Chapter 118: Kunai
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
Halfway through his attack, Cisco also changed his technique to the Butterfly Dash. The two warriors had demonstrated the technique with also textbook executions. The two combatants constantly switched their body weight, trying to avoid any direct impact. Patience and skills had taken the center stage while raw power seemed to have been rendered irrelevant by the skillful maneuvers.
Suddenly, Cisco was hit by an attack and stumbled back. Einherjar Wannabe took the opportunity and rushed in with a heavy punch. Cisco backhanded the attacker's fist, and his defense seemed of little use at first glance.
The impact sent sparks and a bright flash of light across the entire arena. Einherjar Wannabe stumbled back while Cisco also struggled for a few moments before he could regain his balance.
Wang Tong's sudden change from the Butterfly Dash to the Phantom Move had caught his opponent off guard and gave him a window for a direct aggression. However, up until then, Cisco had hidden his real weapon: the kunai concealed in his hand. A kunai was a powerful weapon that could pierce through flesh during close combat. It was lethal and was extremely difficult to defend against. Einherjar Wannabe stumbled back because he needed to get out of harm's way as soon as he saw the deadly glint of the kunai in Cisco's hand.
Silence fell in the crowded arena, and some in the audience widened their eyes in disbelief. Although this fight was not as flashy and over the top like the one against Solitary Snow, the audience could still register the deadly weight and intent of every single strike of the two combatants. This was as close to a real fight as one could get in the PA system. Although this kind of fights was exclusively reserved for the TPA players, IPA players were as invested in real life techniques as any TPA fighter, and they dreamed that one day they would be able to partake in a fight like this.
No one at Capth, including Stock, had thought that Einherjar Wannabe would be able to force their number 1 to use his secret weapon. Stock had hoped that Cisco would be able to get revenge for his defeat since his defeat was not only his personal loss, but it also brought shame to Capth.
Stock had thought that Cisco's victory would be easy, but after seeing that Cisco had been forced to deploy his secret weapon, he conceded that he had underestimated Einherjar Wannabe again.
Wang Tong saw the shimmering reflection from the thin but sharp edge half hidden in Cisco's palm. That was his secret weapon, the kunai. Many challengers at Capth had fallen before its lethal attack. However, Cisco had never dreamed that he would be forced to deploy his secret weapon against a no-account.
Wang Tong's dodge was a close call. If he had been half second late in his maneuvering, he would have been defeated. The kunai had also caught Wang Tong off guard as he had never expected Cisco to use such an unorthodox method that relied on elements of surprise rather than strength and skills.
Meanwhile, at Bernabeu, many students were also watching this fight, including Cao Yi and Apache. Apache didn't want to join the crowded video room, but thanks to Cao Yi's ceaseless request, he had to agree to join him. Such as many things in his life, Cao Yo hardly gave up before achieving his goal.
Although Apache initially didn't want to watch the fight, after only a few minutes, he was more engrossed in the fight than anyone else. He had heard of Cisco, but unfortunately, he had never had a chance to fight him, even during the tournament between Capth and Bernabeu since Apache had been deemed too weak to be pitted against the Number 1 at Capth.
Apache had figured that Cisco was more than just capable of mixing a few standard footwork techniques. He knew that those combinations were more flashy than they were useful when against a good fighter who was worth his salt.
When Cisco attacked again, he started with the Inch Step and followed with the elusive Butterfly Dash, and then, he unleashed his final blow without any unnecessary, gaudy moves. His power replied only on speed, strength, and skills. His strike was true as the audience watched Einherjar Wannabe retreating under the aggressive attacks. However, Cisco's real strength didn't stop at the perfect executions of conventional techniques, as it was revealed by the deadly kunai hidden in his hand.
The kunai combined with a solid foundation of martial arts had made Cisco's attack unbreakable. The slightest physical contact with the kunai would result in fatal injuries, likely at the wrist.
Therefore, evading the attack completely was the only option for Einherjar Wannabe, but he still sustained a few injuries. Some might argue that the situation would be less dire should Einherjar Wannabe had equipped himself with a weapon, but the truth was that any weapon would do little to no good when he was pitted against the unblockable lethal attacks.
Using weapons or not, the only option for Wang Tong was to retreat further and further.
At that moment, Cisco had gained the full control of the fight and revealed his full strength as the number 1 at Capth. He had sworn to win the fight under the banner of Capth, and therefore, he would stick to his words and defend his honor with all he got.
Cisco was fully engrossed in the fight, no other thoughts except for defeating his opponent could enter his mind.
The well-planned body coordination and solid executions, combined with the belligerence of the attacks screamed his "Made in Capth" quality.
Cisco fought with both strength and cunning, and he was able of blending the two elements seamlessly, which stunned the students at Bernabeu, especially Cao Yi and Apache, two of the strongest fighters. The two marveled at Cisco's ability to mix and match entirely different fighting techniques together to achieve astonishing effects.
Perhaps Apache might be able to counter Cisco's attacks with his speed for a while, but he figured that he would not last too long. Cao Yi also calculated his odds against Cisco, but he felt hard pressed to come up with a solution to counter Cisco's fighting strategy.
The powerful punch combined with the sly Butterfly Dash had formed a deadly concoction of death, and it seemed like it did not have an antidote.
Einherjar Wannabe had been forced into a corner. It was just a matter of time for this to happen. All things considered, Einherjar Wannabe had fared pretty well thanks to his precise footwork; otherwise, he would have been defeated not long after Cisco started using the kunai.
Einherjar Wannabe finally had nowhere to go. On the big screen, people saw that Cisco's soul readings jumped to 160. With this much sol reading, he could easily dominate the PA landscape in his age group.
Cisco punched again, everyone knew that inside of the tightly clenched fist could be the deadly kunai, yet no one knew for sure. Unfortunately for Wang Tong, any misjudgment would result in instant defeat.
And then the most amazing thing had happened in the arena, the killing strike intended at the trapped fish had missed its target.
Einherjar Wannabe, the trapped fish, simply vanished.
People heard a roar, and then they saw the Fist of the Racing Tiger.
Even after being caught off guard, Cisco reacted swiftly, and he thrust the kunai at his opponent. However, it was stopped midway.
Einherjar Wannabe grabbed and stopped the sharp blade while it was hurtling toward him. It was a risky move since he had only one tenth of a second to attack before the blade would shred his fingers to pieces, and he struck with the Fist of the Racing Tiger just in time.
Wang Tong's fist carried a terrifying roar with it. The louder the roar, the deadlier the power! It was as if an ultimatum to whoever was on its way to either move away or perish.