The medical team stormed onto the platform with urgency, their white coats and armbands cutting starkly against the blood-stained arena floor.
They worked quickly but carefully, easing Ichigo's limp, battered body onto a stretcher. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, each movement strained.
The prolonged punishment, the fractured arm, and the countless strikes endured had finally forced his body into collapse. The crowd, still intoxicated by the brutality of the match, could not see the toll behind his closed eyelids, the silent cost of pushing beyond one's limits.
A roar of applause erupted, shaking the stands as the stretcher was lifted. The audience had gotten exactly what they came for a strong match.
"This was the best fight yet!" one man shouted, voice cracking with exhilaration. His hands clapped so hard they reddened. "Both fighters gave everything they had! Ichigo's a real warrior, I'll bet he'll be back even stronger next time!"
