Chapter 11 | Ripper

The hall was huge, with high ceilings. The shadows of beams and wires formed a complex pattern on the ceiling. Light poured down from above, spilling softly across the room like moonlight on the smooth surface of water. In the center of the arena stood the octagon. The metal edges gleamed in the bright light of the spotlights, and the netting that braided it seemed impenetrable. The octagon floor was lined with a special coating that clearly showed the battle marks left by the many fighters who had passed through the ring.

On the stands, designed for more than a thousand people, one could see a variety of people: from martial arts experts, closely following every move, to the usual curious spectators who came to enjoy the spectacle. The hum of voices blended into a monotonous noise, creating an atmosphere of tense anticipation.

Some spectators were dressed in bright costumes as if trying to emphasize their individuality and stand out from the crowd. Others, on the contrary, preferred inconspicuous clothes, as if trying to blend in with their surroundings and remain unnoticed. But all of them, without exception, were united by one thing: the mask that hid their faces.

Among this crowd stood three silhouettes, Anthony, Natsumi, and Kazuo - the girl's friend.

Suddenly the hall began to buzz, the group looked toward the octagon. One man pinned the other to the net, they struggled, and at one point, the one who was pinned bit off his ear. The wound began to bleed profusely. The fighter pressed his head against his opponent, his face showing his pain. The enemy hit his shoulder on his head, then hit his forehead and shoved him away from him. After swallowing his ear, he took a big breath, filling his lungs with air. And shouting out, his opponent's body was thrown to the opposite corner as if he was hit by a truck.

His body pressed into the net, and then he fell down, lying on his stomach and trying to breathe in air. Closing his mouth after screaming, the man grabbed his throat and fell to his knees, a side effect of using the quirk.

After a few seconds, still keeping one hand on his throat he walked over to his opponent, he lay there trying to breathe, his breath hitched from the blow.

The man swung his leg and kicked his opponent's head with all his might like a soccer ball. The canvas of the ring became even more red-stained, and the referee quickly ran up to the fighters stopping the fight.

Two doctors ran into the octagon. They first checked the fighter's condition and after on a stretcher took him to the infirmary.

"The winner is 'Screamer'" announced the commentator.

"Why hasn't he used screaming before?" asked Anthony.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him before. Maybe that's what he bit off his ear for," said Kazuo

"If that's the case then he has a nasty quirk" added Natsumi.

"Yeah, who's next?" said Kazuo.

"Kaito, and some guy" replied Anthony.

Kazuo took out his phone and started actively using it. "Wow, the odds are great on Kaito."

Anthony looked at him "What kind?"

"2.2, the opponent must be good."

Anthony smirked "Well, it looks like Kaito has finally found a worthy opponent"

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet Rippe-e-er, a fighter who puts on an incredible show every time without sparing his opponents, with a perfect record of 11 wins, 9 early, one loss."

A large man, 6 feet tall, walked through the door into the octagon. Brown ripped pants and massive boots, his torso exposed showing off a multitude of scars. Bald with a long black beard. His arms were longer than usual. From his back grew another one, 5 joints, about two meters long, resembling a scorpion's tail, and completely completing this image it holds a machete.

"And his opponent. In an incredibly short period, the young fighter 'Invincible' has already shown decent skills. His record is 3 wins of which all of them are early, 0 losses.

The opposite door opened and a young boy stepped into the ring. Black compression garments covering his torso and arms, loose milk-colored shorts, and white and black sneakers.

"Why isn't he in a suit? Didn't he make a reservation?" asked Natsumi.

"He did, but he was doing the design, and it's coming in about two weeks" Explained Anthony

"Did he show you the design?"

"Yes, but it's still subject to change from revisions."

"And how much will it cost?"

"Didn't ask."

A voice announces the start of the fight, and the fighters quickly move closer together.

His third hand suddenly began to change colors until it became almost transparent, only due to small distortions one could understand its location. Kaito immediately enhanced his vision.

A boy with glowing red eyes begins to move towards the enemy with caution. His eyes were narrow as he studies his opponent's movements. Sudden lunges and sharp, sweeping blows from his machete force Kaito to be constantly on alert. Each swing is met only by air, which the guy skillfully dodges. This is what he has been waiting for a long time - a test.

A sharp, brutal blow is aimed at Kaito's stomach. He dodges, taking a quick step to the side, and a gust of wind rushes past him. Narrowing his eyes in intense concentration, Ripper launches a swift upward strike. Kaito bends gracefully and the machete pierces the space next to him.

Ripper intensifies his attack, his movements becoming erratic and unpredictable to keep Kaito under constant pressure. He makes a sharp lunge to the right, then feints to the left and delivers a powerful blow with the machete with his right hand. Changing his stance, he delivers several quick blows, smoothly turning into a downward machete strike.

But Kaito's reaction is lightning-fast. He dodges each strike with smooth precision. As Ripper's machete rushes downward, Kaito dodges to the left, avoiding the blade by a hair. Seizing the opportunity, he rushes forward and throws three quick, precise blows into Ripper's defense. The force of Kaito's punches creates a gap, and he lands a powerful uppercut.

Ripper staggered back, momentarily stunned, but quickly regained his balance, a grimace contorting his features. Kaito, maintaining a medium distance, had already adapted to his awkward opponent, his confidence in evading the deadly weapon unshaken.

Kaito's gaze was icy, his eyes glowing with an eerie red light. As Ripper prepared a horizontal slash with his machete, Kaito struck with a lightning-fast low kick, forcing Ripper to crouch in pain. The blow disrupted Ripper's attack; he halted mid-strike, wary of losing his weapon to Kaito's opportunistic counter.

Without warning, Ripper threw two jabs and stepped forward. Kaito twisted his body, dodging the punches, and retaliated with a jab of his own, which Ripper blocked. Kaito noticed the sudden movement of Ripper's third hand and glanced up just in time to see a vertical punch aimed at him.

He intended to dodge but felt Ripper's foot pinning his leg. Seizing the moment, Kaito raised his hands and caught the descending machete with his palms, a red haze enveloping his hands as he squeezed the blade, stopping it in its tracks.

At that moment, Ripper landed several powerful side kicks to Kaito's body, each of which did considerable damage. Gritting his teeth, Kaito deflected the machete blade slightly to the side and released it. He grabbed Ripper's left arm just as the brutal blow landed on his liver. The machete stabbed into Kaito's shoulder, reaching the bone. A sharp, searing pain pierced him, but he didn't flinch.

With tremendous force, Kaito yanked Ripper's arm up and punched him in the elbow joint. The arm bent backwards and Ripper screamed in agony. Grabbing the third hand that held the machete lodged in his shoulder, Kaito squeezed it with incredible force, forcing Ripper to release the blade.

The boy delivered a swift knee strike that caused his opponent to fall in half. Kaito grabbed his head with both hands and delivered a knee strike to it. As soon as Ripper fell, Kaito delivered a vicious leg kick to the face of his fallen opponent.

The referee quickly intervened, stepping in between the fighters to stop the fight.

"And the surprise winner of this match was 'Invincible'."

Kaito glanced at his opponent and noticed a knocked-out tooth lying nearby, the victim of his powerful punch. He recognized that while his quirk gave him great strength, his lack of experience sometimes caused him to misuse his powers. Overthinking often slowed his decision-making, causing him to hesitate.

As he was leaving the arena, a cheerful, slightly inebriated man jumped out to meet him.

"Kid, congratulations, you're a beast. Really, thank you, I got 7000 dollars, you're just the best."

Kaito smiled at him "You can keep betting on me, you won't go wrong."

Later Kaito allowed the doctors to stitch up and treat his wound. After changing and showering, he joined his friends, feeling both the physical exertion of the fight and the satisfaction of victory. They sat for another hour before deciding to leave the building.

"How's everyone getting home?" asked Kazuo.

"Just by cab," replied Anthony.

"My dad's picking me up," said Natsumi.

"When will he be here?" inquired Anthony.

"In about thirty minutes."

"Is he coming from work?"

"No, he didn't work today. It's his day off."

Kaito looked around, then offered: "Would you like to grab a bite to eat at McD's?"

"Why not?" Kazuo agreed.

Anthony looked at the girl. "You?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The whole group of them entered the restaurant. They settled at a table, having ordered in advance. Kaito got a large burger with two thick patties, sauce, coke, and fries. Kazuo chose a regular burger, Anthony ordered something similar to Kaito's burger but without the fries, and Natsumi opted for ice cream.

They chatted and laughed, discussing the night's events and other topics until Kazuo's cab pulled up. He drove off first, waving goodbye. Natsumi's father called shortly after, and she said goodbye to the boys before leaving.

Kaito noticed how Anthony looked at her as she walked away. Kaito inquired with a knowing smile, "What?"

Anthony, caught off guard, replied, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. It's obvious to anyone that you have a crush on her."

Anthony lowered his eyes and then looked away, clearly embarrassed. "Do you think she likes me?"

"As a friend - definitely." Kaito shrugged.

"Shut up."

"Ha, does she have a boyfriend?"

"No, they broke up about three or four months ago."

"What about those guys?"

"I dunno. Atomy's got a girl, but about the others, I'm clueless"

"Well, I guess there's a chance."

"Hope so," Anthony muttered.

A few minutes later, Anthony's cab pulled up. After saying goodbye to his friend, he headed home. Kaito, meanwhile, decided to stop by the nearest mall. He needed to buy a present for his aunt - it was her birthday tomorrow, and the present he had ordered online would only arrive in six days.