Leva struggled to get up, and she couldn't do anything when Ivan punched her in the face.
I winced as if I was in pain. Ivan's left fist hit so hard that it made Leva fall. The girl staggered, moving back to the corner of the arena, holding on to the rope.
With a heavy breath, Leva looked at her enemy with a bruised right cheek. The corners of her lips were also bleeding.
"You are one of my greatest opponents, Leva. You can use your intelligence to overcome this physical difference." Ivan walked over to my colonist with his right hand still drooping. "It's an honor for me to be able to fight you. And I will destroy you in return for that honor. Like I said before, this is my way."
Ivan changed his pace to a run, ready to hit Leva again. Desperate, I almost asked Eric to throw in the towel, but suddenly Leva ducked and ran behind Ivan again.
The man immediately turned back, clearly not wanting Leva to climb onto his back a second time.
Leva stepped forward with a very low body position, then tackled her opponent's right leg. Ivan lost his balance and immediately fell backward.
The crowd cringed as the back of Ivan's head hit the pole so hard it even made a gong-like sound.
Is this over?
No. The man was still conscious, albeit wincing in pain and clutching the back of his head.
Wasting no time, Leva stomped on her opponent's head brutally. The referee only watched the scene because Ivan was still conscious.
I gasped as Ivan straightened up and pushed Leva up until she rolled backward. How could he do that with a concussion?
And then, Ivan rolled out of the arena, triggering the supporters from Redtooth to boo him.
"One! Two! Three!" The referee starts counting.
Leva got up, still gasping for air, looking straight at Ivan, who was trying to get up. My female colonist briefly turned to look at one of the arena's poles, then looked at Ivan again.
Taking a deep breath, Leva climbed onto the pole, observing her opponent, who was now half standing. And then, Leva ran on the rope without losing her balance, jumping while putting her palms together above her head.
Ivan, who was already standing straight, turned around when Leva was close enough to him. He looked like he wanted to dodge but instead stumbled. Leva could slam her hands into the opponent's head with ease. The audience from Redtooth immediately cheered in unison, especially when Ivan fell.
"Second warning! Fighter Leva attacks the opponent outside the arena! Once again, Leva will be disqualified!" The referee shouted at my female colonist.
However, Leva didn't care and rolled into the arena. She approached one corner of the arena and leaned against it again. Her sweat was dripping so much, and her breathing was getting more uncontrollable.
"One! Two!" The referee started counting, accompanied by the sound of the crowd from Redtooth.
"Are you all right, Leva?" Eric grimaced when he saw Leva's condition.
"What do you think? Running around, defending submissions, and doing those attacks takes a lot of energy, you know?" Leva touched the bruise on her cheek. "If he gets up again, I'm not sure he'll still be able to fight back."
Well, she's not under the influence of the berserker buff, after all. She will not be able to break the limit.
"Oh, come on...." Leva shook her head when she saw Ivan start to crawl towards the arena at the count of six. "It's about time you fell unconscious, right?"
"Seven! Eight!"
Ivan was close enough to the arena in no time, even though he could only use one hand to crawl.
"Shit." Despite the circumstances, Leva smiled widely and walked towards the center of the arena in a slightly staggered motion. "Looks like I have to fight again."
You're enjoying all of this, right?
"Nine!"
Leva held her breath when Ivan was only a few inches away from the arena. Meanwhile, Ivan's companions already looked very panicked and kept shouting at the fighter.
But, the referee raised his finger again.
"Ten!" The referee gave the signal to the official, and the sound of the gong echoed.
The crowd's cheers exploded like thunder. Eric jumped into the area, and Leva clenched her fists. "Arrrrrgggghhhh!!!"
The referee then raised Leva's right hand.
"And the winner is, Leva from the nameless tribe in the west!" The announcer shouted through his funnel.
The cheers from Redtooth grew louder, while the audience from Acornhull was speechless.
Seeing Eric coming to her, Leva immediately hugged the man.
"You won, Leva! You won!" Eric also looks happy.
At first, I only thought of this tournament as a condition for getting seeds. Maybe Eric felt the same way. However, after everything that happened, it turns out that something like this can give me immeasurable joy.
Congratulations, Leva.
As soon as she let go of Eric's arms, Leva looked outside the arena, finding Ivan sitting outside with a defeated face. The man is being encouraged by his companions.
"A moment." Leva then approached the man.
Ivan raised an eyebrow when he found Leva already standing in front of him. The man grew even more confused when Leva's hand reached out for him.
"Good fight," Leva said with a smile.
Ivan widened his eyes, then got up with the help of his companions.
"Slow down, big guy." Leva also helps. "How can you still be standing like that?"
"I've always been like this...." Ivan cleared his throat. "Well, this really surprised me. My Tribe has done something that..."
"That is another matter." Leva widened her smile, stretched out her hand again. "Right now, I'm just very honored to have just fought someone so powerful. I'm very grateful to you. The match just now was enjoyable."
Ivan grinned, then shook Leva's hand tightly and lifted it. Both groups of spectators, from Redtooth and Acornhull, gave a standing ovation. I found Brie, who cried with joy.
"I'm looking forward to our rematch, Ivan." Leva glanced at the opponent she had defeated.
Ivan just smirked again.