"Huh?"
Sakazuki was somewhat surprised.
He had used seventy percent of his strength in that elbow strike, intending to knock the kid down directly. Unexpectedly, the other merely staggered slightly.
"Interesting! But not enough!"
Sakazuki roared, his figure advancing instead of retreating. A left hook carried a foul wind straight toward the opening under Kane's ribs.
If this punch landed solidly, Kane would vomit the breakfast he hadn't fully digested yet.
Kane's eyelids twitched slightly.
With his current nerve reactions, he could easily keep up.
Dodging would be effortless.
But if he dodged, and Sakazuki realized he couldn't win, how could he farm points then?
Only a brutal, flesh-pounding brawl was the ultimate way to farm points!
"Thud!"
The dull impact sound made the watching Cadets wince.
Kane neither dodged nor avoided, taking the punch squarely on his side, then countered with a whip kick aimed straight at Sakazuki's face.
[Ding! Assaulting a fellow Cadet, Violation Value +80!]
Hearing this delightful prompt, Kane felt even the pain in his ribs turn sweet.
"Good!" Kane spat out a bloody mouthful and laughed loudly: "Again! Did you not eat, Sakazuki!"
The two instantly tangled together.
Fists met flesh, with no fancy probing—every move was a vicious strike meant to put the other down for half a month.
The more they fought, the more alarmed Sakazuki became.
He considered his martial arts skills top-tier among this batch of newcomers, each punch powerful enough to shatter even rock.
But this Kane before him was like an incredibly resilient piece of taffy.
Even though every punch landed with a dull thud against his bones, even though blood was already trickling from the corner of his mouth, those blue eyes burned with a kind of... fervor he couldn't comprehend!
"Is this guy... out of his mind?"
Sakazuki grew furious, his movements turning more violent. A knee strike slammed hard into Kane's stomach.
Kane grunted, blood seeping from his mouth, but retaliated with a fierce headbutt!
Thump!
Two heads collided hard.
Sakazuki staggered back, his nose bridge in excruciating pain, warm fluid trickling down his philtrum.
His nasal bone was fractured.
[Ding! Causing facial injury to a fellow Cadet! Violation Value +100!]
Ecstatic!
So damn ecstatic!
Kane laughed maniacally inside, but on the surface, he staggered backward, wiping the blood off his face haphazardly.
He breathed heavily, his voice hoarse yet arrogant:
"Sakazuki! Is your Justice only this much?!"
"You can't even take me down!"
"Bastard!"
Sakazuki flew into a complete rage.
He abandoned all defense, pouncing forward like a mad dog.
Left hook! Right swing! Knee strike!
Kane raised his fists and fought back.
"Ora ora ora!!"
"Muda muda muda!!"
(Though Kane didn't shout it out, the vibe was exactly that.)
[Violation Value +50…+50…+50…]
The numbers on the system panel jumped wildly, more thrilling than the slot machines at Sabaody Archipelago.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty minutes passed.
The surrounding Cadets held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Zephyr stood at the edge of the field, his brow furrowed deeply.
He could tell that Kane had several opportunities to dodge the attacks and counter, yet he chose to face them head-on.
"Would he rather get injured just to crush his opponent's pride directly?" Zephyr mentally filled in the blanks, his evaluation of Kane rising a few notches. "Though he's a troublemaker, this backbone truly makes him fit to be a Marine."
In the center of the arena.
Both had become blood-soaked figures.
Kane had one eye swollen like a peach, his clothes tattered, his body covered in bruises.
Sakazuki wasn't faring much better.
His buzz cut was covered in dust and bloodstains, his breathing heavy, his fists red and swollen, his fingers even slightly deformed.
"Huff... huff..."
After another collision, the two tacitly separated, facing off three meters apart.
Sakazuki bent over, staring at the figure across from him that swayed unsteadily yet refused to fall.
Monster.
That was the only thought in Sakazuki's mind at this moment.
With at least two broken ribs and internal organs surely shaken, why wouldn't he fall?
Why could he still wear that expression... of wanting more?
"I misjudged him."
Sakazuki spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, the brutality in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex emotion.
He was someone who revered strength.
Kane's tenacity had earned his respect.
"Let's end this here."
Sakazuki dropped his fighting stance, his voice hoarse.
"Any more, and you'll die."
"Your fists are hard, Kane. You truly have the resolve to bear Justice. Let's call it a draw today."
With that, Sakazuki turned to leave.
The observing recruits breathed a sigh of relief.
Kuzan also patted his chest, preparing to step forward and help.
However.
"A draw?"
A light, drifting voice sounded from behind Sakazuki.
"Sakazuki."
"Who gave you permission... to end this game on your own?"
Sakazuki's steps halted abruptly.
He turned back in disbelief.
He saw the blood-soaked man slowly straighten his back, the previously unsteady sense of weakness vanishing instantly.
Kane wiped away the blood obscuring his vision and glanced at his system panel.
[Current Violation Value: 41200 (Just earned over 4000 from that brawl)]
"That's about enough," Kane calculated internally.
Fleece the sheep too hard and it'll go bald. Besides, Sakazuki had already developed a mistaken sense of "mutual respect" for him. Continuing the act would seem fake.
In that case...
Kane cracked his neck, producing crisp popping sounds. A heart-palpitating aura burst forth from within him.
"Sakazuki."
Kane looked at the red dog opposite him, the corner of his mouth curling slightly upward.
"The warm-up... has only just ended."
"Next, do your best to survive."
Sakazuki's pupils contracted sharply, an intense sense of crisis making all the hairs on his body stand on end!
This kid... was he hiding his strength all along?! Using me for practice?!
"System! Allocate points! Six Styles - Shave! Raise to Proficient!"
[6000 Violation Points consumed! Skill infusion in progress...]
In an instant.
Countless techniques regarding leg muscle explosion, blood flow, and ground reaction force flooded into Kane's mind.
The muscles in his legs trembled slightly beneath his trousers, like two springs compressed to their limit.
"Here I come, Sakazuki."
Kane's voice still echoed in place.
But the man himself had already vanished.