"Yuri, who do you think will win?" Mai whispered, leaning close to Yuri's ear.
"I... I don't know..." Yuri nervously fidgeted with her clothes, her palms sweaty.
On one side was her senior disciple, Robert—who had always looked after her.
On the other was Cloud—strong, mysterious, and always able to make her laugh.
Her heart was in chaos.
"Hmph, I'm betting on Cloud." Mai's tone carried a hint of pride she herself hadn't noticed. "That Italian guy looks all slicked up and pretty. He definitely can't take a beating like Cloud can."
At the sidelines, Ryo and Terry stood shoulder to shoulder, expressions grave.
"Ryo, what do you think?" Terry asked.
"Hard to say." Ryo's gaze swept between the two. "Robert's 'Flying Swallow' technique has received my father's true transmission. His speed and explosive power have reached Kyokugenryu's peak. But that Cloud kid... he's like a bottomless pit. I can't read his depth at all."
The battle was about to begin!
"Mr. Cloud, please teach me well!" Robert removed his suit jacket, revealing an equally expensive silk shirt beneath.
He bent his knees slightly, assuming Kyokugenryu's speed-focused "Flying Swallow" stance.
"Bring it!" Cloud also set aside his playful attitude, slowly exhaling a turbid breath.
The referee was Ryo himself.
"BEGIN!"
The instant those words fell, Robert moved!
His figure shot forward like an arrow leaving a bow, so fast he left afterimages in the air!
"Flying Dragon Kick!"
He leaped high, his legs becoming a blue whirlwind in mid-air, descending toward Cloud's head like a battle axe!
The speed, the momentum—it drew gasps of amazement from the surrounding students!
Facing this thunderous strike, Cloud stood his ground. He didn't dodge or retreat.
Just as that blue-flame-wreathed foot was about to smash into his skull—
HUMMMM—!
An invisible force expanded outward with Cloud's body at its center!
Absolute Domain—5%!
Robert's "Flying Dragon Kick" slowed dramatically the instant it entered the field's range!
It was like plunging into a viscous swamp—every centimeter forward became incredibly difficult!
"Wh... what?!"
The confidence and suaveness on Robert's face were instantly replaced by shock!
He felt as though an invisible mountain was pressing down on him. Even the "qi" in his body couldn't circulate properly!
Cloud, meanwhile, slowly raised his right hand within that frozen "spacetime" and extended a single finger.
He casually placed that finger against Robert's foot—the one capable of kicking through steel plates.
BOOM—!
An unimaginable, supremely concentrated force suddenly erupted!
Robert felt an overwhelming power surge from his foot. His prized "Flying Swallow Hurricane Kick" was instantly neutralized!
He lost his balance mid-air, tumbling backward seven or eight times before barely landing, disbelief written all over his face.
"What... what kind of power is this?!" he exclaimed.
At the sidelines, Ryo and Terry's pupils contracted to pinpoints the moment they saw that field appear!
They exchanged glances, seeing the same shock and horror reflected in each other's eyes!
"Absolute Domain!"
"Yes... it's Absolute Domain!"
They spoke almost in unison!
They knew better than anyone what this meant!
It meant the Cloud before them had shattered mortal shackles and stepped into a new realm—one belonging only to the absolute elite!
This was the mark of a true powerhouse!
Even they had only reached it two years ago!
In that moment, the way they looked at Cloud completely changed.
From initial appreciation and curiosity to equal regard—even respect!
Andy, Mai, and the others didn't understand what had happened, but they could clearly feel that the Cloud before them now was nothing like the Cloud they sparred with normally!
That aura of absolute dominion, of controlling everything—it made their very souls tremble!
"Again!"
In the arena, Robert struggled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He stared at Cloud—who seemed like a completely different person—his blue eyes filled with shock.
"Absolute Domain... you've actually mastered Absolute Domain..."
As a direct disciple of Kyokugenryu, he'd naturally heard about this legendary realm from Takuma and Ryo.
He knew that the moment an opponent activated Absolute Domain, the fight was essentially over.
Yet Robert didn't surrender.
His eyes burned with even fiercer fighting spirit!
"So what if you have Absolute Domain!" He roared, his aura exploding. Orange Kyokugenryu energy enveloped his entire body.
"I, Robert Garcia, am not the kind of man who gives up easily!"
A surge of tremendous power erupted!
"Dragon Fang!"
He became a bolt of blue lightning, charging at Cloud again, a rapidly spinning energy sphere forming between his palms!
But with Cloud's [Absolute Domain] activated, Robert's prized speed was drastically diminished in Cloud's eyes.
Cloud didn't even move his feet. He simply raised his left hand and waved it gently.
A force like a giant wave crashed into Robert!
Robert felt like he'd slammed into an invisible wall. His forward momentum was forcibly stopped, and he was pushed backward by tremendous force!
"Not done yet! Flying Swallow Whirlwind Kick!"
(Author's note: This is my favorite move—the noob's chip damage god-tier skill. Input: forward, down-forward, down, down-back, back + B or D)
Robert forcibly stabilized mid-air, his legs becoming countless phantoms, kicking out waves of qi like a machine gun spraying at Cloud!
Yet these projectiles—capable of piercing steel—dissipated like mud oxen entering the sea as they approached Cloud's body, their power stripped away layer by layer until nothing remained.