Chapter 324: Chapter 324 - Perfect Restraint
Returning the favor naturally meant that Micah Ortiz had to deliberately allow me to win.
Though Micah agreed out loud, deep down he felt completely resistant to the idea.
Being Ignacio Richard’s student, how could he possibly lose to some nobody from the sticks?
"Commander Richard, I get it." Micah bowed as he spoke.
Meanwhile, Commander Wood glanced at me with a grin.
He had zero faith that I could beat Micah, so all his concerns just melted away.
"Mason, don’t hold this against me." Commander Wood chuckled while giving my shoulder a pat.
I replied, "Commander Wood, why would I hold anything against you? Just let me crush Micah fast, and we’ll still be the top team in the Chuzzle Battle Zone."
Commander Wood burst out laughing, "Great, great. If you can actually beat Commander Richard’s star pupil, you’ll blow my mind!"
I stayed quiet. Sure, I didn’t have a teacher, but the legacy my father left behind was worth its weight in gold.
Armed with that wisdom, I wasn’t scared of anybody.
"Now, let’s welcome both fighters to the platform!" the announcer yelled.
With a thunderous roar, Micah jumped onto the stage first.
I didn’t mess around and quickly positioned myself across from Micah.
When our gazes locked, it felt like electricity crackling through the air.
A flash of rage crossed Micah’s expression.
His burning desire to prove himself made him want to crush me even harder.
"Commander Richard mentioned that you deliberately threw the match earlier. That’s not actually true, is it?" Micah asked with ice in his voice.
I laughed, "If you believe it’s real, then it’s real. If you think it’s fake, then it’s fake."
Micah smirked, "Commander Richard ordered me to go easy on you in this round and return the favor."
"Think I should follow Commander Richard’s command?"
I quickly waved my hands, "Please don’t! I refuse to win through dirty means."
Micah chuckled, "Honestly, I never planned to go easy on you! Since Commander Richard claims I’m inferior to you, I’ll show him he’s dead wrong!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Micah’s energy exploded! The whole training ground suddenly got hit with spinning winds!
The crushing pressure crashed over me like a tidal wave!
"Fourth Rank Grandmaster?" I raised my eyebrows, but my expression stayed completely calm.
This just made Micah even madder! As Ignacio Richard’s star student, how could he not rage when some rookie grandmaster looked down on him!
"I’ll use my iron fists to personally destroy you!" Micah said coldly.
But I ignored Micah’s threat. I checked the time and mumbled, "Capital City Battle Zone took more than two hours to defeat Dragon Tiger Team earlier. So if I beat you in under two hours, Chuzzle Battle Zone takes first place."
"You bastard, are you underestimating me?!" Micah exploded with fury!
He stopped wasting time, and his crushing aura suddenly burst out, launching him into the air!
Like a missile, he rocketed straight at me!
As a fighter from Capital City Battle Zone, his combat approach leaned heavily toward physical martial arts.
So Micah’s punches came like a hurricane, rapidly hammering toward me!
I moved like a graceful bird, weaving through the gaps between Micah’s strikes.
I dodged each punch with flawless timing.
The spectacular fighting techniques got cheers from the audience.
Everyone watched this fight, not wanting to miss a single moment.
In seconds, Micah had launched hundreds of punches, but his accuracy was pathetically bad, and his attacks barely scratched me.
Micah glared at me and said, "All you know how to do is run away?"
I laughed, "You’re Commander Richard’s student after all. I don’t want to embarrass you too badly."
"Cocky!" Micah’s rage boiled over! The sensation of being dismissed made him absolutely livid!
Micah’s fists blazed with light, and mist seemed to gather around them!
His arms gave off a red glow, and it looked like blood was burning under his skin!
"Inner Strength vaporization?" I felt slightly shocked.
What kind of force could transform the Inner Strength around his arms into vapor?
"Die!" Micah bellowed, and his fists hammered toward me!
"Boom!"
I lifted my fists to counter the strike, and the devastating impact split the ground under our feet!
Even the officials in the distant bleachers felt the effects!
When the dust cleared, we were still locked fist-to-fist, apparently equally matched.
Micah scowled and said coldly, "You can actually block my punch. Not bad."
I chuckled, "Your punch packs serious power, but it’s missing penetration."
"You’ve got raw strength, but it won’t kill anyone. Against a skilled opponent, you’ll be helpless."
Micah’s expression shifted, and he roared, "I don’t want your coaching!"
——
Ignacio Richard, up in the stands, caught their entire exchange clearly.
He slowly got to his feet and muttered quietly, "Micah has already lost. No point watching anymore."
With that, Ignacio Richard spun around and walked away without a backward glance.
Commander Wood spotted this and his face went pale. He whispered, "Oh crap, Commander Richard isn’t pissed off, is he?"
——
Micah missed Ignacio’s exit. He stared daggers at me and snapped angrily, "What gives you the right to lecture me!"
After speaking, Micah’s fists exploded with power again! Using nearly everything he had, he struck toward me!
For a split second, his fists seemed to create shockwaves, almost shredding my clothes!
I didn’t dodge, and met the attack straight on once more.
The second fist collision still ended without a clear winner.
I shook my head and said, "Same issue. Your force is massive, but it won’t kill, and your penetration is basically zero."
Micah gritted his teeth and said, "Easy for you to say. Acting like you’re so amazing! If you’re so skilled, show me your punch!"
I nodded, "That’s exactly what I was planning. Pay attention, Commander Ortiz."
With that, I stepped forward, my body pulling back, then unleashed a devastating punch!
This seemingly simple punch contained earth-shattering power!
The force that could obliterate anything in its way slammed into Micah’s whole body!
The terrifying punch wind sent sand flying and whipped the nearby hair around!
Micah felt like his face was about to get ripped off by the savageness of the strike!
However, this punch finally stopped right before Micah’s face and didn’t actually hit him.
"See that? This is penetration and power working together." I dropped my fist and walked away.
