Chapter 67: Punching Hard

Chapter 67: Punching Hard

Jack smashed a Meteor Punch into the sharkens face, shocking the entire arena.

This was completely different than when he used flip-flops. The shape of a true meteor appeared around his fist, and a purple starry tail followed after it.

And it was fast. Too fast.

Shard Presht barely had time to raise his blades and block. The meteor smashed into him and sent him flying back at great speed. He used the Dao of Momentum to stop himself mid-air, but Jack had followed, and a towering fist smashed into his face in the next moment.

Shard Presht flew back again, and this time, he didnt stop until he crashed into the far wall.

Jack cracked his knuckles again as he watched Presht stand. Well? he asked. Is that all? I thought you were a tough fish.

Ill show you what I am, Presht replied, shimmering with anger. His flat was slightly dented by Jacks fist.

Be my guest.

The sharken adopted a sprinting position, then charged. Jack wouldnt make the same mistake twice; he adopted a battle stance long before his opponent was supposed to arrive, and it was a good thing, because Presht never stopped accelerating.

He reached his maximum speed almost instantly and then kept going, accelerating faster but still at a tremendous rate. He reached Jack far sooner than anticipated, and at a speed that resembled an arrows.

The audience was reeling. Jack punched out, and his knuckles met the blade head-on. Both fighters flew back.

Jacks body was beyond sturdy by now. He had 105 Constitution and the Pugilist Body skill, which augmented the hardness of his entire body and especially his knuckles. He also had the body-hardening technique brought forth by the third tier of Pugilist Body, the one hed reached in his spar against Dorman, which allowed him to harden his knuckles even further.

All that still wasnt enough to completely block a sharp blade coming at high speed. A millimeter-deep gash was drawn on his knuckles, dripping with blood. It also limited the nimbleness of his fingers, but he didnt need those.

Blocking those blades was dangerous, but the problem was that Shard Presht was fucking fast. If Jack couldnt block and had to dodge all the time, achieving victory would be ten times harder.

But worth a shot. It wasnt like he had a choice.

Shard Presht brought his bloodied blade in front of his face. He took a deep sniff of Jacks blood, then licked it. His smile returned and widened.

Tasty, he said.

Some of the audience cheered, but most stayed quiet. The Ice Peak cheered especially intensely.

Jack snorted. If you like my knuckles, shark, theres no need for blades. I will deliver them directly to your mouth. Just watch.

He jumped back into the fray. At the same time, his fighters mind churned fully.

Against an opponent like Shard Presht, who could manipulate the momentum of his weapons at will, Jack should avoid extended clashes, as the Dao of Momentum would be too strong there. He needed rapid bursts of violence where he struck his hardest and hoped to outmaneuver Presht.

Presht took Jacks charge, blades held steady and ready to jump at any angle at full speed. Jack arrived, threw some quick jabs, then stepped back, narrowly avoiding a strike. Presht chased, and he was faster, but Jack could defend while retreating.

He dodged the blades or slapped them away. He struck out himself, forcing Presht to defend. Soon, their clashes turned into flashes of motion on the sand, where both fighters zoomed around the arena at great speed and met for only one or two exchanges before separating again.

Jack chased after Shard Presht, not giving him time to rest. The sharken could attack, yes, but he didnt dare to because the price was high. Jack could just block, and as his strength was higher, he would win every exchange!

Presht stepped back, and Jack was there. One fist smashed at his abdomen and was blocked by a blade. Presht flew sideways from the impact, then channeled that into his blade, spinning at great speed and trying to lop Jacks head off. Jack had seen that coming and leaned back, dodging at an impossible angle.

He then used both hands to directly grab Preshts blades, enduring the pain to push them both aside. For a moment, Presht was wide open. His slit-eyes widened again as they met Jacks predatory gaze.

I re he started saying. Before he could finish his words, the world turned monochrome. Everything became black and white, and only a single purple meteor shone in Preshts vision, taking it over completely. He quit speaking and tried to dodge, but it was too late.

A full-force meteor smashed hard into his mouth. All color returned in one, massive explosion, a blinding flash, and an ear-rupturing bang. Dozens of sharp teeth flew away half-broken as Presht himself was catapulted backward with tremendous force, smashing into the wall like an arrow.

He tried to stand; therefore, the battle wasnt over, and Jack rushed in again. He didnt intend to kill a scionthat might have invited more trouble than he could bearbut he sure could roughen him up a bit.

Enough!

A massive aura crashed onto Jack from the sky. He screeched to a halt, then looked up to find the head judge flying over him.

What is the meaning of this? he asked. Though the aura was heavy, it was something he could handle. After all, this judge was only a merchant Class, as was every alien here, with the exception of the C-Grade Planetary Overseer.

Stop immediately, the judge said. Your opponent has resigned.

He has not!

Jack felt the blood rush to his head. Shard Presht clearly had not resigned. And he knew this because he had seen many people try to resign in the tournament but get hit before they could finish their words. They had to clearly say the words I resign! The judges had never intervened before.

Now, they did. Now that a scion was on the line. A scion who could just say it now if he really wanted to resign. After getting meteored in the face, hed had the time to say it ten times before the judge intervened!

Fucking cheaters. Jack was boiling. A purple glow flashed on his fists, coming and going like a wave. He itched to plant it into the judges righteous-looking face but held himself back.

He clenched his fist harder. Will indomitable. The purple color was extinguished. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he reopened them, Presht was staring with a bitter gaze, and the judge acted as if nothing was happening.

John Brown wins, she declared. However, for breaking the rules of the tournament and attacking a resigned opponent, he receives one loss in his record.

Jack glared at her. They hadnt done this when Rufus Emberheart openly murdered that girl, and they didnt mind all the previous occasions when someone tried to resign but couldnt.

Fucking cheaters, he replied inwardly but didnt speak his thoughts.

Hey! A guy with strong lungs shouted from the audience. This is unfair.

Several agreeing voices rose to meet his.

It is my ruling, and it is final, the judge replied, cutting them off. She clearly didnt give a shit about their opinions. She then continued, That was the final match for today. The sixteen finalists have been determined. All finalists please gather in the arena and await her Nobility.

Even through his anger, Jack frowned. He hadnt heard anything about a closing ceremony for the first stage. Nobody had.