The arena roared to life as Announcer 1's voice boomed through the Yokohan Arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to one of the many battlegrounds hosting the first-round fights of the AOTG! (Association of the Gods)"
Cheers erupted from the crowd of 4,000, their noise echoing across the globe where similar battles unfolded.
King's latest message had laid out the AOTG rules:
The 1000 fighters were matched randomly for the first round, clashing in arenas worldwide. Five hundred would emerge victorious, five hundred defeated.
From there, King would match winners against winners, and losers against losers.
After each fighter had competed three times, he would establish belts, rankings, and tournaments. More information would be given on this shortly.
Announcer 2's voice cut through the noise. "You know the rules, folks! No time limits. Fights end when one warrior can't continue or surrenders. Rules are scarce. Fighters enter with no weapons, no heavily padded clothing, just their bodies and their will to fight."
Announcer 3 roared, "Are we ready for our first fighters?"
The crowd's cheers roared, deafening, as if they weren't about to witness pure brutality.
Backstage, I stood with Haruki and Asuna.
Other fighters waited in separate rooms, isolated to prevent early clashes, as we might face each other later in the tournament.
Haruki's small hand clapped my shoulder. I wore only white boxing shorts and hand wraps, my movements would be free and unhindered.
He'd told me about my opponent.
Vagat Ananada, a Muay Thai fighter from Thaihara, where the art of eight limbs was born. Once a rising amateur with an 4-0 record, he'd abandoned his career when Muay Thai's popularity faltered in Jepon, turning to student life.
A Thaiharian real estate company had scouted him for the Association, despite having other professional Muay Thai fighters to choose from. It made me wonder...
Why Vagat?
"You know anything about Muay Thai, boy?" Haruki asked, a hopeful glint in his eye.
I rolled my neck, cracking it. "Yeah, but I always ended those fights before they could show me much."
Haruki laughed, a sharp bark. "Good. Do the same here."
Asuna shifted beside me, silent all morning.
Her quiet unnerved me. Did she doubt me that much?
Maybe she and Haruki had argued over his choice in picking me. A young street brawler over trained fighters.
Our eyes met briefly. She looked away, her cheeks red.
I opened my mouth to speak, but my name blared through the arena, calling me to enter.
Haruki slapped my back, harder than a man his size had any right to. "Go get 'em."
...
Announcer 1's voice thundered.
"Entering the arena, a student from Jenton City, known for his ruthless violence against delinquents, now testing his mettle on the world stage! Standing 178 cm, weighing 78 kg, with a record of 0-0, representing Wind and Hope Therapy Corporation: RED TAKAHEN!"
The warm sand burned beneath my bare feet, heated by the sun blazing above. The crowd's roar hit me, 4,000 voices all cheering at once.
I couldn't process their faces. It was all just a sea of noise and anticipation.
I felt like a gladiator, a warrior in a coliseum, standing on the edge of the greatest moment of my life.
Striding to the centre of the arena, I thrust a wrapped fist skyward, and the crowd's cheers grew louder.
Whispers rippled through the stands.
"He's just a student… how's he gonna face the world's best martial artists?"
"Haven't you heard? They say he's fought over a hundred times, every one ending in knockouts or broken bones."
"Shit, but no martial arts training? The kid's fucked."
Announcer 2 took over. "Next, a Muay Thai prodigy from Thaihara! With an amateur record of 4-0 and an Association of the Gods record of 0-0, standing 181 cm, weighing 71 kg: VAGAT ANANADA!"
The crowd roared just as fiercely for my opponent.
Vagat stepped into the arena, and I sized him up instantly. Taller, with tanned skin and long, dark hair tied in a tight ponytail. His legs were lean but packed with muscle from his short career spent practising Muay Thai.
White wraps bound his knuckles and feet, and his calm, serious expression locked onto me as he approached the centre.
My red eyes met his dark ones, unflinching. This was my enemy, but I'd faced plenty before.
"Is it true?" Vagat asked, his voice confident. "You have no martial arts training?"
I grinned, baring my teeth. "None at all."
I settled into an orthodox stance, fists guarding my chin, my body loose but ready, a position carved into muscle memory from countless brawls and imitation.
Vagat mirrored me, his Muay Thai stance perfect. Chest was high, guard tight, front leg tapping the sand rhythmically, knees bent, poised to strike at any moment.
"Unfortunate," he muttered.
Announcer 3's voice exploded. "LET THE FIRST FIGHT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF THE GODS BEGIN!"
In a heartbeat, I abandoned my boxer's stance, dropping low.
Vagat's eyes widened for a split second, as if I'd vanished from his sight.
He glanced down, spotting me lunging for his legs with profound agility, arms outstretched like a wrestler aiming for a takedown.
Vagat reacted fast, sidestepping with a burst of speed from his back leg. My hands grasped air, but I used the momentum to spring back to my feet, snapping into my stance once again.
I hated grappling, but there was no chance I was about to strike against a muay thai fighter... not if he was truly a prodigy.
The crowd roared, shocked by the sudden burst of movement.
He's untrained, so how's he so fast? Vagat thought, his calm facade flickering.
A grin spread across my face as I advanced, my stance low, arms spread like a grappler.
"Thought I couldn't handle a striker just 'cause I never trained?" I taunted. "143 fights isn't something to laugh at."
We circled each other, sand shifting underfoot, the arena's heat pressing against us. Vagat had planned to end this quickly, but he'd misjudged me.
Just because I hadn't been official trained, didn't mean that I knew nothing about fighting styles.
I had fought hundreds of fights, forcing me to figure what learns best for different styles. And lucky for me, I had a lot of experiences testing them out.
I dove again, head low, arms wide, aiming for his legs. The distance was too great, though, and Vagat smirked, sensing an opening.
Same move twice? Cocky. He thought.
His front leg lashed out in a teep, a Muay Thai push kick, slicing through the air like a spear aimed at my face.
But it hit nothing.
I'd ducked under the kick until i was practically chest to ground, my body a blur of speed. In one fluid motion, I hooked my arms around his grounded ankle, yanking him off balance.
It felt like chaining a wild animal.
Vagat's body crashed to the sand with a heavy thud, the impact kicking up a cloud of dust.
The crowd screamed, but neither of us could pay attention to them.
Vagat's mind raced, confusion clouding his focus.
What the hell just happened?
He looked down to see his ankle trapped in my grip, my hands locked together like I was trying to snap a steel rod. His leg kicked, but my hold was tighter than ever.
Pressure built in his ankle. Not gradual, but fast and sharp.
Panic flickered in his eyes. "W-wait… wait. Father! Stop the fight—"
Father?
Ah, so that's why he we was chosen for AOTG. He's the child of his investor.
I increased the pressure of my hold.
This guys no prodigy. He's a fraud.
CRACK!
The sound cut through the arena like a gunshot.
Vagat's ankle twisted at a grotesque angle, bone and ligament giving way under my grip.
For a moment, he stared in disbelief. Then the pain hit, and his scream tore through the crowd, filled with agony.
Just like that, his ankle had been shattered.