Dogyu smiled with that sleepy face he always wore and began walking slowly toward Byeoto, as if he were in no hurry. The two kept closing the distance, but neither attacked yet.
From the stands, Dowoon swallowed hard.
"Why isn't either of them attacking...?"
Taehun responded without taking his eyes off the tatami.
"Because both of them know that a single mistake is all it takes."
Suddenly, Dogyu vanished from Byeoto's line of sight. He went straight for him, dropping his center of gravity abruptly and exploding forward. His shoulder slammed into Byeoto's waist as both arms wrapped tightly around his thighs.
"Got you!"
Byeoto reacted on instinct. He sprawled a leg back, shoved Dogyu's head down, and thrust his hips backward at the same time. The takedown lost its momentum.
"Hm?" Dogyu arched an eyebrow. "You actually know a bit of defense."
Without stopping, he let go of one leg and immediately switched to the other side. This time, he wrapped his arms solely around the right leg, twisting his body as he lifted the thigh.
Byeoto lost his balance for a split second.
"Tch..."
However, he quickly planted his free foot firmly against the floor and struck Dogyu's shoulder with his forearm, managing to break free before ending up completely on the ground.
Both stepped back. Dogyu smiled a bit more.
"Not bad..."
"I thought you'd fall for the first one."
Byeoto slowly raised his guard.
"I was expecting a bit more from you, too."
The veins on Dogyu's neck bulged slightly, and a rather annoyed smile formed on his face. This time, Byeoto was the one to close in first. He closed the gap quickly, throwing a jab followed by a straight right. Dogyu deflected both strikes with minimal movements, yet he remained sharp and steady.
It was in that moment that Byeoto pivoted his hips and launched an ascending knee strike to the chin. Dogyu barely managed to tilt his head back a few inches, making the blow graze his chin and leave a small cut.
He looked straight ahead and murmured:
"Close..."
And quickly, he grabbed the leg Byeoto had just raised. His left hand caught the ankle while his right pushed behind the knee, executing a simple pull that forced Byeoto down into a seated position.
Dogyu clearly wasn't about to waste that opportunity. He immediately entered between the legs, looking to pass the guard. Byeoto braced both forearms against Dogyu's shoulders to prevent him from advancing.
However, Dogyu was already positioning himself, driving one knee between Byeoto's legs, followed by the other, beginning to establish control.
Byeoto frowned and pushed against Dogyu's abdomen with both legs, forcing him back. Meanwhile, Byeoto rolled backward and stood up in a single fluid motion.
Dogyu adjusted his hair while speaking.
"Not bad..." he muttered. "But you're still fighting like a striker."
Byeoto didn't answer. It was his first time encountering a fighter like this. He wasn't sure if a heavy hit could finish him, but if he missed, that would be it. A single failure would mean his defeat.
He took a slow breath, trying to focus.
His right leg took half a step back. He couldn't afford to let the distance disappear. Against a guy like this, every time the gap closed, he felt like he was stepping into his opponent's domain.
Dogyu bent his knees slightly, without doing anything exaggerated, and simply stepped forward. When he did, Byeoto launched a low kick to the thigh, the impact forcing Dogyu to shift his weight for a fraction of a second.
Except instead of backing off, Dogyu stepped straight into his guard. His left arm wrapped around the leg that had just hit him, while his shoulder drove into Byeoto's hip.
Byeoto tried to pull his leg back, but it was too late. Dogyu had already done his work. Byeoto's body was left supported by only one leg. Even so, he twisted his waist and launched an axe kick with his free leg.
Dogyu let go of the leg in an instant before taking the hit. The kick passed inches from his face. Yet, in that exact same instant, he dove back in, this time wrapping his arms around the waist and locking his hands behind Byeoto's back, squeezing tightly. He took a small step to the side, drove his hips in, and pulled.
Byeoto completely lost his balance.
Both crashed onto the tatami. Dogyu landed on top, his chest crushing Byeoto's torso, his knee pinning the hip and his other leg trapping the shoulder. Byeoto shoved Dogyu's neck, but he didn't budge. He tried to turn his hips, but it was useless.
It was like trying to move a boulder.
"What the hell...?"
It wasn't a matter of raw strength. It was weight distribution. Every time Byeoto wanted to escape to one side, Dogyu had already shifted his center of gravity. He was always on top, always one step ahead.
"I told you not to fight in my domain."
Dogyu's voice remained calm. With his right arm, he crossed Byeoto's neck while his left looked to isolate one of his arms. Byeoto's eyes widened.
"No... He wants to isolate an arm."
And before he could react, Dogyu completely shifted his position, spinning over Byeoto's chest. One leg passed over the head, and the other fell across the torso. It all happened in a single second.
Dogyu sat back. His legs trapped Byeoto's right arm, his knees pinched tightly together while his hips began to rise and his elbow started to extend.
Byeoto felt an unbearable pressure.
"Gh...!"
The veins across his body began to bulge from the sheer effort he was making. He tried to bend his arm, but he simply couldn't. Dogyu was using his entire body, not just his hands.
The referee watched closely.
"Do you submit?"
Byeoto didn't answer. He grit his teeth.
Dogyu sighed.
"Don't be stubborn... Just tap out already."
He raised his hips a bit higher. A sharp pain shot through Byeoto's entire arm up to his shoulder. Byeoto closed his eyes for a second. He looked at Dogyu's legs as if thinking of something, then took a deep breath.
And instead of continuing to pull his arm out... he bent both legs while driving his feet hard into the tatami.
Dogyu barely raised an eyebrow.
"Hm?"
In the next instant, Byeoto explosively bridged his entire hips up—not to free his arm, but to lift Dogyu as well. The grappler's body lost contact with the mat for a fraction of a second. The lock lost its stability. Dogyu slightly opened his legs to regain balance.
That was the moment Byeoto was waiting for.
He violently twisted his body toward the side Dogyu's legs were pointing. The knees were no longer pointing at the ceiling, and the pressure on his elbow eased. Byeoto managed to slip his shoulder partially out.
Dogyu smiled, though.
"Good move..."
Before Byeoto could finish escaping, Dogyu released the submission and immediately switched attacks. His arm wrapped around Byeoto's neck from behind while his other hand sought to lock the grip. Before Byeoto could even sit up, Dogyu had already completely shifted positions again.
He didn't force the arm. His left forearm wrapped around Byeoto's neck from behind while his right hand tried to lock the grip behind the nape of his neck. Byeoto felt the forearm start pressing against his windpipe.
He dug his chin down with all his strength against Dogyu's arm, preventing it from slipping beneath his throat. At the same time, he brought both hands up to the forearm. He wasn't trying to pull it off—just create the absolute minimum space to keep breathing.
Dogyu let out a soft chuckle.
"You know how to defend yourself... But you're always a step behind."
His right knee slid along Byeoto's back. He was looking to hook a leg, while doing the same with his left. In an instant, both hooks were sunk around Byeoto's waist.
Dogyu rested his chest against Byeoto's back. He wasn't wasting unnecessary strength. He simply followed him. Every time Byeoto twisted to one side, Dogyu twisted with him. Every time he tried to stand up, Dogyu's legs dragged him right back down. It was like carrying a backpack made of iron.
Byeoto put one knee down, then the other, trying to stand up. But Dogyu seized that moment. His arm slid under the chin once more. This time, he managed to get it in a bit deeper.
Byeoto's breathing grew heavy, but without overthinking it, he slammed himself backward with everything he had. His back hit the tatami violently. Dogyu ended up crushed underneath him.
He felt the pain, but he didn't lose his grip. Byeoto stood up and slammed down again. The impact rang out loudly. Then he did it a third time. On the third impact, Dogyu's legs loosened just a bit.
Sensing that tiny gap, Byeoto jerked his hips sharply to the left, managed to pop one of the trapped legs out. Dogyu tried to clamp them back together, but it was already too late. Byeoto spun completely on the floor, and both ended up face to face once more, springing apart with a jump.
Both were breathing heavily at the same time. Byeoto brought a hand to his neck, which was completely bright red; it even hurt to swallow. Meanwhile, Dogyu no longer had that playful or relaxed demeanor—on the contrary, he looked just as worn out.