Roco was running with Marly.
"Damn... These shitheads are everywhere!" Roco muttered.
He hid behind a building and carefully looked around the market.
He spotted several disguised men carrying weapons hidden in their sleeves. He scanned the area and noticed a narrow path leading out of the market.
Slowly, he grabbed an old cloth from the ground and used it to cover himself.
"Marly, listen carefully. On my count, you have to run as fast as you possibly can along that narrow path. I'll cover you. Don't stop until you get out of this market. I'll join you as soon as I can," Roco said.
"What do you mean by covering me? Are you going to get hurt?" Marly asked.
"No, I'm not. Just do as I say, okay? If I don't reach you within a couple of minutes, hide somewhere. I'm pretty sure Fizz is searching for us. He'll find you in no time."
Roco took out his guns and looked at Marly.
"Are you ready to run for your life?"
"Hell yeah!" Marly replied.
He immediately started running.
"Wait... I haven't even counted yet!"
Roco sighed.
"Ahh... Fuck it!"
He rushed toward a disguised gangster and kicked him in the face.
"Hey! It's them! Catch them!" one of the men shouted.
Several gangsters rushed toward Roco.
He slipped between them, throwing kicks as he made his way toward Marly.
Suddenly, a man struck him on the head with an iron bar.
Roco fell to the ground.
"Ah... You bastard!"
He grabbed his guns and shot the man in the chest.
Another gangster charged toward him, screaming.
Roco shot him too and tried to get back on his feet.
His vision became blurry.
He felt dizzy, and his head throbbed with pain.
Somehow, he managed to stand up. He spotted Marly running in the distance and slowly began walking toward him.
But after taking just a few steps, his legs gave out.
He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
---
"Hey... Wake up!"
Roco heard a man's voice.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw Fizz standing over him, completely drenched in sweat.
"I can't find Kichu... Where's Marly?" Fizz asked.
"I told him to run. Where the fuck have you been all this time? Aren't you the fastest man alive?" Roco asked irritably.
"I got ambushed. This place is more fucked up than I expected."
Fizz looked around.
"Kichu is missing too. I have a feeling someone abducted him."
"That's nothing new..." Roco muttered.
He slowly got to his feet and picked up his gun.
"What I'm worried about is Marly. I don't know where he went. I was knocked out before I could find him."
Fizz looked at him.
"Let me find Marly. In the meantime, I want you to stay put..."
He paused.
"Nah... I can't risk us getting separated again. We're searching for Marly together."
Fizz grabbed Roco.
"Ah... I don't like this," Roco muttered.
Before he could say anything else, Fizz disappeared with him.
---
Meanwhile, at the arena...
"Hey, kid! You're up!"
A man knocked on the iron bars and called out to Kichu.
Kichu looked at him with a fierce expression.
The man unlocked the cell.
Kichu didn't think twice.
He lunged at the man and broke his neck.
"Come on. We're getting out of here," Kichu said to Zack.
But Zack remained seated, as though nothing had happened.
"What are you doing? Come on!"
"You don't understand, do you?" Zack replied calmly. "Just walk through that door. You'll understand."
Kichu looked at Zack in confusion before turning toward the door.
A bright light shone from behind it.
He slowly opened the door and stepped through.
The light blinded him.
Suddenly, he began hearing an announcement.
At first, it was faint, but the voice gradually grew louder.
"AND HERE WE HAVE A MAN... A NOBODY WHO WILL BE FACING OUR MIGHTIEST HEROES!"
The announcer's voice echoed throughout the arena.
"Will this be a fantastic debut or a disastrous one? Ladies and gentlemen, let me welcome our newest fighter... KICHU FROM EARTH!"
Kichu slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself standing in a massive arena surrounded by thousands of spectators. Huge screens were positioned all around the stadium, displaying the arena from different angles.
Kichu stared at the crowd in shock.
"Fuck... Am I in a football stadium?"
He looked around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
"NOW!" the announcer shouted. "To welcome our debut fighter, I present the mightiest warrior himself! The great, the fearless... The man people call the JAWBREAKER!"
The crowd erupted.
"LET ME WELCOME... THE SPLENDEROR!"
Fireworks illuminated the arena as the audience cheered.
A man slowly emerged from the opposite entrance.
He wore a mask and a cape, and he walked confidently toward the centre of the arena, waving at the audience.
Kichu watched him with an annoyed expression.
"It's not fair. I didn't get any of that welcoming treatment."
He began walking toward the man.
"Hey, kid!" The Splenderor laughed. "Just play along, and you won't get hurt too badly. You'll only have a few broken bones. Hahaha!"
"Oh, I don't care. You're not the one I'm interested in anyway," Kichu replied.
He reached behind his back to grab his sword.
Only to realise it wasn't there.
"Oh... I forgot."
"LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!" the announcer declared.
The Splenderor pulled out a knife and sprinted toward Kichu.
"Hey! Can anyone give me my sword?" Kichu shouted.
The Splenderor lunged at him, attempting to stab him.
Kichu dodged the attack and kicked him in the back.
The Splenderor stumbled forward and fell to the ground.
Kichu looked at him with disappointment.
"How can you attack an unarmed person? Don't you have any ethics?"
"Shut up!" the Splenderor screamed.
He got back up and repeatedly tried to stab Kichu.
Kichu dodged every attack before jumping over him.
"Ah, shit! It's hard to fight without my sword. Fuck, what am I? Can't I even defeat a weak-ass man with my bare hands?"
He clenched his fists.
"Guess I'm going old-school."
The Splenderor pulled out another knife and waved to the audience, encouraging them to cheer.
Kichu looked at him with disgust.
Then, in an instant, he rushed forward and punched the Splenderor directly in the stomach.
The Splenderor coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.
The entire audience fell silent.
Kichu stared at the fallen man.
"Oh, shit... I didn't mean to hit him that hard."
He crouched beside him.
"Hey, Mr Jawbreaker? Are you okay?"
There was no response.
Kichu sighed and stood up.
"I guess I win."
He turned toward the audience, expecting some cheers.
Instead, the crowd began booing him.
Kichu stared at them in disbelief.
He had been hoping for at least a little applause.
"What the fuck, guys?!"
He shook his head and walked out of the arena.
The announcer quickly regained his composure.
"Well, that certainly wasn't what we expected! But what a fantastic debut! The winner is... KICHU FROM EARTH!"
Kichu returned to his cell.
He sat down and looked at his bruised hands.
"I'm surprised to see you came back injured," Zack remarked.
"The opponent wasn't a threat," Kichu replied, lying down on the floor.
He stared at the ceiling for a moment.
"I wonder where the others are. I mean, Fizz only needs a few minutes to find me. Maybe he's not as fast as he brags about."
Kichu smiled to himself and closed his eyes.
---
Fizz and Roco were practically flying across the planet, searching for Marly.
They had searched everywhere, but there was no sign of him.
"Can you stop for a moment?" Roco asked.
Fizz stopped at a random location near a mountain.
Roco bent forward, panting heavily.
"This is useless. Shouldn't we try something else?"
Fizz clenched his fists.
"Kichu... You'd better be dead before I find you," he cursed.
He kicked a nearby stone in frustration.
The stone bounced along the ground before suddenly vanishing into thin air.
Fizz stopped.
He stared at the spot where the stone had disappeared.
Then he noticed a narrow path leading toward it.
Curious, he walked forward.
"What the...?"
He carefully stepped onto the ground.
Suddenly, the soil beneath his feet shifted, and a large opening appeared in the ground.
Fizz stepped back.
Roco approached him, and the two exchanged confused looks.
"What the fuck is this?" Roco asked, peering into the opening.
Fizz stared into the darkness below.
"There's only one way to find out."
Without another word, he jumped into the pit.
Roco stared after him.
"Ah... Shit."
He sighed and jumped in after him.
---
Kichu was facing another warrior in the arena.
He had already defeated two more fighters since his debut.
"The mighty rookie is now up against the fierce warrior known as CONTESS! How will he overcome this challenge?" the announcer shouted, hyping up the audience.
Contess stepped forward and looked at Kichu with a grin.
"Hey, kid! I heard you defeated three bastards already. You must be getting pretty full of yourself."
"Not really. I'm tired. I just want to finish this as quickly as possible and go back," Kichu replied, tightening his fists.
Contess laughed.
"Haha! You look pretty confident. Are you sure you don't want to use a weapon?"
"Oh... You have no idea how much I miss my sword right now," Kichu replied.
Contess pointed toward a small room at the far end of the arena.
"You can just pick up another one from that armory over there."
Kichu glanced toward the room.
"Thanks for the information. I'll grab one for my next battle."
Without warning, Kichu dashed toward Contess.
"Bring it on!" Contess shouted, charging at him.
Kichu tried to punch him in the face.
But Contess cleverly dodged the attack, moved behind Kichu, grabbed him from the back, and slammed him hard into the ground.
The impact echoed throughout the arena.
The audience erupted into cheers and applause.
Contess stood up and waved at the crowd, dancing to their excitement.
"Yeah! Make some noise!"
The announcer's voice boomed across the stadium.
"THERE IT IS! THE INFAMOUS CONTESS SLAM! NO ONE HAS EVER SURVIVED THAT ATTACK! CAN KICHU WITHSTAND IT?"
Contess looked down at Kichu with a smile.
"Sorry, boy... I tried not to hit you too hard."
Kichu lay motionless on the ground, his eyes closed.
"Haa... What should I do?" he muttered.
Slowly, he rolled onto his back.
The entire audience watched him.
Kichu gradually lifted his upper body and sat up.
"You are harsh," he said, wiping a drop of blood from his nose.
Contess's smile faded.
His face twisted in disbelief, and a shiver ran through his body.
"What...?"
The announcer was equally stunned.
"WHAT ARE WE WITNESSING?! KICHU SEEMS TO BE FINE! HE'S TAKEN ALMOST NO DAMAGE FROM THE CONTESS SLAM! NO ONE HAS EVER GOTTEN BACK UP AFTER THAT ATTACK!"
Contess stared at Kichu, a hint of fear creeping into his expression.
"Hey, kid... Are you for real?"
Kichu slowly stood up.
"That was a pretty strong attack. But you'll have to try a little harder if you want to defeat me."
He began walking toward Contess.
Contess stared at him for a moment before breaking into a grin.
"Haha! I love your attitude. Let's get serious now."
He raised his fists.
"I couldn't be happier," Kichu replied.
He lunged forward and threw a punch at Contess's face.
Contess dodged it and countered with a punch to Kichu's stomach.
Kichu took the hit.
But instead of falling back, he leapt into the air and unleashed a series of punches against Contess's back.
His movements were so fast that Contess barely had time to react.
Contess screamed in pain and attempted to kick Kichu away.
But Kichu quickly dodged the kick, flipped through the air, and struck Contess in the face with a powerful kick.
A sickening crack echoed through the arena.
Contess's jaw fractured, and blood poured from his mouth.
"Sorry, man," Kichu muttered.
He followed up with a kick to Contess's stomach.
Contess flew backward and crashed into the ground, losing consciousness.
The announcer could barely contain his disbelief.
"WOAH! I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES! A ROOKIE HAS JUST DEFEATED OUR FEARSOME WARRIOR, CONTESS!"
He paused dramatically.
"KICHU HAS DELIVERED THE FINAL BLOW AND SECURED HIS PLACE IN THE SEMIFINALS! BUT THE PATH AHEAD IS ONLY GOING TO GET HARDER!"
Kichu turned around and began walking toward the exit.
Suddenly, the announcer shouted again.
"WAIT! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
Kichu froze.
He slowly turned around.
Contess was standing.
His jaw was badly damaged, and blood continued pouring from his mouth. Yet he stood tall, raising his fists into the air.
"Is... not... over... yet..." he struggled to say.
Kichu stared at him.
"Oh, brother..." he muttered, his expression turning sad.
Contess tried to speak again.
"Figh...t... me..."
He carefully adjusted his broken jaw, then wrapped a cloth around it to hold it in place.
Kichu stood still for a moment.
Then he walked back toward Contess and raised his fists into a fighting stance.
"Out of respect, man to man... I'll fight you, brother."
He charged toward Contess.
Contess threw a punch at Kichu's stomach.
Kichu dodged it slightly and countered with a punch to the side of Contess's stomach.
Contess grinned and punched Kichu in the face.
Kichu returned the grin and unleashed a series of punches.
Contess dodged most of them and countered with punches of his own.
Soon, the two were exchanging blows at an incredible pace.
Neither seemed willing to back down.
The announcer stared at them in disbelief.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES! THEIR PUNCHES ARE TOO FAST TO TRACK! I CAN'T EVEN TELL WHO'S TAKING MORE HITS!"
Kichu began holding back his punches as he realised Contess was taking too much damage.
Some of Contess's punches landed, but they lacked the power they had at the beginning.
Still, Contess kept fighting.
The two continued exchanging blows until the battle became a test of endurance.
Kichu gritted his teeth.
"Sorry, brother... But I have to win this."
He stopped throwing punches, pulled his arm back, and delivered one final, powerful punch.
Contess looked at Kichu with a smile.
Then he fell to the ground.
The audience fell silent.
Kichu stood over him, breathing heavily.
"You were good, brother. You have my respect."
Contess slowly raised one arm.
"I'll... def...eat... you... one... day..." he shouted with all the strength he had left.
Kichu smiled.
"Looking forward to it."
He turned around and walked through the exit.
Contess's eyes slowly closed.
A faint image of a child flashed through his mind.
He smiled as he finally lost consciousness.
For a moment, everything went quiet.
Then the announcer's voice echoed throughout the arena.
"THE WINNER IS... KICHU!"
The audience erupted into cheers.
---
Kichu walked into the armory and began searching for a sword.
There were weapons of all shapes and sizes scattered around the room.
His attention was drawn to a narrow sword lying among the others.
He picked it up.
The blade was slim and almost weightless.
Kichu swung it through the air before pointing it toward the ground.
He stared at the weapon for a moment.
"You can't be him," he muttered to himself.
---
At the same time, Fizz and Roco lay unconscious on the ground.
Fizz slowly opened his eyes.
"Ahh... Man, I should've thought twice before jumping," he muttered as he struggled to his feet.
"Are we dead?" Roco asked.
He had already regained consciousness and was sitting nearby.
"No. Let's keep moving," Fizz replied, walking ahead.
Roco followed him.
"Don't even ask why I asked that, okay? You've gotten really rude, old man."
Fizz ignored him.
They continued walking until they reached a massive gate made of iron bars.
They peered through it and saw multiple rooms, each separated by iron bars that served as doors.
"Looks like a prison," Roco remarked, tapping one of the bars.
"We should go inside and look around," Fizz said.
Before Roco could respond, Fizz disappeared.
"Yeah, we should..." Roco muttered, looking at the empty space where Fizz had been standing.
A few seconds later, Fizz reappeared.
"No leads. There's no one nearby."
Roco looked around.
"Yeah? So what do we do now?"
Fizz turned toward him with a smile.
"There's only one thing left to do."
Roco returned the smile.
"Oh...?"
---
Meanwhile, somewhere near the arena...
"That kid is interesting, isn't he, my lord?"
A man stood beside a chair occupied by someone hidden entirely in darkness.
The shadows concealed his body, leaving only his eyes visible.
The mysterious man leaned back in his chair.
"Ahh... This won't do. I'll go next."
The man standing beside him immediately responded.
"No, my lord. You're supposed to fight in the finals."
"You know I have no patience, right? I'll fight him. Arrange it as the next match."
"But, my lord...!"
The man hesitated for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"No problem. I'll arrange it right away."
He turned and walked away.
The mysterious man remained seated for a moment before slowly looking down.
A sword lay beside him, its blade completely wrapped in white cloth. It was roughly half his size.
He stared at it.
"My hands are trembling..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You crave it too, don't you?"
The sword slowly began emitting a red glow.
The man's eyes sparkled red in response.
To be continued...