A Fight Between Equals

Time flew by as if it was a kite blowing away in the wind. The battle kept going with no winner having been decided. By now, both of the two competitors were exhausted. This was shown by their continuous panting.

Droplets of sweat fell down Shota's forehead as he swung his Chokuto.

Clang! Their blades clashed, sending waves of purple and light blue auras around them—it was on a much weaker scale than before.

Their arms were numb from the continuous clashing. Holding their swords was beginning to become more challenging as they fought.

Ryu kicked towards Shota's right abdomen.

Bam! Before Ruiz's kick hit, he was sent flying back several meters from a kick to the stomach. He coughed out a mouthful of blood as his skin turned paler.

The spectators exclaimed in astonishment as they watched the battle between Shota and Ryu. It wasn't in any way intense, but what drew their attention was the endurance they had along with the willpower. Their breaths rushed as all of them felt the same thought fill them: 'Amazing.'

This battle wasn't a battle where one opponent dominated another or vice-versa. It was two equals competing with their elements and skills, fighting with only willpower to win and endurance to stay in the fight. It was a rare example of a battle that many had never seen before.

This sparked their fighting spirit, but they made sure to keep their reasoning in check, lest they rush into the ring and fight. They might've wanted to fight, but that was suppressed by the desire to not be imprisoned.

Bam! Shota was sent flying as he felt a burning pain in his arm, which he used to block the kick.

They had lost their strength to the point where holding their sword felt as if they were holding a mountain in their hand. Now, they were fighting with their bodies and their spiritual energy that was running dry.

After he regained his balance, he charged at Ryu, fist cocked back, and threw his punch.

Bam! Ryu slid back as he was forced to his knees. He struggled to stand up, which Shota used to send a kick hurling towards his stomach.

Whoosh!

The kick had hit the air, as Ryu flew up in the air. He had been a hair's breath away from where the kick hit. When the kick was about to hit him, he willed himself to move at the last second, allowing him to avoid the attack by such a small margin.

Flipping in the air, he extended his right leg as he began his descent downward. He was falling into a falling axe kick.

With no time to dodge, Shora raised his arms to protect himself.

Bam! Shota's body sank down visibly as the floor cracked beneath him! He struggled to stay standing, so he willed himself and launched a kick.

His kick that had been aimed for Ryu's neck had failed as Ryu used his leg to launch himself away, landing several meters away from Shota.

"Huff—huff—huff." Ryu panted as he looked at Shota. "Let's finish this within the next round of attacks?"

"That's exactly what I was planning."

They both grinned, seeming to be unafraid of who would come out of this as a winner. They're comrades who have survived many life and death experiences, so their bond wouldn't be broken over such a minor thing as losing to one another. It would only incite their desire to triumph over one another.

They slammed their feet against the ground. They launched their bodies towards each other as they cocked their arms back and threw their punches.

Bam! They didn't defend this time, but instead went on the complete offensive. Their punches had hit each other's faces.

They staggered back a few steps from the punches, but they quickly stabilized themselves and kicked out towards each other.

Bam! Their kicks had once again hit their mark, sending them staggering once again. Their physical energy, along with spiritual energy, only had a few drops left.

They were like zombies whipping their bodies around to attack, and this turned worse the longer they fought. Each attack turned from only taking seconds to complete to minutes, and this kept increasing.

Bam! Ryu threw a punch to Shota's face. This sent Shota staggering backward, almost losing his balance. They seemed as if they would collapse at any second.

Regaining his balance, Shora charged towards Ryu and threw his punch, and Ryu did the same.

Bam!

They leaned back from the force of the punch, attempting to regain their footing, but one gave out. Shota was the first to collapse the ground. As soon as he hit the ground, he fell unconscious.

All Ryu had to do was remain standing to win this match, but that wasn't an easy task in his current condition. His aching body barely kept him up.

Luckily enough, he didn't have to wait long as the judge stood up and announced, "Ryu is the winner!"

Hearing this announcement, he allowed himself to collapse and fall unconscious. He knew he had won, so he wasn't worried. If he had fallen before the judge's announcement, the match would've been a draw.