1,000,000 Karma: My Reward Is a Quiet Life-Chapter 69: Clash of Fists

He stayed in front, wondering just who he’d be paired with. Just as anybody began to ease into the premium experience, the unmistakable voice of the Clash of Star’s announcer boomed from down the hall:

"LET’S START THE FIRST BOUT OF THE QUARTER FINALS...DRUMROLL PLEASE...DU-DU-DU-DU...JU-NAO VERSUS LAMORE!"

Instantly, the atmosphere within the room changed as the two competitors chosen shot looks at one another from across the space. Noah felt the tension rise as the gray-skinned giant suited in his all-white gi stood up, and the gauntlet-wearing elf followed.

"EACH FIGHTER, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TOWARDS YOUR DESIGNATED TUNNEL NOW!"

He half-expected them to throw down right there, but without a word, each fighter went their separate ways. The ever-helpful Concierge pointed Ju-Nao towards the right passage connected to the room, and Lamore to the left.

Noah felt his own heart racing, experiencing an entirely different intensity than the previous day. Even being put some distance from the arena itself, the energy of the crowd was felt through subtle vibrations constantly humming in the floor.

"Who’re ya bettin’ on?"

Looking over, Noah now found himself accompanied by the others who watched the screen, answering the question that came from the woman who beat the Champion, "I don’t bet, but personally, I’m rooting for Ju-Nao. I’m not much of a fan of the other guy."

"Ha-ha! A bit of a grudge there?" Sylvan laughed, slapping the newcomer on the back as though they were good, old friends. "Well, I’m right there with ya, Lamore totally annoys the crap outta me."

"Same here. If I ever get matched against him, I’m punching him right in the sack," the pint-sized goblin added in with a huff as her messy pigtails bounced.

The hero in pristine armor laughed, fixing his immaculate, golden hair, "Now, now, I’m not sure speaking ill of a fellow adventurer is the right thing to do." Galileo attempted to reason.

Crossing the suspended bridge onto the battlegrounds, the first to arrive was the towering martial artist, whose stoic expression remained unmoving.

"JU-NAO, THE MARTIAL BEHEMOTH! I’M SURE YOU’RE ALL AWARE, HE’S A MEMBER OF THE SMALL DEMI-HUMAN CLAN, THE MUON! POSSESSING THE TRAITS OF THE RHINO, JU-NAO’S IMMENSE FRAME GRANTS HIM INCREDIBLE STRENGTH! THAT’S NOT ALL, HIS SPECIAL SKIN IS AS TOUGH AS STEEL ARMOR!"

While being introduced, the rhino demi-human showed respect to the crowd with a bow.

"...A MAN OF FEW WORDS! THAT BRINGS US TO HIS OPPONENT! THE ELF WHO FIGHTS WITH ARTIFICIAL FISTS! LAMOOOOOOORE!"

As the silver-haired fighter crossed the bridge, joining Ju-Nao on the isolated arena, there was a heightened intensity to the cheers. For a certain rookie that was spectating from the VIP room, it was vexing to see the callous fighter receive such praise.

Lamore hopped in place, shaking his arms to loosen up while his keen gaze stayed on his opponent. In the same respect, Ju-Nao spread his feet, placing one fist forward and one kept at his hip, in a stance ready for combat.

"AS A REMINDER, THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL METHOD OF VICTORY DURING THE QUARTER-FINALS! IF YOU’RE KNOCKED INTO OFF THE SIDE OF THE BATTLEFIELD AND INTO THE WATER, YOU LOSE!

WITH THAT...BEGIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

It came in an instant–

In the midst of a simple hop while warming up, the elf found the towering demi-human closing the distance as the battle started. Lamore’s eyes widened, though he managed to lean back as the fingers of the acclaimed martial artist passed just above his nose.

The flexible evasion required the elf to fall back on his hands, flipping over to reset his balance. In the brief time he was in the air, the sharpened fingers of Ju-Nao were thrust towards his exposed back like a spear.

It was a clash of milliseconds; a single wrong move would spell an immediate defeat. Lamore caught himself on his hands, using his feet to catch the incoming strike.

"WH...WHAT PERFECT PRECISION! LAMORE CAUGHT JU-NAO’S SPEAR-HAND WITH JUST HIS FEET?! THIS IS JUST THE OPENING CLASH...WE’RE DUE FOR A BOUT OF LEGENDS!"

Just as the rhino-man withdrew his hand, the slick elf flipped back onto his feet, initiating his own counterattack. In an upward motion, Lamore swung his heavy gauntlet, leading it towards the boulder-like chin of his opponent–THWOOM.

The sheer force that expelled from the iron fist made the wind cry, kicking up a cyclone of dust. Anybody watching would’ve bet every coin in their pocket that the elf’s gauntlet made contact with Ju-Nao’s chin, yet—

That was not the case.

On the other side of the arena, the broad-built martial artist stood, completely unscathed in his stance.

"Hmm," Lamore looked over curiously. "You’ve got quite the special step, don’t you?"

There was no response from the stone-mouthed seeker, who only seemed to have one thing on his mind: claiming victory.

’Let’s see it again then–’ Lamore challenged in his mind.

As the elf set his feet to ready himself to counter, the figure twice his size vanished. In that exact moment, the ground at the demi-human’s feet shattered. There wasn’t enough time for the elf’s eyelids to so much as twitch before Ju-Nao crossed the gap, leading with his spear-hand.

CLANG.

The unbreakable fingers clashed against the thick metal around the elf’s hands, bouncing off as Lamore slid back.

"Hrm," Ju-Nao grunted, withdrawing his hand with an inquisitive look.

"So, you can communicate, after all?" Lamore stomped his foot, stopping his movement, glancing down at the gauntlet he used to shield himself.

There was a clear dent in the enchanted steel, yet the demi-human’s fingers looked unharmed. Lamore kept his hands raised, prioritizing defense as the large gauntlets served as an impromptu shield in front of his body.

’Relying on reflexes against that monstrous dash is a gamble I can’t keep taking. If I slip up once, that hand will go right through me,’ Lamore analyzed.

From the VIP room, it was mostly quiet as the competitors spectated their own potential opponents in the upcoming rounds. "Mostly quiet", since Sylvan yelled at the magic screen each time Lamore survived an attack as though she was supporting a sports team.

Noah kept his eyes on the gray-skinned rhino-man, ’I assumed a guy with his build was going to be brawler type, but he’s much more masterful than that. The way he fights is completely reserved and calculated, utilizing single attacks that pair incredible speed and power. It’s simple, but terrifying...There’s not much you can do to stop that kind of attack.’

There was palpable tension as the elf firmly planted himself in place, keeping his gauntlets in front of himself to brace for the incoming attack. He watched closely in the gap between his arms, observing the demi-human for any signal of the attack–

The air vibrated violently; it was like thunder roaring into existence. In the ears of the other-worlder, the sound of Ju-Nao’s peerless dash was like a bullet train passing through.

By the time Lamore registered movement from his opponent, the impact drove against his gauntlets. Every ounce of strength in the warrior elf’s legs was used, though he could not stop his momentum as Ju-Nao pushed him back.

Those in the crowd began at the growing risk of the situation while the fan-favorite was being pushed back.

"LAMORE IS BEING PUSHED...HE’S GETTING CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF THE ARENA...!"

Against the unrelenting push of the rhino demi-human and his perfect spear-strike, the shirtless inhaled sharply. As his feet came within less than a meter from the edge of the ring, he flexed his entire body past its utmost.

In that single breath, the brawler’s muscles expanded for just a moment, swelling to twice their size. The brief expanse of strength produced enough strength in Lamore’s legs to halt his movements as his heels dug in just at the edge.

"Hrgh–?!" Ju-Nao grunted, being stopped.

Lamore repelled the unstoppable attack, sharply exhaling as he lunged forward. He led with his right gauntlet, swinging it right for the demi-human’s head, only for it to slam against Ju-Nao’s forearm instead.

The impact made a loud "bang" that spread through the arena, yet the rhino-man’s arm remained in one piece.

"UNBELIEVABLE...LAMORE’S PUNCHES ARE SAD TO HAVE BLOWN HOLES THROUGH BASILISKS, YET JU-NAO HAS BLOCKED ONE?!"

The silver-haired elf didn’t let up, following up with a wild toss of his other gauntlet, carrying immense power behind it. All the same, the disciplined martial artist blocked it with his thick shield of a forearm. This time, the rhino-man slid back, losing footing for the first time.

The gauntlet-wielding man recognized the slight sign of weakness, pouncing on it as he slid his right foot forward, leading with his fist again. A concentrated exhale left between his lips as blessed strength enhanced his blow–THWOOM.

Breaking through the guard of the demi-human, the miraculous punch struck right into the large abdomen of the titan. The impact made the ground at their feet shatter, blowing back Ju-Nao with such force it appeared as though he was shot out of a cannon.

In the middle of the cheering crowd, Astrid looked at the one who landed the superhuman strike as if having a revelation, "I remember now...I’ve heard stories about him in homeland."

"Oh, yeah, I think I know what you’re talking about," Otto agreed, in the process of shoveling a handful of peanuts into his mouth while enjoying the spectacle.

["Lamore, the Outsider...He was exiled from his homeland, being accused of being the one responsible for the death of his village when it all burned down. He was stripped of his knowledge over magic, and even had his hands cut off to insure he couldn’t write seals."]