NOVPUB'It looks like he has evolved quite a bit from last year. No wonder. A year ago, he probably hadn't entered the Age of Growth, and yet he managed to participate in that tournament.
"His strength must've gone up by leaps and bounds. Yet, I am not afraid.'
Kiernan thought to himself and did a gesture of "your turn" to Leon.
"If you survive through this round, I applaud and consider you a proper rival! If you don't, I'll be quite disappointed in the son-in-law of great Arakawa!"
Leon's aura image of a roaring, silver-furred lion rose behind him, exuding power and confidence, and it seemed to get sucked into his right fist.
"Aura Fusion?"
Aoi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Aura Fusion? What's that?"
Kiernan asked.
"It's the next level above Aura Image—those who have mastered their aura can fuse their image into physical attacks. I know Dante has been trying to learn it but hasn't been successful just yet.
"It is no wonder that Leon is considered a generational talent in Ghoul Dojo and is one of the candidates to follow in Sifu's footsteps and become the next master of Ghoul Style!"
Kiernan raised an eyebrow and wondered how one could learn this Aura Fusion, as he believed that his Aura Image was of an extremely high level.
However, this was his first time hearing about this Aura Fusion, so of course he couldn't have possibly learned it yet!
"Ghoul Style, Tenebrae Percussio!"
ROAR~
Leon's fist roared like a lion, and with silver glow seeping out of his fist, he punched at the punching machine with all his might.
SMASH!
CREAK~
The machine started smoking as its shell broke apart, unable to withstand the force of Leon's punch, and some of its machinations came into view.
At that moment, the score jumped up. 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
[SCORE: 7118]
"Wohoo!"
Leon laughed.
It was a shockingly high score that made even the owner's eyes almost pop out of his skull, as he had never seen someone punch that hard.
He didn't allow anyone above Martial Master to compete in this little game of his because they could break his machine easily.
Thus, since Leon's punch almost already broke it, it meant that his punching prowess was nearing the realm of Martial Grandmasters!
"…"
Kiernan narrowed his eyes and looked at the blue tile below his feet.
He didn't ask about rules about whether he was allowed to take speed for his punch, but he doubted that he would be allowed to leave this blue tile, so he didn't even bother to ask.
"Whoo…"
With a long exhale, Kiernan rotated his right arm around, and it started spinning like a power drill.
It started spinning faster and faster, sounding like a jet engine, and the crowd wondered how he could spin his arm like that without all his bones turning to mush.
"HYPERION'S SMASH!"
Kiernan screamed, and with his spinning fist, he smashed into the red cushion, and a shockwave of energy exploded outwards, knocking everyone in the vicinity off their feet.
"Sheesh!"
The owner's chair was knocked back a few feet, landing on its back with a loud crash. He rubbed his back, slowly stood up, and heard the crowd let out sounds of amazement.
[SCORE: 7333]
"?!"
Leon's eyes widened, and he felt chills run down his spine as he believed that if he was the one that got punched, he would not have been able to stand back up.
'T-the machine didn't get more broken?'
The owner noticed it, and at that moment, his eyes showed a look of disbelief as he turned to look at Kiernan as if he were a godly monster.
'He didn't recklessly punch… He dispersed the energy to the surrounding area instead of the machine so it wouldn't break. If he hadn't… how much stronger would his punch have been?'
Kiernan looked at the machine, rubbed his shoulders, and asked.
"So, it is my turn now. Right?"
"Yes… it is."
The owner said with a loud gulp.
'The machine can't handle any more rounds. Leon will just break the machine when it's his turn, and the game will end at that. I don't want the game to end in doubt.
'I want it to end in my victory.'
Kiernan looked at his fist, and he had a decision to make—a difficult one.
What technique should he choose to use? He knew that there was more in store in Hyperion's Smash and could possibly break 8,000 score, but if he used all his strength without dispersing the energy, the machine would break.
Thus, Leon wouldn't be able to finish the turn, so it would be unclear who was the winner.
So he had to use a stronger technique, and he had to disperse his energy when punching, which would reduce his score but would keep the machine intact.
A technique that would still help him to win.
'Iron Smash and Hyperion's Smash have always been my go-to moves. I have the third version of the Smash Technique as well, and it was actually my first Smash technique I created.
'It is just so… chaotic technique. I like control, and that technique is just too wild for me. When I first learned it, it just kept breaking my arm constantly, and still does.
'However, I have a trump card now.'
Kiernan looked at his right hand's fingers—it had three words etched into three fingers, and that was the key to unlocking the technique without injuring himself.
'I'd rather not use this technique on humans either. I lack control, so I can accidentally kill them, but against a machine? That I can do.
'That said. I do lack control with this technique, and I must somehow disperse its energy when making contact with the punching machine.
'My accuracy with this technique is horrible as well. It doesn't matter if I can do this technique without breaking my arm. I still have plenty of problems yet.'
Kiernan frowned.
"Your turn, Kiernan."
The owner said.
It wasn't allowed to waste too much time between rounds, as endurance was a big part of Punch or Splash, so you couldn't just take a long break between rounds.
'Fuck it, fine. When the punch lands, I'll snap my wrist to the left so the impact mostly gets transferred out of the machine's way.
'Sure, it will cost me some points, but if this still isn't enough to defeat Leon. I'll challenge him to another match next time around.'
Kiernan took a deep breath, eased his body, and then softly opened his eyes, awakening the hidden strength within him.
'Magnetar Smash…'
