Martial Arts Worlds

"That must've hurt!" Chris Chang shouted to the microphone. "Yves released the explosive power of his muscles that he'd trained since childhood!"

"Yves is not only strong; he is also fast!" Luca Pop cried out.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

At the crowd, Nathaniel had a chill run across his spine.

"The speed of his slap was as fast as Leon's!" He cried out.

"But ten times as strong." Ryan said with a serious look. "Yves is a certified monster."

'Yet, Yves cannot keep throwing those slaps constantly like Leon.' Kiernan thought. 'He has a big frame. Throwing those powerful slaps and punches takes a toll on his body.'

"I have a question for you, Kiernan." Jin said. "How would you deal with that slap?"

Ryan and the rest also looked over. They were also quite curious since, among them, Kiernan was the greatest defense fighter.

"Easy, go closer to him." Kiernan said. "Yves' limbs are long. Those slaps are only effective if the person is standing farther back. If you're right in front of him, he's not a threat at all."

"I am sure he has a few more tricks up his sleeve," Jin said. "To counter those who come close to him."

"Of course," Kiernan said. "A bear hug, perhaps."

"Bear hug?" Ryan asked.

"Yes—those who come too close will be met with a bear hug. With his strength, he could easily crush their ribs."

"How would you deal with that?" Nathaniel asked. "It sounds like a serious threat."

While they were talking, Klaus was thinking. He was also hard style user, and Kiernan's words made him feel enlightened.

It gave him a few more ideas to use in the fight.

"Yves is a dangerously quick opponent." Kiernan said. "He can put you under a bear hug in a fraction of a second. If you are not careful."

"How would you counter that?" Jin asked. "I've tried to think ways, but I can't seem to come up with a foolproof plan."

"I don't know others, but I would…" Kiernan showed his fist and smirked. "Punch him."

"P-punch?" Jin looked stunned. "Don't you also need space to throw your punch?"

"Nah, the punch I would use is special." Kiernan placed his fist against Nathaniel's shoulder. "Iron Style, Iron Fist!"

SMACK!

Nathaniel's body trembled in pain, and he almost fell of his chair, but his friend, Ryan, caught him just in time.

"Ouch, that fucking hurt!" Nathaniel rubbed his shoulder in pain.

'How did that even hurt?' Jin thought with wide eyes. 'There was no swing to it.'

"I didn't use all my strength in that, but you can tell how." Kiernan said. "I place my fist against Yves' chest, and use that."

"What if it doesn't work?" Klaus asked. "Yves has trained his body since he was very young. I think he can tank that punch and put you in a bear hug."

"It doesn't matter how much he has trained his body; this punch attacks his insides." Kiernan said. "It will definitely make him stagger."

"Will it really be that simple?" Jin wondered out loud.

"Well, if there is a chance, I would like to show all of you." Kiernan said with a smile. "I kind of want to fight this Yves guy."

…

At the ring, Nico finally climbed back to his feet, but his mouth was bleeding profusely.

'Everything is dizzy. Fuck!' Nico shook his head, but everything around him was spinning.

He could see his coach and his teammates screaming about something, but he couldn't hear anything except that constant ringing.

At that moment, Yves stomped his feet down right in front of him and looked coldly down at him.

'You really think I am weak enough to go down like this?'

Nico gritted his teeth and put his right arm into a harpooning stance.

"Fishermen Style, Great Whale Hunt!"

The harpoon-like hand struck Yves in the chest, but instead of piercing through, his fingers broke in impact, leaving him in excruciating pain.

"Argh!" Nico screamed. 'Is his body made out of steel? This attack usually should've gone through that flesh!'

At that moment, Yves' arms closed down and he wrapped them around Nico in a bone-crushing bear hug.

Nico struggled to breathe, feeling the pressure of Yves' arms squeezing tighter and tighter. He was being squeezed against his broad chest and felt like his back was cracking!

"The bear hug!" Jin cried out. "Kiernan, you were right!"

'The strength of Yves' body is stronger than I expected.' Kiernan thought and looked at his fingers.

'If I use Iron Lance in my current state, I don't think I can pierce his flesh either. Well, I don't plan on using it either because it will most likely break my fingers.'

"Time to go to sleep." Yves squeezed even harder, and Nico's body started to break.

A bloody cough left his mouth as he closed his eyes, succumbing to the pain.

Marc gritted his teeth and tossed the white towel on the ring as a sign of surrender. It was obvious that Nico was severely outmatched in the fight.

"The towel has been thrown!" Chris Chang shouted.

"The first match is over!" Luca Pop added.

"Match is over!" The referee came back to the ring and forced Yves to let Nico loose.

Nico collapsed on the ground, and he was barely conscious. Barely conscious enough to keep coughing.

Without a moment of hesitation, the medical team rushed over to Nico and took him away on a stretcher.

The crowd erupted in cheers, and Tiamut High's fans chanted Yves' name.

"Good job~" Kara clapped her hands with a sweet smile.

"…" Johan didn't react and just kept sitting with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Bring your next fighter!" The referee shouted over to the Easton High's bench.

"Dennis, your turn." Marc said with a serious expression.

Dennis turned his head over to him with wide eyes. "Are you serious? You didn't see what happened to Nico? Let's fucking forfeit!"

"We're not forfeiting!" Marc replied immediately. "We're carrying the pride of Easton on our backs. We won't embarrass our beloved city like that!"

"Tch…" Dennis gritted his teeth and hesitantly made his way up the stairs.

Yves looked at the young man briefly, but then he turned around and stepped down the stairs.

"Eh?" The referee watched as Yves left. "Where're you going?"

"Sorry referee, but Yves is surrendering." Marquise said with a chuckle while touching his mustache.

"Eh?"

Easton High, and the rest of the stadium was equally surprised.

Why would Yves surrender?

He didn't get injured!

"Ah, my turn~" Kara jumped to her feet with a smile.