposite him stood a figure that looked as though it had crawled straight out of a nightmare.
Mercenary Tao.
Once, he had been Chiaotzu's martial uncle.
Once, he had been the world's most feared assassin.
But now, he was no longer fully human.
Beneath his iconic pink robe were no warm muscles, but cold alloy bones and intricate hydraulic mechanisms.
The left half of his face still retained a human appearance, the well-maintained features of a middle-aged man twisted into a chilling, sinister smile.
The right half, however, was completely covered by a silver-gray metal mask.
A crimson electronic eye rotated silently in its hollow socket, emitting a faint buzzing sound.
Like a precision scanner, it dissected its prey into raw data.
"Heh heh heh…"
Tao let out a low laugh, his voice scraping like sandpaper against rusted steel, harsh and spine-chilling.
"How nostalgic. The scent of fear surrounding me. The air is thick with the trembling of the weak. It is the finest appetizer."
"Kid, you're Crane Hermit's disciple, aren't you? How unfortunate. Of all people, you ran into me."
"You… who are you…"
Chiaotzu's voice shook. He could feel the aura radiating from his opponent.
It was not human energy.
It was cold, lifeless, and soaked in murderous intent.
"Who I am doesn't matter," Tao said calmly. "What matters is that you're about to become scrap."
He slowly raised his fully mechanical left arm. The metal joints clicked sharply.
Uneasy murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Who is that half-robot? He looks terrifying."
"You don't know him? That's Mercenary Tao. Didn't Goku kill him years ago? How is he still alive?"
"That poor kid. This isn't even a fight. It's a massacre."
Below the arena, Tien Shinhan stared at Tao, all three eyes contracting violently.
That killing intent was absolute. Pure and overwhelming.
His hands gripped the metal railing so tightly that the bars began to bend.
"Chiaotzu! Forfeit! Something's wrong with him!"
"D Dodon Ray!"
The suffocating pressure shattered Chiaotzu's composure.
Survival instinct took over.
He raised a finger, gathering every ounce of his energy.
A blazing yellow beam tore through the air, scorching hot, aimed straight at Tao's heart.
Fast as lightning. Filled with desperate resolve.
Tao did not even move his feet.
He casually raised his unmodified right hand and flicked his index finger.
Clink.
A crisp sound, like porcelain being tapped.
The Dodon Ray, powerful enough to pierce stone, was knocked aside by a single finger.
The stray beam slammed into the ceiling, showering debris and sparks, drawing gasps from the crowd.
"Too weak."
Tao shook his head, the electronic eye glowing with mockery.
"Has the Crane School fallen this far?"
"That limp attack couldn't even scratch an itch. And you call this ki control?"
"It's no better than a child's water gun."
"T Tien…"
Chiaotzu staggered backward, trying to call out telepathically, but fear shattered his focus.
Gritting his teeth, he thrust both palms forward, psychic power unleashed at full force.
"Psychic Bind!"
Invisible mental energy wrapped around Tao, attempting to lock him in place.
Chiaotzu's breathing grew ragged. The strain was immense.
"Oh? Psychic powers?"
Tao grinned wider.
"Interesting. The old me might have found this annoying. But now…"
A grinding roar erupted from within his body, metal screaming against metal like a monstrous engine revving to life.
"Break!"
With a violent surge, his mechanical arm burst with terrifying strength.
The psychic restraint shattered like a fragile spiderweb.
"Pfft!"
Chiaotzu spat blood as the backlash struck his mind. His body swayed, vision blurring.
"Game over."
Tao vanished.
Not an afterimage technique. Pure mechanical acceleration.
The next instant, he stood before Chiaotzu.
A cold metal hand clamped around the boy's throat like a vise.
"Ggh…"
Chiaotzu's feet left the ground. His small hands beat uselessly against the steel arm, ringing hollowly.
"Stop!"
Tien roared from the sidelines, veins bulging, eyes bloodshot with helpless fury.
He tried to rush the arena, only to be restrained by several staff members.
"The match isn't over. Interfering means disqualification!"
"To hell with disqualification! I'll kill him!"
Tien exploded with rage, his aura blasting two men aside.
Tao turned his head, smiling cruelly at him.
"Angry? Hurting? Good."
His voice slithered through the hall like a demon's whisper.
"When that brat Goku blew me to pieces, I felt the same pain."
"I crawled out of the rubble. To survive, I cut myself apart and replaced my flesh with cold steel."
"Now I'll return that suffering a hundredfold."
With a sharp transformation, the machinery in his wrist shifted.
A high-frequency vibrating blade snapped out with a piercing hum, its edge blurred by rapid oscillation.
"No!"
Goku and Tien shouted at the same time.
Too late.
"Goodbye, little toy."
The blade fell.
Blood bloomed like a crimson flower beneath the white lights.
Chiaotzu screamed as his body flew backward, crashing onto the edge of the arena.
His green outfit, marked with the character for "dumpling," was instantly soaked red.
Had he not twisted at the last moment, the strike would have split him in half.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Only the sound of blood dripping onto the floor echoed clearly.
Tao flicked the blood from his blade, looking down at the twitching Chiaotzu with disdain.
"Tch. Still breathing? Whatever. Trash like this isn't worth finishing off."
"Tien Shinhan. I'll be waiting for you in the finals. I hope you make this fun."
With hands clasped behind his back, he strode off the arena, heavy mechanical footsteps ringing as fear, rage, and hatred followed him.
His laughter echoed like a night bird's cry.
A shadow settled over every heart.