"And that concludes the introduction of all sixteen contestants for the Great Raitai Tournament!"
"A once-in-a-century, one-day knockout tournament! A once-in-a-century release of pressure! Now commencing!"
"Now, announcing the matchups!"
As the host's passionate commentary filled the air, eight monks, carrying four scrolls, walked from four directions to the front of the stage. They slowly unrolled the massive scrolls, displaying the matchups to everyone.
Only the names of Ryuu Kaio and Yujiro Hanma were written in ink on them.
"Eh, why are there only two names on the matchup list?"
"Our Ryuu Kaio and Yujiro Hanma and so on."
"We get to see the God of Fighting, Ryuu Kaio, fight again." The audience began to whisper from all directions upon seeing the fight list.
The host, seizing the moment, interrupted the audience's discussion: "To emphasize martial arts and fairness, only one group of contestants will be announced."
"Aside from these two contestants, all other contestants, please exit the stage."
"He really appeared…"
"He has never participated in a public tournament before." Baki stared at Yujiro, who stood in the center of the arena, unable to speak for a long time.
"Father." Fine beads of sweat appeared on Baki's forehead, but he still decided to go forward and speak to him.
"Hurry up and leave, you'll be disqualified." Yujiro showed a ferocious smile upon seeing Baki, then ignored him.
Seeing this, Baki could only leave the arena dejectedly.
Besides Baki, there was one other person staring at Yujiro. Allen stood at the entrance/exit of the arena, watching Yujiro Hanma in the center of the ring.
This man, known as the strongest creature on Earth, merely standing there made him feel his blood boil.
"Allen-kun, how long do you think Ryuu Kaio can last?" Kaiou Retsu asked in a low voice.
Having spent a longer time in Japan, he naturally knew the name of Yujiro Hanma. In his perception, only the current Allen could fight him.
Allen shook his head slightly: "Three moves. Yujiro Hanma is very powerful, only slightly weaker than I am."
Baki's pupils suddenly contracted upon hearing this. Allen had always given him the impression of being quite humble, yet now he was saying that his father was slightly weaker than him.
Had he become arrogant after four months of training? Allen, do you even know how terrifying that man in the ring truly is?
"Three moves… huh?" Kaiou Retsu, on the other hand, looked surprised after hearing Allen's assessment and began to worry about Ryuu Kaio.
"I hope Master isn't too badly hurt…" Kaiou Retsu murmured, his gaze refocusing on the center of the arena.
"To the two champions remaining in the arena, I have a question. We would like to test the strength of Mr. Yujiro Hanma. Could you please demonstrate it?"
After the host spoke, several monks stacked piles of tiles, eventually forming a tower of tiles.
"Tiles, building materials placed on roofs, are extremely hard. They were introduced to Japan from our country during the Sui Dynasty."
"From ancient times to the present, Japanese martial artists have measured their strength by the number of tiles they can break."
"It is said that truly powerful individuals can easily shatter ten tiles. Here, we have prepared forty tiles. We kindly ask Mr. Hanma to challenge this."
Yujiro Hanma slowly stepped forward, placed his hand on the tiles, and showed a ferocious smile: "Breaking tiles, I suppose this is my first time trying it."
"These dirt clods, like rice crackers, don't prove anything, no matter how many you break."
"Whoosh—!" Yujiro took a deep breath, the muscles in his right hand, which was on the tiles, bulged, and he exerted force with a sudden burst!
"Crack! Crack! Crack!…" The forty tiles were crushed instantly.
The entire arena was silent!
Yujiro Hanma shook off the debris from his hand, revealing his signature ferocious grin.
"This kind of childish trick is truly boring, isn't it, Ryuu Kaio." He turned to look at the serious-faced Ryuu Kaio.
"What do you think? What does this prove?" Yujiro raised an eyebrow, dismissive of such a meaningless test.
"Wooden boards, tiles, bricks, stones, bottles, ice, paper, fruit—using mute, unresisting objects as opponents, freely punching, striking, kicking, destroying. Is it because they don't fight back?"
Yujiro scanned the audience, his face full of disdain.
"Martial arts exist for the weak." Ryuu Kaio slowly took off his outer robe, revealing his muscular upper body. He rotated his neck, making a "crack, crack" sound.
"Objects that couldn't be destroyed in the past, one day suddenly can be broken. Gaining a sense of growth without harming anyone, and if you add the condition that you are still growing, can you still say it's meaningless?"
"Tch! Then let me teach you." Yujiro Hanma slowly walked towards Ryuu Kaio with his hands in his pockets, exuding such a powerful aura that even the space around him seemed to be distorted.
"The sense of growth you've accumulated over a hundred years is nothing but useless history."
Facing Yujiro's approach, Ryuu Kaio slowly adopted the unique starting stance of the White Dragon Temple. His eyes became sharp, his muscles tensed, like a fierce tiger poised to strike.
"Yujiro Hanma, allow me to experience your strength." Ryuu Kaio's voice was deep and powerful.
Yujiro grinned: "I hope you can entertain me."
No sooner had he spoken than Yujiro's right hand was out of his pocket, thrusting towards Ryuu Kaio with extreme speed.
"Pfft!" Yujiro's right hand, like a sharp sword, plunged into Ryuu Kaio's face.
The intense pain made Ryuu Kaio tremble all over, his limbs shaking uncontrollably.
"Don't move, it will become very troublesome." Yujiro whispered softly.
Ryuu Kaio's body froze in place, blood trickling down Yujiro's fingers.
"Snap!" He used his left hand to grasp Yujiro's wrist, trying to pry it open, but Yujiro didn't budge.
"Sigh, I told you not to struggle." Yujiro sighed, seeing Ryuu Kaio resist.
"Anyway, this old face of yours has been used for a hundred years. I'll get you a new one!" He suddenly pressed down with his right shoulder, intending to smash Ryuu Kaio to the ground and tear off his face, but a hand firmly stopped him.
Allen had appeared between the two at some unknown point, holding Yujiro's wrist with one hand, his eyes as calm as still water: "That's enough."
A hint of surprise flashed in Yujiro's eyes, followed by a sinister grin: "What's wrong? It's not your turn yet."
He violently pulled back his right hand, sending a spray of blood. Ryuu Kaio staggered backward and was quickly supported by Kaiou Retsu.
"Are you trying to ruin my reputation! Get out of the arena!" Ryuu Kaio forcefully broke free from Kaiou Retsu's hand, blood dripping down his torn cheek.
He trembled as he looked at Allen: "I thank you very much for coming to my rescue in time…"
"But this is my match with Yujiro. Please respect my dignity as a martial artist."
Allen was silent for a moment, then slowly took a step back: "My apologies, Master Liu."
The importance the older generation of martial artists placed on duels exceeded his imagination.
After Allen and Kaiou Retsu left the arena and returned to the passage.
Ryuu Kaio wiped the blood from his face and resumed his stance: "Yujiro Hanma, let's continue."
Yujiro grinned: "An interesting old man."
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