When Jhony falls, he is quickly removed from the arena. Everyone present is deeply impressed, including the narrator, who is left speechless. However, at that very same moment, Yasoke is already starting his warm-up. He had already finished eating his potato chips and drank a large amount of water, which he spat out right after just to hydrate his mouth.
Zulmy displays a different behavior. She adjusts her tights while drinking an iced tea, retouches her makeup, and combs her hair. Getting up from the chair where she was sitting, she cracks her neck and goes hopping excitedly toward the entrance door.
— What do you expect from this fight, Yuji? — Henrique asks.
— I think Yasoke wins, but it's going to be hard for the boy! — Yuji replies.
Rokko coughs. Henrique questions the man with a look, but only sighs.
Meanwhile, in the medical wing, Jhony is lying on the stretcher. Already recovered from the exhaustion of the previous fight, he stares at the broadcast screen, waiting for the names of the next fighters to be called. The doctor positioned next to the young redhead asks:
— Who do you think wins? —
— I believe in the boy with the ballet slippers — Jhony states. In his core, the redhead cheers: "Yasoke, just win against this woman so we can fight in the final."
— I disagree. I believe the chain girl is going to win. She has more control and more strength. From what I saw, this boy only knows how to take a beating! — the doctor counters.
— You've got a point! — Jhony admits.
Although he doesn't even try to defend his friend from the criticism, the redhead still maintains full conviction in Yasoke's victory.
— THE NEXT FIGHT OF THE SECOND PHASE OF THE THIRD STAGE OF THE LUTHERKING 700 TOURNAMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!!! — the announcer bellows.
The crowd immediately becomes wild, starting a massive shouting.
— COMING FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ARENA, ENTERING IS... —
Before the narrator can finish the introduction, the youth in slippers runs forward and executes a flip, landing in a heroic pose. He stands up right after and says:
— Hey, narrator, no need to introduce me, I want this fight to end quickly. — Yasoke flashes a teasing smile.
In contrast, the chain girl enters the space right after with extreme class and speaks coldly:
— As for me, no need to introduce me either, I'm going to end this fight in the blink of an eye! —
The master of ceremonies reacts, frustrated:
— You guys are going to break me here, right? I need to narrate, don't I? —
— Just start it already, you incompetent fool! — Zulmy orders sharply.
Zulmy and Yasoke glare fixedly at each other. If the audience looked closely, it would be possible to notice the illusion of lightning emanating from the clash between their eyes.
— I am the narrator, I am the one who decides when it starts! — the man retorts, trying to impose authority.
— I don't care, we both want the same thing — the girl fires back, impatient.
— That's not how it works, young lady. —
Losing all patience, Zulmy manipulates her chains with extreme speed and binds the narrator's body completely.
— What are you doing, you crazy woman?! — the man screams, terrified.
— Making you start this a faster way! —
Yasoke observes the scene with a serious expression, never taking his eyes off his opponent. The moment the young woman was preparing to hurl the announcer out of the bounds of the combat, Yasoke intercepts the movement, grabbing the chain and pulling the man close to him.
— The narrator said that's not how it works, let's wait! — Yasoke intervenes.
With tearing eyes, the narrator stares at Yasoke with a grateful and serious expression. Zulmy dissolves the metal structure, freeing the employee.
— Wait! — the announcer requests, leaving the arena in a hurry.
The severe tension between the fighters' gazes continues to hover in the environment. Positioned safely outside the battlefield, the narrator points upward and fires a blast of fire that explodes in the air, signaling the official start.
— Now then, let's begin. —
Yasoke smiles while facing Zulmy. The young woman initiates the offensive by invoking chains directly into her hands and hurling them toward her opponent. The youth in slippers dodges the projectile with ease.
— Look how nice, this guy knows how to dodge — the narrator comments in a low voice. Intimidated by Zulmy's temperament, he decides not to proceed with the detailed narration.
In the next instant, the number of metal ropes duplicates in the air. Yasoke manages to dodge again. Zulmy delivers a new attack with another chain; the youth evades, but the second line of metal duplicates its trajectory, demanding another quick maneuver from the boy.
"What a piece of shit cheat, let me move, damn it!" Yasoke protests in thought. "What an annoying pest, stop dodging!" the girl mentalizes, irritated.
Using her feet, Zulmy kicks a new chain toward her rival. Yasoke dodges, but the artifact also duplicates, forcing him to move once more.
In the stands, Henrique, Rokko, and Yuji watch the development of the confrontation with expressions of deep disgust and boredom.
— What a great fight, huh... — Henrique ironizes.
— But calm down, the fight is still going to get better, I believe so — Yuji ponders.
"Ah, go screw yourself!" Yasoke rages mentally while moving.
Zulmy ceases her offensive, dissolves the existing chains, rolls up the sleeves of her outfit, and glares at the youth in slippers, who is temporarily off-balance due to the exhaustive sequence of dodges.
— Look, I'm not going to keep throwing chains all the time, otherwise I'll get tired. So, in this case, I'm going into close combat — she announces.
The young woman covers her own arms with chains and reinforces them using pure macogo, adopting a running stance.
"Alright, alright, I dodged all that crap, and now we're going to fight for real. GLORY TO THE LORD!" Yasoke celebrates mentally and corrects his combat posture.
— Now let's finally fig... —
Before he can finish the sentence, Zulmy dashes forward at high speed. She hurls her chains directly at the boy, who manages to dodge the initial impact. However, the girl instantly reappears right in front of him and delivers a point-blank punch straight to Yasoke's face. The youth absorbs the impact, turning his face against the girl's fist.
— Good punch, but you need a lot more than that! — Yasoke provokes.
In a counter-attack, Yasoke strikes Zulmy's stomach with a firm punch and immediately follows up with a kick aimed at his opponent's head. However, the movement is intercepted by new chains that emerge to defend her, wrapping around and trapping the youth's foot in mid-air.
— Well, how interesting. You fell for it, little slipper man — Zulmy sneers.
"What a bitch, I fell right into it!" Yasoke rages internally.
Taking advantage of his pinned foot, Zulmy manipulates the chains to expand rapidly, covering and confining Yasoke's entire body.
— I guess I won, right? — the girl inquires arrogantly.
— You didn't win anything, I'm going to escape! — Yasoke counters.
The youth tries to break the bonds using nothing but raw physical strength... And achieves no success. He forces the structure a second time... And the chains remain intact. He tries one last time with full energy... And fails to break free.
— Seriously, are you trying to break free with just raw strength? You are stupid, kid — Zulmy mocks, watching the useless effort.
— With willpower I can do anything, even break free from these piece of shit chains! — Yasoke yells, tensing his muscles to the absolute limit.
Despite the exertion, the chains show no sign of yielding or wearing down. Faced with her opponent's blind persistence, Zulmy merely displays an intrigued and disdainful reaction:
"This guy is really stupid."