Elsewhere, Ma Xidao moved with agility belying his massive frame, dodging one slash or thrust after another, then responding with powerful, heavy punches.
Few yakuza could withstand his blows with their heads. Every time a dull "bang" of fists clashing flesh echoed, someone would fall or even fly.
Jack, though he had herd his gun, was still wielding the Holy Sword of Physics, and the bloodshed of his fallen was too much. As the fight raged, most of the yakuza turned on the unarmed Ma Xidao.
"Puff!"
Ma Xidao's punches were powerful, but he hadn't mastered the Golden Bell Armor or Iron Cloth Armor. Facing so many sharp blades, he was still careless, losing his power. A bloody mark appeared on his left shoulder.
Hearing his muffled groan, Jack knew something was wrong and quickly moved closer to him, swinging the heavy crowbar up and down with a dexterity that seemed weightless.
The numbing buzzing sound echoed again, and the two yakuza in front of him retreated in fright, giving Jack room to maneuver.
The crowbar, seemingly swung with excessive force, flew behind him. As if with eyes behind him, Jack dodged Ma Xidao, who had just taken two steps back in pain, and swiped it sideways from behind.
Using the latter's massive body to block his view, the bent end of the crowbar appeared at an uncanny angle between the yakuza's pupils, severing his knife-wielding right arm.
"Ah!"
As soon as the first scream escaped, the half-retracted crowbar swung again, this time aiming for his left knee, where his center of gravity lay. The scream instantly rose several notches in pitch.
"Buzz~~~Bang!" Ma Xidao, who had just retreated, seized the opportunity to advance. His furious punch, with a cracking sound similar to the crowbar's, struck the yakuza squarely on the forehead, who ducked his head in pain.
A violent concussion instantly interrupted the rising tenor's performance, sending him into a sweet slumber, oblivious to the excruciating pain of his shattered arms and kneecaps.
With a double "clang, clang!", Jack's crowbar ripped through two wakizashi, freeing Ma Xidao. The man seized the opportunity to grab a yakuza by the neck, hoisting him in the air like a chicken, slamming him to the ground, and then delivering a knockout kick.
As the two engaged in this sparring match, they developed a certain rapport. Jack, vigilant, blocked every blow with his crowbar, occasionally delivering a limb-severing blow, while Ma Xidao delivered the finishing blow, unleashing a small kalami with each punch.
Nearly twenty yakuza faced the two men, but in just seven or eight minutes, amidst the teeth-grinding sound of flesh and bone clashing, they were all brought down. Few could even utter a groan, and a deathly silence descended upon the arena.
"Hey, you two are the only ones left." Jack spun the crowbar in his hand twice like the Monkey King's golden cudgel, then stopped abruptly and gently placed it on the bar. He raised his hand with a smile and pointed at Richie across from him and the white-haired man in the red suit who had remained silent.
Richie's cheek twitched, his eyes fixed on Jack. "Are you Zhou Xingzhe's men?"
Jack scoffed. "We're the police representing justice, ready to bring both of you to justice. We just happened to run into you first."
"Oshima." Richie patted the white-haired man in the red suit beside him.
"Hey!" The white-haired man, known as Oshima, glared at Ma Xidao fiercely. With a shake of his shoulders, he shed his red suit, then reached out and ripped off the floral shirt underneath, revealing a body covered in tattoos.
"Want to play a game of riding?" Jack leaned against the bar and gestured to Ma Xidao.
"Hmph!" Ma Xidao, who had remained silent throughout the fight, snorted, somewhat displeased with being pitted against a small-time fighter, and assumed a boxing stance.
Surprisingly, Oshima employed Sanda techniques, not karate, and adopted a boxing-style defensive stance.
Leveraging his height and reach, he launched two punches, both left and right. Ma Xidao dodged them with a cat-step, then delivered two powerful kicks, striking Oshima's left calf and thigh.
Taking advantage of the pain, Oshima unleashed two swift jabs, one missing. Ma Xidao's impatient right arm blocked the other, and he rammed his left fist into his ribs.
The blow, rushed and left-handed, lacked power, but Oshima, struck in the weak spot, instinctively straightened himself, only for Ma Xidao to follow up with a left fist, catching him squarely in the cheek.
Unsteady on his feet, Oshima stumbled to the side, overturning a pile of tables and chairs.
"Hey, keep going." Ma Xidao waved at him, and when he stood up again, he swung his right fist and struck out.
Although he was considered a small fry, compared to the Yakuza just now, this Oshima was still an elite monster. He had witnessed Ma Xidao's right fist knocking down one monster after another when the two of them were clearing out small monsters before, so how could he dare to take it head-on?
He bent his legs and raised his arms, leaning forward, and quickly closed in on Ma Xidao before he could swing his right fist with all his strength, blocking him in advance, locking his hands tightly around his right arm, then raising his left leg and delivering a very insidious knee kick.
Fortunately, Ma Xidao's left hand returned in time to defend, barely blocking the kick, and then pushed Oshima away with force. Oshima, who was pulled away, twisted his body and followed up with a high whip kick.
Ma Xidao quickly dodged the dangerous kick, breaking out in a cold sweat. Impatient, he stumbled forward again, feinting with his right fist before launching a left punch from under his armpit, striking Oshima squarely in the middle of his chest and abdomen.
This is where the diaphragm, the membrane between the chest and abdomen that helps the lungs breathe, sits. This immediately disrupted Oshima's stance, causing him to lose control and instinctively collapse into a limp position.
Ma Xidao launched a barrage of blows, a left hook completely shattering Oshima's stance. Two, then three, punches followed, all connecting to his cheek. Finally, a powerful right fist pierced Oshima's ear.
"Ashiba, I'm exhausted!"
With a deep breath, Ma Xidao adjusted his disheveled sweatshirt. Facing him, Oshima collapsed to the ground with a thud, blood pouring from his ears and nose, completely unconscious.
"Baka!" Richie's eyes gleamed fiercely, and he drew his katana with a clang.
"This is mine." Jack quickly picked up the crowbar again and stopped Ma Xidao from advancing.
Just kidding, he had brought his weapon specifically to target this guy with the katana, so how could he let someone steal the show?
Pulling out his sidearm and handing it to Ma Xidao, Jack turned and stood in front of Richie, swinging the crowbar halfway in a circle, making a buzzing sound as it broke through the air.
"Hey, Little Japanese, let me see your little toy."
(End of this chapter)