Raniel crouched low enough that his forearms were almost touching the ground. Using his low center of gravity, he twisted his core and unleashed a one-two hook punch at Satoshi.
The attacks were so sudden that Satoshi missed the right timing. It connected, but Satoshi managed to defend it with his arm guard. If it weren't for his instincts, which were honed over the years, he wouldn't have been able to parry the attack so easily.
Since Raniel decided to fight him with fists, Satoshi used that to decide which fighting style to use. He was going to return the sentiment with the same thing.
An eye for an eye. A punch for a punch.
Apparently, Raniel was pretty riled up for some odd reason— probably because he felt inferior to Satoshi. Then again, it was clear that there was a gap in their proficiency in physical combat, so he couldn't help it.
That inferiority was what subconsciously affected Raniel, causing him to move more stiffly than before. Adding to that, he was more careful than usual, restricting his movements.
Satoshi charged forward, giving Raniel less time to react. When Raniel finally step backward, Satoshi went for a solar plexus punch.
There was no way he could dodge such an attack since his balance was off. The solar plexus hit him squarely, and the air was forced out of his lungs.
Aghk~!
Laying on the ground, wheezing, Satoshi didn't continue to attack him. It was the worst type of mental attack. Satoshi decided to wait for him to stand up before he continued his fight with him.
At first, Raniel expected Satoshi to attack him while he was down. However, Satoshi wasn't as underhanded, and he didn't do such a thing. Raniel could sense even more that Satoshi was levels ahead of him in terms of physical prowess.
But even with that fact right in front of him, he knew that he couldn't back down. The other four Disciples were fighting on his side. His pride won't just let him accept defeat. He'd rather get genuinely defeated than surrender the fight like a coward.
Wheezing, Raniel forced himself to stand up. He still couldn't breathe, but he couldn't afford to stay on the ground while the other Disciples were fighting. It would be the greatest of all embarrassments.
An exhale left Raniel's mouth as he put his arms up as a guard. He brazenly assumed that Satoshi would just use his fists since he started off the match with some type of boxing.
But Satoshi had more ideas. He brought his arms up once again, a smirk crossing his face before he cleared his throat.
"Have you ever heard of a magical punch?" Satoshi asked out of nowhere.
The question was out of the blue, and it caused the other Disciples who were fighting to stop and listen in.
Even Jonathan and Yun Zhe had no idea what the magical punch is. They doubted the idea that Satoshi would use his superpower, but at the back of their minds, they could see him disregarding the rules of the test.
In any case, all of them became curious about the magical punch. They became invested in it that they temporarily stopped engaging each other in combat.
"Why don't you show me then, this magical punch of yours," Raniel said, putting his right foot sideways before taking one step.
The torque gave him enough momentum to unleash a powerful punch. Satoshi barely had enough time to react due to how speedy the attack was.
Fortunately, he was able to dodge it. He then proceeded to give Raniel a punch to the liver, which made him 'oomph' as he was thrown over backward. This wasn't enough to knock him out though, and he used his hands as leverage to kick Satoshi.
Seeing that Raniel had incorporated a kick, Satoshi decided to use kicks as well, just to add fuel to the fire. He didn't want to fight Raniel at his one hundred percent since he knew that Raniel would lose.
Sure, he was a formidable opponent, but he was the type of person to rely on his strength. Also, Satoshi had more experience fighting opponents more powerful than himself, and Raniel was a bit inexperienced in that department.
Jumping forward, Satoshi unleashed a side kick which Raniel completely blocked. Simultaneously, Raniel was quick enough to respond to the kick, grabbing Satoshi by the leg in an attempt to throw him off balance. In terms of raw physical strength, Raniel was clearly stronger, so he could swing Satoshi around, rendering him helpless.
"Hoh hoh~ I activate my trap card," Satoshi said out of nowhere as if he was playing a character of someone from a famous animated series about cards.
The leg grab was actually Satoshi's trap, and Raniel completely fell for it. Using his core strength alone, Satoshi steadied himself by bringing his caught leg closer, and then he unleashed a second punch, right on Raniel's throat.
"AGHK!" Raniel was caught off guard, and he staggered backward while holding his throat. The kick was so forceful that it actually caused his throat to constrict, and he felt like he was momentarily choked to death by someone.
Satoshi didn't waste any time grabbing Raniel by the head before planting his knee on Raniel's face. The blow instantly broke his nose, and Raniel was defeated for good.
Jonathan, and Yun Zhe, as well as Himuro and Nanako, finished up the other Disciples as well. They were just in time for when Satoshi beat up Raniel. It's as if they planned this all along.
Defeated both physically and psychologically, Raniel didn't bother counterattacking anymore. In the contest of strength, Satoshi proved himself as the superior one. Raniel knew that he made a wrong decision in the first place, and he didn't intend to make another one right after he was defeated.
In the end, the group of five Disciples under Hermione Ranger retreated... well, more like they proceeded with running towards the flags. if they were to hasten their pace, they should be able to arrive on time.
"We owe you one... Midoriyama Satoshi, right?" Himuro was out of breath when he extended his hand toward Satoshi. "I'm Ryuta Himuro. Some people say my last name sounds like a first name and vice versa... where am I going with this? I'm just sharing whews~"
"I'm Murasaki Nanako." Nanako introduced herself. She had a couple of bruises on her thighs and arms, causing the trio to question what the bikini armor was for.
"No, we owe you one." Satoshi continued as he pointed at the flags that Himuro had in his possession.
With a smile of realization on his face, Himuro gladly handed the three of them a flag each. This was thanks to what they did, and also, he was certain that they deserved it more than their fellow Disciples.
It was a win-win situation for both parties. On one side, Himuro and Nanako needed help. And on the other end, Jonathan, Satoshi, and Yun Zhe needed flags. It just so happened that Himuro and Nanako had more flags in their possession so they could give the trio one each.
The test was not over yet though, and they still needed to run all the way back. They'd wasted enough time engaging Raniel and the others in combat, and now they had to sprint their lungs out just to get back in time.
"Those moves... where did you learn them?" Himuro asked, talking about the way Satoshi fought against Raniel. As far as he knows, no one had actually defeated Raniel in a pure physical match before.
But to Satoshi, he was just a small fry. It was a refreshing and terrifying sight to see. Superficially, Satoshi looked more friendly than Raniel. Who would've thought that he'd be more deadly than him?
"Ah, that? I've just seen some very old movies." Satoshi commented. "I'm kidding. My dad trained me."
"Whoa, then your dad is stronger than you?" Himuro asked, shocked that Satoshi wasn't actually the most physically formidable person in his dimension.
"If it was a no-holds-barred match, I'd lose ninety-nine percent of the time. He's pretty strong." Satoshi casually said.
"Of course he is, he's the number one superhero in our country." Jonathan chirped in, his eyes would often wander towards Nanako but he didn't prolong his stares for fear that Nanako might bite his head off.
"Wow, the number one superhero... I'm the number one superhero in our country and I'm not even half as strong as you." Himuro commented. It's as if what he just said wasn't a spectacular feat as it is.
Then again, his comment just made the trio realize that the people here were actually big shots. Chosen Disciples weren't just here to fill the headcount, they were specifically chosen for their particular strengths.
From a distance, the sight of the starting line could be seen, and the smell of barbecue wafted in the air, causing the group to salivate. They sprinted harder, their hearts pumping out blood as if it was in overdrive.
"We made it in time! I can't believe it!" Nanako brightly cheered the moment they all crossed the line together.
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