Following that devastating blow, Yasoke crashed to the ground, completely unconscious. Zulmy stood over him, an arrogant grin plastered across her face as she bragged internally:
"You were a great fighter, too bad you were no match for the great warrior ZULMY!!!!"
She began to skip and bound around the arena in a cheerful, girlish celebration. However, her victory dance was cut short when she noticed the youth pushing himself back up. He casually wiped his own face, his expression entirely blank and indifferent.
— Dammit! That blow actually hurt. WAIT! THERE'S BLOOD COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH! —
The youth suddenly descended into sheer panic, leaving Zulmy utterly bewildered.
"Did that hit land so hard I rebooted his brain?" she wondered, completely losing her patience. Unable to take it anymore, she barked:
— LOOK, YOU WRETCH! You're in a fight. I think my blow was so good I liquefied your brain! —
— What are you talking about, lady? I know I'm in a fight. I'm just shocked this hit made me bleed so much. And wait, something's missing! —
Yasoke took a deep breath, expanded his chest, and let out a roaring scream:
— THE NARRATOR! LET'S GET TO WORK!!! —
Zulmy stared at him, utterly lost, watching the boy scream at the empty air.
— If you don't narrate, I won't be able to fight properly. It feels like my hits have less impact! — the young man justified.
Up in the broadcasting booth, the narrator heard the plea and was so deeply moved that tears welled in his eyes. "Finally, someone understands the value of my work!" he realized. Wiping his face, the man proclaimed with absolute fervor:
— MY APOLOGIES TO THE AUDIENCE, AND SORRY TO EVERYONE, BUT FOR THE GREATER GOOD, I SHALL NARRATE THIS FINAL EXCHANGE OF BLOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWS!!! —
At that exact instant, colossal pillars of fire erupted all around the shattered arena. At the epicenter of the flames, Yasoke and Zulmy locked eyes once more.
— Now this feels like a fight. Ready to lose? — the youth provoked.
— You've been taking a beating the whole fight, what makes you think you'll win just because of the narrator! — Zulmy retorted.
— This is called imagination and a ton of willpower! —
Both assumed their combat stances. The moment the fiery pillars collapsed, they launched themselves at each other at blistering speeds.
— BOTH BEGIN WITH A BLISTERING CHARGE!!! — the narrator bellowed.
The towering columns of fire surged toward the sky, merging at the apex and exploding into the shape of a magnificent, burning phoenix. The crowd in the stands went completely feral.
— WHAT WOULD THIS EVENT BE WITHOUT THE NARRATOR! — the audience roared.
The entire stadium began chanting the narrator's name in unison. Up in the stands, Yuji got swept up in the hype and joined the roaring chorus. Down in the medical wing, Jhony watched the screen, deeply annoyed that he couldn't be out there in the crowd joining the chant.
— BOTH APPROACH, AND THE FIRST STRIKE COMES FROM... —
The boy in slippers threw a thunderous punch directly against Zulmy's guard.
— IT'S FROM YASOKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! — the narrator finished in pure ecstasy.
To punctuate the strike, the narrator triggered a command that caused the firebird in the sky to burst into a spectacular array of colored fireworks. Shimmering lights rained down upon the spectators, illuminating the entire stadium in a blinding, vibrant glow.
"Are you kidding me? All of this just for a punch to my guard?" Zulmy thought, irritated by the absurd theatricality. However, Yasoke responded almost instinctively to her internal complaint:
— It's these cheers that fuel me to keep going. As individualistic as I am, seeing the other person smile might just be a treat! —
With a fierce grin, the boy in slippers unleashed a relentless barrage of punches against Zulmy's defense, hammering away until her guard shattered completely.
"Damn it," she cursed internally.
Desperate, she conjured a wall of chains directly in front of her. But Yasoke anticipated the move; he flanked her instantly, slipping past her blind spot and landing a brutal, clean punch right to her face, forcing her back.
Realizing the sheer danger of the situation, the girl in the dress unleashed her giant chains to tap into her maximum reserves of energy. She began to swing them like whips, generating a relentless, apocalyptic storm of iron that rushed toward Yasoke. The young man analyzed the incoming onslaught in a split second:
"I have two options: I either dodge everything and reach her weak spot, or I endure every single chain strike and hit her weak spot!" He paused for a heartbeat before making his choice: "I tried the first one and it didn't work, so let's go with the second!"
Instead of weaving through the attacks, Yasoke charged head-on into the metal maelstrom. Zulmy was stunned by his sheer recklessness.
"Is this kid stupid? He knows that counter-attack only worked because of the giant chains!" She smiled, her confidence returning in full force. "If that's how he wants it! Then that's exactly how he's going to get it!"
— THEN COME AT ME, BOY! — she challenged at the top of her lungs.
She drastically escalated the volume and speed of the whipping chains. The narrator drove his microphone into a frenzy:
— THE YOUTH IN SLIPPERS CHARGES STRAIGHT INTO THE STORM OF CHAINS! THIS GUY IS STARK RAVING MAD! —
The exact same thought echoed through the minds of everyone in the stands: "This guy isn't right in the head!"
With pure madness driving him forward, Yasoke plunged into the silver vortex. Every single iron link that tore past him lacerated his flesh. His tank top and jeans were shredded to ribbons by the devastating impacts. His body bled profusely, screaming in agony under the severe punishment. Yet, through the bloody massacre, he kept running. Even with his muscles torn open and his skin flayed, a massive smile remained plastered across his face, and his eyes burned with an unyielding determination that pierced through the dark silver chaos.
Terrified by the horrific sight, Zulmy froze in place. Seizing the opening, Yasoke closed the gap instantly and buried a savage punch deep into her stomach. Zulmy's body doubled over completely around his fist, forcing her to violently spit out a mouthful of blood.
"What the hell is this? His punch hurt way more than last time!" she realized, utterly stunned.
The young woman scrambled backward to open up some distance. Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she glared at the completely battered youth. She took a sharp breath, knowing it was time to end it:
— You were an interesting warrior! But I have to finish this now! —
From her arm, a massive chain tipped with a heavy iron flail emerged. She began to spin the wrecking ball at blinding speeds, preparing to launch her definitive strike. Yasoke stood his ground, calmly staring down the whirling mass of iron.
"I have nothing to lose. This blow will definitely finish me. Now I have to prove myself. When she throws that chain, I'm going to..."
In that crucial microsecond, Zulmy released the weapon:
— HERE COMES MY FINAL ATTACK! —
The chain and its massive iron ball hurtled toward the youth with terrifying velocity.
— THE GIRL'S STRIKE FLIES AT EXTREME SPEED, IT'S ALL OVER FOR THE YOUTH! — the narrator yelled, anticipating the climax.
But instead of dodging, Yasoke sprinted directly toward the incoming projectile. Just as the iron ball was about to crush him, the youth leapt into the air, planting the tip of his foot perfectly onto the flying steel sphere. Riding the momentum of her own attack, he used it as a springboard, sliding masterfully down the length of the taut chain until he reached the girl, delivering a devastating kick that sent her launching through the air.
"BUT WHATTTTTTTTT?!" the girl managed to think as she was blasted backward by the impact.
The narrator went absolutely berserk over the speakers:
— WHAT WAS THAT! ARE YOU KIDDING ME, YASOKE! WHAT A FREAKING BEAUTIFUL MOVE! THE KID IS TALENTOSO, TOUGH, AND STRIKES LIKE NOBODY ELSE! —
As Zulmy soared helplessly through the air, multiple pillars of flame erupted across the stadium to escalate the hype. She managed to stabilize her body mid-flight, but the moment she looked up, Yasoke was already hovering directly above her, his fist cocked back.
— Now it's truly over. And with these fists, I declare this match finished! — the young man decreed.
Channeling the absolute maximum output of his pure macogo, he delivered a monumental punch straight to Zulmy's face. The sheer force slammed her into the earth, burying her face deep into the dirt beneath the ruins of the shattered arena.
— AND WITH A PHENOMENAL ATTACK, YASOKE FINISHES THE MATCH AND ADVANCES TO THE FINAL OF THE LUTHERKING 700-YEAR TOURNAMENT! — the narrator screamed, bringing the stadium down.
In the stands, utter pandemonium broke out. Yuji, completely ecstatic, threw his arms around a random stranger next to him. Henrique was left entirely speechless by what he had just witnessed, while Rokko cracked a rare, approving smile. Back in the medical room, Jhony cheered at the screen, bursting with pride for his friend's victory.