Chapter 342: Round 2

After a 20 minute downtime, people had time to discuss amongst themselves, and by far the biggest and most common topic of conversation was about Joker's fight and how it was completely out of the ordinary.

There were various conspiracies floating around trying to explain what happened but they were always explained by a simple difference in the Ki manipulation prowess of the combatants. But, even still, few who claim themselves to be experts insisted that Joker's Ki manipulation was top notch while his opponent's was fairly lacklustre. 

No one could come to a definitive answer, all the conversations went round and round in circles so they dropped them all by the time the next round rolled around. 

Hikari was quite an anomaly out of the crowd as she sat alone in the corner and patiently waited, smiling and waving her legs.

Of course, there were the usual people who approached her in an attempt to get information out of her since she was always seen with Joker. But, it always ended badly for them when Yami took over. As such, it became something rather well known that getting close to manipulate that girl was not a good idea. 

"Attention everyone!! The first semi-final round is about to begin! Everyone, please make their way to the stands once they are ready! Oh! And don't forget to place your bets!" The announcer's voice rang throughout the entire room. 

And like a moth to a flame, the crowds once again formed and fought around the stands to get a better view as they patiently awaited the next two fighters to arrive. They all had their bets made, from the first round of fights, it was more than clear who the favourite was and it seemed like there were very few who wanted to deviate. 

The fighters were then announced, entering the arena with confidence, one man looking far more excited than the other. Like always, they were questioned for cheating, and begun the match. 

The two foes charged for the initial exchange, punching at each other's face… However, one of them was almost twice as fast, and his fists connected like a bullet train, sending the other flying to the other side and dislocating his Jaw. 

And, with the gaze of a predator, he did not allow his opponent any rest as he bolted to where he was to continue his onslaught of attacks. 

It was a complete massacre… He kept him into a close-quarters combination of attacks that barely left him any room to counter, and when he did attempt anything he would always counter their counter with even more devastation. It was to the point where his opponent gave up fighting back and shifted his complete attention on trying to tap out. 

Hikari could not help but stare wide-eyed at the utter destruction happening underneath. It was not even close and she would be lying if she said she expected anything else. She felt conflicted… On one hand, she wanted to cheer for that man but on the other, she wanted him to lose so Moby could have an easy victory. But, that did not seem to be an option and those two behemoths will face in the finals… The match concluded and as expected, the favourite was left standing with minor injuries while his opponent was coughing on the ground missing several teeth. 

The entire exchange was not as exciting to the crowd, but more brutal. Still, it was quite entertaining and exciting in the sense that they could imagine the final round and how exhilarating it will be when he and Joker fought. It was a true clash of the titans, one that would unquestionably split the crowd since the victor would not be so clear.

As the two fighters left the arena, one of them limping while the other was standing proud, they immediately announced the next match-up that made the room increase several decibels compared to the last round that left many people in silence thanking god they weren't the ones down there. It was a match with joker after all…

"On the right side! His win streak seems to have no end in sight! He is going for the victory and do the unthinkable! He is still by far the favourite to win this tournament! Please cheer on as we welcome! JOKER!" 

"LET'S GOOOOO!!"

"BEAT HIS ASS JOKER! SHOW NO MERCY!"

"And! On the other side, we have someone little but can sure pack a punch! His feet are quick, and he is light with his steps! Please welcome the underdog! Shadow!"

"Pffff! Shit! It's that guy again! I almost forgot! Did you see his last fight? Not only he's not that fast but he hits like a toddler!"

"That's because he also looks like a toddler so it makes sense!"

"This should be in the bag for Joker! This Shadow guy's last opponent was a complete amateur who only participated as his last chance to get out of debt! And even then he barely won! This match-up is a joke!"

"I'd be very surprised if the domination did not match last round's! This match should be even more of a clean sweep!"

Not-so-feint whispers circulated around the slightly drunk, laughing and mocking crowd as they stared at shadow like he was a clown.

He was a man that had the appearance of a child no taller than 5 feet. His mask was all black and matched perfectly with his jet-black hair. He heard every last insult being thrown at him from up above, but it did not let it bother him as he kept his back straight and head up high staring at his towering opponent despite his reputation. 

The announcer then asked the usual questions before they got into a position to brawl. 

Hikari on the stands could not help but be excited as well as she cheered on, getting another smiling look from Moby that turned into slight disappointment, probably when he noticed Regrit was not to her side and still in the washroom, which made her nervously chuckle.