At that moment, Jhony and Yasoke reunited and sat on a bench, where they remained while being healed. Yasoke asked: — Hey, man, you got lucky, huh! Jhony replied: — Not at all, it was all calculated; luck is for amateurs! Yasoke looked at him with a mocking smile: — I have my doubts about that. And Jhony countered: — I'm serious, man!
The two began to laugh loudly, and everyone started to notice them; so, they fell silent, still with smiles on their faces, observing the other fighters. Henrique was sitting nearby, reading a book about the secrets of foreign policy; Yasoke saw the scene and looked at Jhony with a sign of disapproval, finding what Henrique was doing to pass the time tedious. Then, Yasoke looked at Zulmy, who was combing her hair—after all, she was still a lady. Yasoke watched with an expression of disgust and made a gesture of disapproval with both hands. Finally, he looked at Araújo, who was performing push-ups using only one finger; Yasoke gave a look of approval and gave a "thumbs up" to Jhony, who ignored him and began to sleep.
Yuji, from the stands, was watching everything; he had finished his popcorn and was out of food. — Mr. Rokko, could you bring me some nachos, please? — Yuji pressed his hands together and bowed his head to Rokko while pleading for snacks. Rokko simply remained serious and vanished, with darkness taking over the entire stadium; he reappeared, dissipating the shadows: — Here is your box of nachos.
Yuji flashed a super happy smile: — Thank you so much, uncle! I'll see how I can make it up to you! Yuji began to eat, and Rokko's reaction didn't change. Then, the guardian began to speak: — You trained Yasoke, didn't you? Yuji nodded while still eating. — Do you think he has any chance of winning this tournament? Yuji stopped eating and looked thoughtful, responding: — I believe so; the level of the competitors is good for him to prepare for future missions!
Rokko grew suspicious upon hearing the word "missions." — Are you going to use the boy to do your work? Yuji said, laughing: — Maybe... in a way, yes, but first I'll have to see the difficulty level of the mission. Rokko looked at Yuji with contempt but returned to a neutral reaction upon remembering Yuji's personality. Rokko continued: — So, in your opinion, who is the best opponent for him to face first? Yuji answered directly, without needing to think: — In this case, the best ones would be the names the announcer was too lazy to mention; they showed nothing in the tournament other than a gift for avoiding fights. But, if he faces any of those the announcer actually named, Yasoke will be in serious trouble!
The announcer began writing the main match-ups on a board. Eight people had qualified, so the decision would be based on luck. The announcer rolled a die, and the first names were chosen: — THE FIRST FIGHT OF LUTHERKING'S 700-YEAR TOURNAMENT WILL BE ARAÚJO COSTA VERSUS SIMON CASTRO!
The crowd began to roar, while Jhony and Yasoke trembled all over, not expecting the opponent; they were anxious because they didn't want to face each other. Yuji watched, also distressed, and began eating the nachos rapidly. Then, the announcer rolled the dice, and the second fight was decided: — THE SECOND FIGHT WILL BE BETWEEN JHONY AND RONALD BRIAR!
Jhony let out a sigh of relief and touched Yasoke's shoulder, wishing him good luck. Yuji, in the audience, celebrated the fact that Jhony would not fight Yasoke. The announcer defined Block 1. At that moment, four fighters remained; Yasoke hoped to face one of the "randoms." His hands began to sweat, and his breathing became heavy. Yuji watched the scene even more anxiously, eating faster; even Rokko noticed Yuji's restlessness. The announcer rolled the dice: — THE THIRD FIGHT WILL BE BETWEEN ALONSO DIAS AND ZULMY ZEGRI!
Hearing this, Yasoke nearly fainted, and Yuji had the same reaction. Jhony placed his hand on his friend's shoulder: — Good luck, man; you're going to fight the "nerd." Yasoke stared at Henrique Loss, who adjusted his glasses as if he had a plan. Then, the announcer shouted: — AND THE LAST FIGHT OF BLOCK 2: HENRIQUE LOSS VERSUS YASOKE! TRULY, THE MATCH OF THIS FIRST ROUND!!
The crowd went wild; Yuji almost fainted, and Yasoke stood paralyzed. In that instant, everyone headed to their accommodations—there were eight cabins. Yasoke went to his, despondent, and waited on a concrete bench for his fight to arrive. Jhony, since his fight was the second, remained warming up.
— NOW, LET THE SINGLE-ELIMINATION ROUND OF LUTHERKING'S 700-YEAR TOURNAMENT BEGIN!!! The crowd screamed in ecstasy, and Yuji simply prayed for Yasoke. — FIGHTERS, POSITION YOURSELVES IN THE CENTER OF THE ARENA!
Araújo arrived with a triple tuck somersault and landed on his feet with extreme elegance in the middle of the arena, while his opponent walked normally. — Now, the rules are as follows: no bladed weapons or firearms are allowed; it is also forbidden to kill the other competitor. Other than that, everything goes!
At the announcer's signal, the two fighters shook hands. The announcer declared: — THE FIGHT WILL BEGIN THE MOMENT I FIRE INTO THE AIR! The announcer pulled a revolver from his waist and pointed it upward; he ran out of the arena and prepared to fire. The entire crowd went silent, not making a single sound. The announcer looked up, looked back at the arena, and fired the gun: the fight began.
Simon ran toward Araújo, intending to deliver a right punch, but he "telegraphed" the movement too much, making it very easy to dodge. As Simon went to strike, the man in the bandana lunged forward, and before the opponent could land a hit, Araújo delivered an elbow to the middle of Simon's face, leaving him bleeding with several broken teeth. Araújo didn't stop; he delivered a double-ear slap to Simon, bursting his eardrums and causing him to lose consciousness. The man in the red bandana continued, striking Simon's ribs until they were completely shattered. To finish, Araújo landed a kick to the center of the chest, breaking Simon's ribcage and knocking him out as he spat blood.
The crowd stood in shock at Araújo's strength and brutality. The announcer went to check the situation: — Calm down, announcer; he's alive, just with a few broken bones! — Araújo flashed a casual smile as he left the arena. The announcer checked Simon's pulse and concluded that he remained alive. — THE WINNER OF THE FIRST FIGHT, IN BRUTAL FASHION, IS ARAÚJO COSTA!!
The crowd was still in shock from the combat; the announcer quickly took Simon to the medical team. As Araújo descended the arena stairs, he met Jhony, who was ready to fight. Then, the man in the bandana said: — You saw what happened to him? You're next! — he said this with a gentle smile and walked toward his cabin, while Jhony stood completely desperate at such a message and such a feat.