Asterion was still struggling to steady himself. Heavy breaths escaped from his nostrils, now dripping with blood.
But before he could regain his balance, Tiago was already charging again, refusing to give him even a second to recover.
In an instant, his body was right in front of Asterion's broad chest.
He leapt high, planting a foot against the centaur's torso as a step before launching a brutal kick toward his chin.
Thud!
Asterion's head snapped backward.
Tiago spun through the air in a backflip like a street dancer who had long since made peace with gravity itself.
Then he landed lightly on the marble floor with one knee bent. A pose that made the entire human crowd hold its breath.
But he was not finished.
While the centaur was still struggling to regain balance, Tiago jumped again.
His legs wrapped around Asterion's neck and locked tightly. In one swift motion, he performed a perfect backflip, using nothing but the strength of his legs to hurl the giant creature forward.
BRAKH!
Asterion's massive body slammed into the marble floor, cracking it apart with a thunderous impact. White dust exploded into the air.
The human spectators erupted into uncontrollable cheers.
"He can even pull off that move?! That's a wrestling technique!" shouted a WWE fighter with a face full of disbelief.
Blood trickled down Asterion's temple.
He shook his head violently, forcing his blurred vision back into focus after Tiago's relentless assault.
His hand wiped across his nose, now growing warm. Fresh blood stained his palm instantly.
"There's no time for games anymore."
Tiago smirked crookedly.
"Games? I thought... that was just the limit of your ability. Turns out you weren't even serious yet, huh?"
Then he shifted into another bizarre stance.
His feet stood parallel. His shoulders leaned slightly forward. His fists tightened hard. But his elbows were raised far too high for a true Muay Thai fighter.
"That looks like a Muay Thai stance, doesn't it? But why is it like that? Or... am I seeing things wrong?" muttered one Muay Thai fighter in the stands.
"I thought so too. But his fists are clenched too tightly, right?" another replied.
"Maybe... some kind of aggressive boxing stance. Or..."
Whispers spread through the human audience. But Tiago paid no attention. He leaned forward and charged once more.
Asterion, now fully serious, raised one of his front legs high, preparing to stomp down with the force of an enraged warhorse.
And that was his mistake.
Tiago rolled beneath him instead, slipping through the narrow gap between the centaur's legs before spinning his body sharply.
His right fist crashed into the left side of Asterion's equine ribs with a sickening impact.
Bugh!
"Looks like this stomach needs more training too!" Tiago shouted, following up with two more punches in rapid succession.
The centaur's body trembled. A groan escaped him. But Tiago did not stop.
He spun again and swept Asterion's hind legs out from under him with one swift motion.
The giant horse collapsed to one knee, the impact booming loudly as it smashed into the marble floor.
And now, in that position, their heights were nearly equal.
Tiago immediately hooked his arm around Asterion's neck and tightened the choke with full force.
"This move..." Tiago whispered into the centaur's ear, "...I call Muay Thai Judo."
A wave of astonished murmurs spread through the human stands. Tiago's improvisation was too chaotic, too unpredictable even for professional fighters to read.
The mythology faction was beginning to fall silent.
Because humanity's victory no longer seemed impossible.
Tiago.
A street fighter with no master and no formal technique was displaying something even races blessed with godlike power did not possess.
The ability to adapt completely.
Tiago tightened the choke harder, veins bulging along his arm. Cracking sounds echoed from Asterion's neck.
The centaur's breathing grew ragged. Both hands desperately clawed at Tiago, who clung to his back like a serpent. But the human refused to let go.
Asterion forced himself upright. With monstrous strength, the centaur lifted Tiago's body along with him.
Staggering, he slammed his back violently against the floor.
"Arghh!"
Tiago's body became the cushion beneath the horse-man's crushing weight.
His chest tightened painfully. The scorching marble burned against the skin beneath his tank top.
A giant shadow covered his face, forcing Tiago's eyes open at once.
There, Asterion's leg was raised high, ready to crush him beneath it.
But before the stomp could land on his chest, Tiago instinctively rolled backward. Using the momentum, he sprang upward and kicked Asterion square in the chest with both feet midair.
Bam!
The centaur staggered backward several steps, cracks spreading beneath his hooves.
"I'm not done yet!"
Tiago rushed low across the floor.
A right hook slammed into the ribs. An uppercut followed toward the jaw. Then a barrage of heel kicks hammered into Asterion's chest.
"What style is that?" muttered a karate master in the stands.
"That's not a style! That's... pure improvisation!" answered a street fighter. "He fights on instinct!"
Tiago unleashed the final kick with everything he had.
Asterion coughed blood from the relentless attacks to his chest. But Tiago still refused to stop.
In one fluid motion, he swept both of Asterion's front legs with a leg sweep, forcing the centaur to kneel again.
Asterion's body lurched forward. But Tiago gave him no chance to recover.
He moved to the centaur's side and instantly trapped Asterion's head beneath his arm.
Both legs lifted off the ground. Using gravity and the weight of his own body, Tiago slammed Asterion's head into the burning marble floor.
BRUKK!
"Arghhh!"
The human spectators leapt to their feet in roaring cheers.
"The lock worked!"
Tiago quickly rolled away to avoid being crushed beneath the horse-man's massive body. Then he stood several meters away at a safe distance.
His breathing came in ragged gasps. He wiped the blood dripping from his temple after the impact.
"That's what I call... Street Symphony."
He pointed toward Asterion, still sprawled on the ground.
"A mix of every fighting style from the people who once crushed me."
Libra, who had merely observed without expression until now, finally smiled faintly.
"Interesting," she said softly. "A fighting style truly unlike most creatures."
Asterion slowly rose to his feet. Blood streamed down the side of his face. His eyes burned red with fury.
Tiago clicked his tongue in annoyance. His brows furrowed as he shook his head hard.
"That horse-man is ridiculously tough," he complained tiredly.
"This game ends here, Human. Now, I will fin—"
But before he could finish his sentence, Tiago launched himself forward again.
He leapt, spinning rapidly through the air, his right leg slicing toward Asterion's jaw with full force.
BOOOOM!
The deafening impact echoed throughout the arena as the centaur was sent flying, crashing into the floor hard enough to shatter parts of it. Marble dust danced through the air.
Tiago stood tall within the cloud of debris.
His body swayed weakly, but he immediately steadied himself with one hand pressed firmly against the marble floor, as though refusing to kneel.
He lifted his chin slightly and said in a half-joking tone,
"And that technique... I call it Kungfu Samba."