The two continued to strike each other relentlessly, their fists colliding and generating deafening booms that echoed throughout the arena.
— Come on, Jhony! Just give up already!
— Who the hell do you think you are, Yasoke!
The volume of blows from the golden-eyed youth was visibly greater. Slowly, he began to pressure the redhead, forcing him to back away.
"Damn it."
Suddenly, the redhead's eyes widened. His muscles tensed as he began to exert a monstrous amount of force, planting his feet firmly into the ground. He stood completely motionless, taking Yasoke's attacks without showing any sign of defense.
"What is this guy doing?"
Seeing the cold, indecipherable expression on the redhead, Yasoke made the prudent decision to retreat, halting his storm of strikes.
— Why did you just stand there? — Yasoke asked.
There was no answer. Just a heavy, unwavering stare from his friend.
In the stands, the sudden silence sparked confusion.
— What's going on down there? — Zulmy questioned, observing the inertia of the two combatants.
Yuji tried to answer, his eyes locked on the ring:
— Apparently, the two of them are going to start a psychological battle!
Henrique merely watched, adjusting his glasses, while Rokko stared at the situation in absolute silence. Outside the arena, Liangri seemed intrigued, watching every detail of the intense exchange of glances between the fighters.
— Announcer... you wimp, what do you think is going on? — she asked without averting her eyes.
The man felt deeply offended, but swallowed his pride to answer:
— I have no idea what's happening.
— Figures. — Liangri mocked, ruffling the announcer's hair before returning all her focus to the fight.
In the arena, the standoff continued.
— So, Jojo! Are we going to start again?
The redhead remained silent, his serious expression unaltered. Until he finally opened his mouth.
— Ya... ya... ya... Yasoke! Do you remember the cat incident?
Yasoke blinked, caught off guard. He tried to search his own memory.
— Incident... incident... I remember! Why do you want to know about that?
— Do you remember who won that bet?
Yasoke's mind plunged into the depths of his memories.
The golden-eyed boy, Yasoke, was about 11 years old. He and his red-haired friend had accepted a mission to rescue an old lady's cat. They searched tirelessly through the rubble of the city's junkyard, but there was no sign of the poor animal. When a heavy rain began to fall, they decided to seek shelter inside a cave hidden among the debris.
— A cave in the junkyard! How did I never know about this?
— I don't know, Yasoke, but this seems like a good place to find a lost cat.
The golden-eyed boy started touching the damp walls of the cave. Looking closer into the shadows, he noticed the presence of several strange insects.
— Look how cool! There are a lot of bugs, even this one.
Young Yasoke picked up a red ant with black spots. The creature was visibly bizarre, measuring almost the size of the boy's hand.
— Worse yet, this ant would make a fine delicacy.
— I mean, Jojo, do you think cats are interested in ants?
— Yeah... but an ant this size!
— We don't know the size of the cat! — Young Yasoke began hugging the huge ant against his chest. — I'm going to call him Claudio!
— The ant is a female, Yasoke.
— Then I'll call her... Claudete!
Suddenly, from the dark interior of the cave, the sound of meowing began to echo.
— I think that's the cat, Jojo.
The red-haired boy grew apprehensive. The sound began to grow louder, distorting and becoming increasingly hoarse and guttural.
— Jojo... do cats meow like that?
Little Yasoke started to panic, while Jhony broke into a cold sweat.
— I don't think so, Yasoke!
The sounds escalated terrifyingly. That meow morphed into a disturbing noise, akin to the sound of desperate people burning alive.
— Okay... that is not a cat! — Yasoke affirmed.
The boys backed away. From the shadows emerged a gigantic creature: it had the face of a flamingo, cold snake eyes, the imposing body of a white lion, and a tail that ended in the severed head of a cat.
The two stared in horror at the chimera and decided to run. However, the entrance to the cave had been blocked by a landslide of automotive scrap.
— JHONY! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!
The red-haired boy was left speechless, but, fighting back the panic, he kept his mind calm. He turned to face the creature, adopting a deadly serious expression.
— Yasoke... we're going to have to fight this thing.
— ARE YOU CRAZY! We're kids and that's a monster, we're going to die either way.
— You might be right, but we won't know if we don't try!
Yasoke dropped "Claudete" on the ground and went to confront Jhony.
— You're insane. The difference between doing that and doing nothing is that we'll probably have a much worse death.
— But I'd rather die fighting than die like a coward.
Yasoke fell silent upon seeing the unwavering determination on his friend's face.
— Alright then... let's do this!
As they braced for the worst, Claudete approached the monstrosity at a comically slow speed. The creature lowered its head and tried to peck at the ant. But, in the blink of an eye, the insect vanished. It suddenly appeared on the chimera's back, causing the monster to thrash around in despair.
— Yasoke... what's happening?
— You're asking me?! I've been confused this whole time. I think Claudete is going to do something.
And she did. The ant began to devour the creature alive. The monster screamed in agony, trying to fight off the anomalous insect, but to no avail. Claudete ate the chimera entirely, leaving not even the bones behind to tell the tale.
— Man... what did I just watch?
— GOOD JOB, CLAUDETE!
Young Yasoke ran over, scooped Claudete up in his arms, hugging her tightly, and then ran to the sealed entrance of the cave.
— Little buddy, can you chew through this?
The ant began to devour the mountain of junk, clearing the path to the outside in an instant.
— That was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen! — Jhony said, dumbfounded.
When all the automotive debris was removed, the light of a beautiful sun flooded the cave.
— Good job, Claudete!
The ant looked directly at Yasoke. Suddenly, a blinding glow began to emanate from its exoskeleton.
— What is that?
From that light, an incredibly beautiful woman completely devoid of clothes appeared. She possessed subtle ant-like antennae and eyes as clear as the sunlight itself.
— Wow!
— Just an important side note! My name isn't Claudete, it's Minerva.
Jhony, extremely confused and embarrassed, covered his face with his hands to hide the blush taking over his cheeks.
— Why did you save us?
— I was hungry!
— That shouldn't be the question, Yasoke. The question should be why the heck was she in a cave.
— To eat too!
The woman smiled gently at the red-haired boy, who grew even more embarrassed.
— Interesting... but where are you from? You don't look like you're from the junkyard.
— Look, I got lost from my nest, so I don't know where I'm from, sorry I can't tell you.
— No need to apologize, but one thing... — Yasoke jumped up and tapped her shoulder. — ...can you help us find the old lady's cat?
— If you mean that cat! — Minerva pointed casually to a feline walking calmly among the junkyard's debris.
— Exactly! Grab it, Jojo!
The redhead chased after the cat and grabbed it firmly.
— Look, boys, I have to go, I need to find my nest again.
— Already? We can help.
— Sorry, but it's too dangerous for two kids.
— Understandable!
— But we'll meet again some other time!
The two young boys smiled.
— Alright then.
Minerva returned to her gigantic ant form, began digging into the ground, and in seconds, vanished from the boys' sight.
— That was the most bizarre day I've ever lived, and that fight of ours ended in a tie.
— Truly...
The memory faded, and Yasoke found himself back in the present, on the other side of the arena, facing his friend.
— What the... what the hell does that have to do with our fight right now!
Jhony looked at Yasoke and started to laugh out loud, his laughter echoing across the silent stadium.
— Exactly... it means absolutely nothing! HAHAHAHAHA!
"Fucking crazy redhead."
— You're a scumbag, Jojo! You made me cool off just so you could recover.
— Just figured that out, Yasoke?
Jhony flashed an absurdly confident smile and began walking slowly toward Yasoke.
— Let's play the Game of 5!
Yasoke didn't hesitate and began to approach as well.
— The Game of 5... alright!
In the stands, Zulmy tilted her head to the side.
— What is the Game of 5?
Yuji looked at her, his voice heavy with anticipation.
— Simply put, they're going to brawl in a 5-meter space. Whoever steps out of the 5 meters loses! Very simple.
Zulmy still didn't understand the palpable excitement taking over the venue.
— Okay, and why is that supposed to be cool?
— Due to the simple fact that the space is reduced, there will be way more exchanging of blows! It's going to be three times bloodier. This game is played when a fight is tied or when they want to settle things quickly.
Henrique sighed, visibly saddened by the approaching lack of technical refinement.
— So they really ignored strategy and are just going to beat each other senseless.
Rokko, unlike Henrique, flashed a fierce smile. Outside the arena, Liangri was radiant.
— Damn, they're going to play the Game of 5! Finally, this fight is going to heat up! GO, MY REDHEAD!
The announcer, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, yanked his microphone hard.
— LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE TWO WILL COMPETE IN THE GAME OF 5!
The entire crowd went into a state of frenzy, screaming at the top of their lungs. Comments echoed from all sides: "Go, strangely handsome redhead, I believe in you!" and "Go, ballet shoe boy without shoes, beat up that playboy!".
The two fighters stopped face to face, in the exact center of the arena. Yasoke looked around and yelled at the top of his lungs:
— HEY, CEMENT MAN, CAN YOU SHRINK THE ARENA TO A 5-METER RADIUS?!
The grumpy old man walked heavily to the edge. With his strange, ancient cement magic, the enormous structure trembled and contracted. In seconds, he molded and reduced the combat stage to a tiny circle with an exact 5-meter radius. An abyss now separated the stone ring from the rest of the coliseum.
— ANNOUNCER! YOU DECIDE WHEN IT STARTS!
The announcer was blown away. He stood up, his voice choked with emotion and adrenaline.
— ON MY SIGNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!
The stadium held its breath.
— 3!
A pause heavy with tension.
— 2!
Another pause, even more striking. The sound of beating hearts seemed audible.
— 1!
A deafening fireball was fired into the skies, exploding and marking the restart of the battle.
"Perfect."
Yasoke didn't waste a fraction of a second, connecting a straight punch directly to Jhony's face, forcing the opponent's body to stagger back slightly.
— That punch is nothing!
The redhead retaliated immediately, burying his fist into the pit of Yasoke's stomach. The blow expelled the air from the acrobat's lungs, making him grab his belly, which created the perfect opening. Jhony connected a monstrous punch to his friend's face.
— That one hurt, I'll admit!
The golden-eyed youth recovered his balance instantly. He unleashed furious, simultaneous punches into Jhony's abdomen. The redhead tried to counter with an uppercut, but was welcomed by a brutal kick to the face that threatened to shatter his balance.
"Damn it."
Jhony gritted his teeth, steadied his stance, and adjusted his center of gravity, landing a solid punch on Yasoke's face, which also caused him to temporarily lose his footing.
Inside that small radius of stone, dodging was a non-existent luxury. They stood there, planted, trading raw, pure punches. Even so, Yasoke's natural agility allowed him to apply a slightly higher volume of attacks.
"I admit, Yasoke's strikes hurt, but it won't be enough to bring me down."
Jhony continued taking hit after hit. His face was already swollen, but his eyes burned. It was then that a crushing aura enveloped his arms. He began to use Pure Macogo.
The golden-eyed youth widened his eyes.
— Did you forget about Macogo, Yasoke?
The redhead executed a devastating punch. The impact was so massive that Yasoke's entire body nearly folded around Jhony's hand.
"Crap! I forgot about that shit!"
Realizing the critical disadvantage, Yasoke instantly ignited his own core. The Pure Macogo coated his flesh, preparing him to withstand the carnage.
But the momentum belonged to the redhead. Jhony took advantage of his friend's brief mental lapse to beat him mercilessly, landing blows so dense they forced Yasoke to spit fresh blood onto the cement floor.
"Probably broke a few teeth."
Under the rain of punches, Yasoke finally awakened his dormant ferocity. He counter-attacked, tearing through the air, repeatedly striking Jhony's reinforced stomach, burying his fists with such violence that it forced the redhead to vomit blood as well.
Both of their faces were already swollen, bloody, and nearly unrecognizable. Even so, they continued to batter each other madly. Yasoke pressed on, unleashing barrages of strikes, but for those observing closely, the harsh reality was clear: the golden-eyed youth was visibly more exhausted than his opponent.
"It's my time."
Taking advantage of his friend's drop in pace, the redhead initiated a terrifying sequence of brutal punches. Without the energy to dodge or weave, Yasoke was forced to take the entire storm with his face. His brain rattled violently inside his skull, vertigo taking over his senses as his feet slid dangerously close to the edge of the 5-meter mark.
"No fucking way I'm losing here! This bastard is as tough as a mountain! How do I get past this?"
Without giving Yasoke time to think, Jhony kept hammering his opponent's face, each punch sounding like a cannon shot, trying to forcefully drag him out of the shrunken arena. But Yasoke's legs refused to give out. He rooted himself in the stone, resisting the brute force.
"Think, Yasoke... think, damn it! I don't know! I don't know what to think about!"
He took another clean hit to the head. His vision completely blurred, the colors of the stadium mixing together, and he began to stagger.
In the stands, Zulmy watched the scene, overcome by shock and agony.
— You fucking idiot, don't tell me you're going to lose?
Yuji, although equally horrified by the amount of spilled blood, refused to abandon his faith.
— He's not going to lose, he'll find a way!
Zulmy looked desolately at Yasoke's trembling, bloodied silhouette. His state was deplorable. Unable to bear the sight, she closed her eyes and simply chose to believe.
Below them, Liangri watched like a predator appreciating a kill.
"Look at that, the redhead is actually winning!"
The announcer, however, was sweating cold, clutching his microphone as if it were a lifeline.
"Come on, Yasoke! Ballet shoe boy! You're the one who kept me my job so far, please! Fight!"
A large part of the crowd began to hysterically chant Jhony's name, sensing the imminent end. But on the other side of the stands, a different movement began to rise. A group of men stood up.
— You know what to do in this situation, boys... let's cheer for the ballet shoe kid, he eliminated the favorites! IT'S ALL FOR THE FUN OF IT! COME ON, BOYS, LET'S CHEER FOR YASOKEEEEEEEEEEE!
The tribal rhythm of drums echoed through the coliseum. From the throats of hundreds of united voices, a gigantic, rhythmic chant tore through the air:
"YASOKE NEVER RUNS BACK, HE UNLEASHES HIS FIERCE ATTACK! YASOKE IS THE REVELATION, BEATING FOOLS IS HIS VOCATION!"
In the center of the arena, with his vision completely blurred and the world spinning around him, the sound reached the boy's ears.
"They are cheering for me... Did I captivate them that much?"
Through the pool of blood covering his eyes, the golden youth saw the redhead's immense fist winding up, loading the final, devastating punch.
"It's him... it's him... JHONY... I AM NOT GOING TO LOSE TO YOUUUUUUUUUUU!"
On that threshold between consciousness and passing out, something inside Yasoke broke. The barrier of his own psyche gave way. Instead of using his usual technique of imagining a hypothetical life-or-death situation to draw out his strength, the sadistic reality of that fight took control. He accepted the imminent death. He accepted the real danger.
Jhony delivered the killing blow. The colossal fist crashed squarely into Yasoke's face.
But the impact sounded hollow.
A massive, torrential, and blinding amount of Pure Macogo exploded from within Yasoke, coating his body like sacred armor. The shock of the force was completely absorbed.
— You weren't expecting that, were you, you son of a bitch!
Yasoke's bloody smile was terrifying.
He returned the punch, and the simultaneous, deadly exchange resumed. They hit and took hits, a symphony of breaking bones and tearing flesh, neither willing to step back a single millimeter. The exchange of blows lasted until both, consumed by exhaustion and blinded by frenzy, simultaneously grabbed each other's shoulders.
They stared at each other up close.
— NOW! — they bellowed in unison.
With their arms locked, they used the only weapon they had left. They began smashing their own foreheads against one another. Headbutt after headbutt. An absurd amount of blood splattered and began pouring from their torn foreheads. But, bizarrely, the two of them were smiling.
Zulmy brought her hand to her mouth, relieved by the turnaround, but disgusted by the savagery.
— My God in heaven... I feel sick, never do that again, Yasoke. Right, Yuji... YUJI!
Yuji was sprawled in his chair, passed out, with light foam bubbling from his mouth, unable to process so much tension.
Henrique stood perplexed, eyes wide, while Rokko sported a broad, admiring smile. Even Liangri was ecstatic.
— I knew it was worth breaking into this place!
At the podium, the announcer collapsed in tears, screaming through his crying:
— GO, YASOKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I BELIEVE IN YOUUUUU!
The desperate declaration of the suited man left Liangri completely speechless.
The fan sections in the stands were a wreck, screaming primitively. Yasoke's organized fan club wept collectively at the brutality of the comeback. The group's leader wiped the thick tears from his face and raised his fist.
— COME ON, MEN, LET'S SCREAM LOUDER!
"YASOKE NEVER RUNS BACK, HE UNLEASHES HIS FIERCE ATTACK! YASOKE IS THE REVELATION, BEATING FOOLS IS HIS VOCATION!"
In the 5-meter arena, the foreheads collided incessantly. The wet, bony sound of the headbutts resonated through the coliseum. Until, on the thousandth strike, Yasoke's balance faltered, and he stumbled one step back.
The redhead saw the opening. He braced his body for a killer, definitive headbutt.
— GET READY, YASOKE, THE VICTORY IS MINE!
But as Jhony's head lunged through the air, he noticed something terrifying: Yasoke's golden eyes were glowing with monstrous intensity.
— NO FUCKING WAY!!!
Yasoke concentrated absolutely all the Pure Macogo remaining in his core to withstand the relentless impact of Jhony's charge. Using the brief opening where the redhead destabilized after his strike, Yasoke bent his knees and leaped to gain momentum.
He dove like a meteor and connected a divine, crushing, and definitive headbutt to Jhony's skull.
Blood exploded into the air, raining down over the stone circle.
The shock was so absurd that their lock broke. The two lost the strength in their hands and let go of each other's shoulders.
The red-haired youth began staggering backward, heading toward the fatal edge of the stone ring. The golden-eyed youth was pushed by the recoil, also stumbling dangerously toward the other extreme of the 5-meter abyss.
But, at the brink of the fall, mere inches from disqualification, both dug their feet into the ground. They stopped.
And, slowly, they raised their faces. They looked at each other.
Devoid of energy, injured from head to toe, with wheezing breaths and burning lungs, they began dragging their heavy feet back toward the center of the arena. Neither of them had a single drop of Pure Macogo left. It was pure human will.
But Yasoke's steps were slightly faster.
"I... can't... take... anymore."
Yasoke's consciousness was failing. His knees began to buckle. Just as he was about to collapse face-first onto the stone floor, Jhony, even swaying like a leaf in the wind, locked his own stance to avoid falling first.
"No... I'm... going to lose!"
Burning tears began to stream down the swollen face of the golden-eyed boy. In a final act of pure rebellion against gravity and failure, he decided to risk it all. With an agonizing groan, he began to lift his lead-heavy arm.
— I... AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU WIN!!!!!
Tapping into the very last spark of vital energy he had left, he threw his body forward and delivered a clean, dry, and desperate punch straight to Jhony's face.
The impact shattered whatever stability the redhead had left. The heavyweight tipped backward, falling toward the cold ground. However, the inertia and force applied in that movement were the final straw. The lights went out for Yasoke. The golden-eyed youth collapsed face-down almost in the exact same second.
The two bodies smacked against the center of the 5-meter arena, motionless.
Silence reigned over the coliseum.
In the stands, Zulmy hugged her own shoulders, covered in goosebumps from head to toe.
— And... who won?
She looked at Yuji, but he was still passed out in his seat. Henrique, arms crossed, replied in a deep whisper:
— In this case, the one who stands last wins!
She swallowed hard, desperation taking over her voice.
— And who stood last? Tell me it was Yasoke.
— I... I can't tell.
Rokko, without blinking for a single moment, simply pointed a finger.
— Just look at the arena!
Zulmy and Henrique turned their attention back to the stone ring. Focusing their eyes through the dust, they were completely astounded.
Yasoke's bloodied body twitched. Propping himself up on his trembling elbows, he forced himself onto his knees. With a monumental effort, he raised his right arm and stretched it tremblingly upwards in a gesture of glory, holding it up for one entire second before collapsing, now definitively, into unconsciousness.
The announcer smashed the microphone button, tears washing his face, his voice tearing through the speakers across the entire city:
— AND THE WINNER OF THE 700-YEAR TOURNAMENT OF LUTHERKING IS THE YOUNG MAN NO ONE BELIEVED IN! AND THE YOUNG MAN WHO DEFEATED THE FAVORITES! AND THE YOUNG MAN WHO KEPT ME MY JOB! THE WINNER IS! YOUNG YASOKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! —
The world seemed to explode.
The crowd went into absolute pandemonium, a cacophony of deafening celebrations. The grandstand of Yasoke's newly converted fans wept in unison, hugging each other and howling to the heavens that the victory belonged to the unlikely boy with golden eyes.
Zulmy broke down crying as well. Between sobs and tears of relief, she started delivering several desperate slaps to Yuji's face to see if he would wake up.
— What... what happened... I blacked out after that punch from Jhony... — Yuji babbled, coming back to his senses. He saw the girl covered in tears.
— Yasoke won, master!
— Say what?!
Yuji jumped out of his chair and began yelling and jumping along with the girl, hugging her uncoordinatedly.
Henrique looked at the scene, his heart light, and let a sincere smile slip.
— Who would have thought he'd be the champion!
Rokko stood up, elegantly raised his hands, and began to clap in a rhythmic, loud, and resonant applause. Henrique followed suit and stood up to clap. Yuji and Zulmy stopped jumping and, with their faces bathed in tears, began applauding with all their might.
When they finally noticed, the entire coliseum was on its feet. A sea of tens of thousands of people fervently applauding the fallen warrior in the center of the stone ring. The great and unquestionable champion. The 16-year-old boy named Yasoke.