Chapter 43: Erap's Fear

"Why....why am I having this feeling again?!" Erap's muscles were shaking at the sight of Chiko's performance. His eyes were still in shock and he could not help but gulp large amounts of saliva.

The King's Domain is a technique that he does not understand, but it does not mean he doesn't know how to fear it. It was a feeling of unexplainable helplessness and awe.

In front of this power, one's reaction ability is greatly dulled, the muscle memories seem to have faded and the will to fight disappears. Unless one has incredible willpower, fighting against the power of a King's Domain is almost close to an impossible task.

The referee was the first to snap out and called out the score for the side of team Madtaks. Meanwhile, Erap and his team were still under the effect of Chiko's unintentional King's Domain.

"What's going on. Why are the team Bagsik seemingly in a daze?"

"I don't know but for some reason, they look like they suddenly lost their motivation to fight."

"After that counterattack from the newbie, Erap seems to have weakened."

Even the spectator have also noticed the changes.

"Second serve! Score 18-11, play!" the referee beckoned before Noynoy calmly prepared to pitch the ball for Erap.

"Erap, are you okay?" Noynoy asked.

"I don't know. Let's just get this on. Maybe I am just imagining things." Erap replied. However, his mind was still not in the right mindset. The impact of Chiko's counter roll spike left a deep impression on him that awakened a memory he was trying to forget...

"Erap, I am going to toss the ball now."

"Y-yeah..." Erap replied weakly while his mind starting to wander away.

As the ball left Noynoy's hand, Erap's mind also recalled a certain memory from the past...

****

"I am the best..."

Erap's told himself. His eyes glistening with ferociousness and pride. He and his team had been on the winning streak at the Regional qualifiers and they are currently climbing the ranking ladder at an unstoppable rate.

Their teamwork was impeccable, their skills are powerful while their bodies are at their peak. It was about ten years ago and Erap was once the striker that represented Sta. Fe, one of the three towns on Bantayan island. He was together with two other Sepak Takraw prodigies.

Erap and his team were at their peak performance during that time. They simply dominated every game, they pressed on every opponent with their full performance, not showing a single chance for mercy.

Every time they play, they left their opposing team kneeling in defeat. Their faces crushed with helplessness, making him the most promising striker in the Philippines.

There was nothing that can stop them...

Or so they thought.

"Hello kababayan from Bantayan! Nice to meet you here at the Regionals! My name is Uly by the way, but you can call me U-bear! Let's do our best later okay?"

Smiling and grabbing his hand before him was a younger U-bear. The man's grip was tight while his eyes glistened with life and positivity. Although Erap knew U-bear wanted nothing but to be a friend, Erap saw this as a part of the strategy to weaken them.

Instead of replying in a friendly manner, Erap slapped U-bear's hand away and hollered,

"Don't touch me, old man! Get your filthy hands away from me!"

His reply shocked U-bear and snapped the latter out of his friendly demeanor. Seeing U-bear being intimidated by his shout, Erap smirked confidently and added,

"Why are you trying to be friendly with me? Do you expect us to show mercy later just so you can win and reach the Nationals? Hah! As if I will let you score even once!"

With a sinister smile, Erap went closer and whispered to U-bear.

"Watch and learn how I cripple all of you in the first set. You better forfeit now or suffer later."

"Are you threatening us?" U-bear replied innocently. His expression wasn't intimidated at all.

"What do you think? This is my last warning or I will send you and your team to hospitals later. Hahaha!"

"I see... Then I am sorry to disappoint you Kababayan. We will still fight. And let me warn you too..." U-bear suddenly turned before replying,

"I don't show mercy to people like you."

Hearing this, Erap felt sudden chills run over his whole body. His legs weakened and his knees were shaking uncontrollably. For a moment, he felt as if he was facing a tiger that was just about to devour him.

"What's....g-going o-on with m-me...."

It took a while for his shaking to disappear and one of his teammates came over to snap him out.

"What are you doing there Erap? Let's go crush some more losers!" one of his teammates tapped him at his shoulders.

"Y-yeah. let's go." Erap followed after while taking deep breaths to remove the unexpected nervousness that is lingering in his mind.

"You are the best. We will be the champion. No matter who I am facing, I will trample them all!" he whispered to himself while he stepped towards the court.

His face was already filled with sweat before the game started.

After all the necessary announcements the game has finally started. The place was filled with media, spectators, and delegates from all over the country. Erap knew that now is the right time to show the world what he can do if he wants to be discovered.

PRRRRT!~

The referee called out the first service. Erap and his team will be facing his fellow players from the neighboring town of Madridejos. However, Erap is determined to destroy anyone who blocks their path to Nationals even if they are people from his own home island.

As the team's Tekong, Erap stood at the center circle with unexplained nervousness. He glanced at the other side of the court and saw Uly, the friendly guy who approached him a while ago. Erap's eyes unexpectedly locked with Uly and the nervous feeling in his heart surged. Quickly, he snapped out and took more breaths to calm himself.

"Why am I even worried. I will just have to destroy them with my unstoppable kicks." he reminded himself as the Feeder finally tossed the ball for him.

WHAPAAAAANG!~

"What a powerful spike serve!"

"Wow, who's that guy!?"

*FLASH *FLASH *FLASH

The spectators and the media person quickly noticed Erap's beautiful execution and hurriedly took photos.

Erap did not hesitate to show his strongest spike serve in the early game. His aim was simple: to intimidate the opposing team while also hoping to score an ace. Not to mention, he specifically aimed at a certain dead spot hoping to test the other team's reaction.

But to his surprise, Uly was the first person to react and before the ball even crossed the net, the other guy has already finished moving to a certain position and just waited for this ball to come. It was as if Uly already knew where the ball was going the moment Erap made contact with the ball.

PANG!~

"What!?" Erap's strongest spike serve was countered by an effortless inside kick from Uly. His other teammate called Gaje swiftly moved to receive Uly's counter and tossed it up high for a kill at the same time, Uly rapidly moved near the net before jumping up high without even looking where the ball is at the moment.

"What? How will he hit the ball without even knowing where it is coming from?" Erap had plenty of questions inside his mind but it didn't last long.

Uly's body twisted in mid-air while his leg prepared to swipe for an unexpected rolling spike. Despite not seeing the ball, Uly showed nothing but pure confidence at his feeder's toss. With an elegant spin, Uly's foot amassed enough momentum for a terrifying hit. And without any hesitation, Uly's right foot forcefully lashed out and hit the falling ball at perfect timing and angle.

For a moment, the world stopped for Erap. His eyes were locked on Uly's smiling face but his eyes were filled with utter dominance. Erap felt like he was being looked down on by a giant ready to squash him any moment. It was utter dominance in that instance.

WHAAPAAASH!~

PAAAAHK!~

The ball landed before Erap and his team with an overwhelming force behind it. The ground slightly shook while the wind impact slapped them out of all their previous confidence. Erap and his team just stood there terrified. They would never dare to block such an accurate and powerful spike or they might just end up with an injury. They are just afraid at this moment.

The team before them was not just strong, but they are also united with trust. It was something that not even his team could reach after their countless years of training. Little did they knew, they were actually experiencing the suppressing power of a King's Domain from a player called Uly.

Uly's spike serve was phenomenal and terrifying at the same time. And ever since that first attack, Erap and his team experienced their worst battering of all their sepak takraw career. And just what Uly said, there was no mercy shown on that match.

WHAPAANG!~

PRRRRT!

"Score for team Madridejos!"

and a few seconds later...

WHAPAAAAANG!~

PRRRRT!

"Score for team Madridejos!"

and a couple of minutes later...

PRRRRT!

"Score! Game set! 21-0 in favor of team Madridejos!"

By the end of the day, Erap's team was eliminated. Their utterly disgusting performance shocked their manager and coach. And since they were unable to explain what really caused their drop of skills, they were suspected of match-fixing and their team was instantly dissolved.

Ever since then, Erap stopped playing professionally. It took some couple of years and persuasion for him to finally step out of Sepak Takraw eluding. But he never played for any formal sports organization anymore. Rather, he only plays on the street, prying on the unsuspecting newbies and destroying them utterly just for the sake of experience that lost feeling of dominance.

And just like today, Erap thought it was just another day for him when a newbie team called Madtaks decided to challenge team Bagsik. He thought it was another easy money.

It was all good for him until he felt the unexplainable presence of the King's Domain again.

"Why...how..." Erap could not stop his legs from shaking. His face was locked at Chiko's domineering gaze. It was that same feeling when he first saw Uly being serious.

And he knew, that when this kind of power is present, the game is basically over.

"Guys today we are not going home broke. We are going home with a win and an extra 300 pesos for our dinner." Chiko's aura exploded, even more, his willpower manifesting into a gust of wind giving an unexpected boosting energy for both Ferdy and Mark.

"Alright, let's have samgyupsal for tonight!" Mark shouted with full of energy.

"I will have all the cabbage and lettuce. You can have all the meat." Ferdy casually reminded.