Mishima Prefecture — Zenith Coliseum
Day One — Blood Path Tournament
The stadium thundered with noise — 100,000 spectators screaming in anticipation. Neon lights blazed. Drones buzzed overhead, broadcasting the chaos worldwide to millions.
In the center, the massive Arena Core flickered to life — a towering holographic cube showing matchups.
At the commentator's booth, two figures sat:
A petite woman with pink twin-tails and a devilish grin — Mini, the hyper announcer.
And beside her, a stoic martial artist in black robes — Double Pace Sensei, a living legend.
"ALRIGHT, BLOOD FANS!" Mini screeched into the mic, voice booming across the Coliseum.
"Welcome to DAY ONE of the G.O.D TOURNAMENT! Where dreams die, and legends are born!"
Double Pace Sensei spoke quietly, his voice slicing cleanly through the roar.
"Today, 512 fighters. Only 128 will advance. The rest... well. They won't be walking out."
The crowd exploded.
Banners waved.
People pounded their fists on the railings.
The air vibrated with bloodlust.
Mini winked at the camera.
"Our FIRST MATCH! From Hong Kong — the Queen of Ten Thousand Blizzards — XAO MIN FENG!"
A spotlight hit Xao Min as she stepped into the ring.
She wore sleek white combat gear. Her silver hair tied into two tight buns.
Tiny, delicate — like a snowflake.
But her eyes were steel.
"And her opponent," Mini shrieked.
"A monster straight out of Johannesburg — THE SLOTH KING!"
The ground shook.
A mountain of a man strode forward — dark skin gleaming under the stadium lights, muscles coiled like thick cables.
He wore tattered boxing gloves, his chest scarred by old battles. His expression lazy... but his fists heavy as tombstones.
Double Pace Sensei adjusted his glasses.
"The Sloth King... undefeated in five underground leagues. Once shattered a man's spine with a single punch."
Xao Min breathed in slowly.
(Stay calm. Find the rhythm.)
The referee stepped forward.
"No killing. No weapons. First to surrender, knockout, or inability to fight — loses. Fighters ready?"
Both nodded.
The bell rang.
DING!
---
ROUND ONE: XAO MIN VS. SLOTH KING
The Sloth King didn't even raise his fists at first.
He lumbered forward casually, like swatting flies.
The crowd laughed.
But then — a blur.
He moved.
Faster than any heavyweight should.
A brutal right jab whistled toward Xao Min's face — like a cannon blast.
She ducked instinctively — but the wind from the punch snapped her hair tie.
(Too slow!)
She pivoted, retreating.
But he advanced, throwing a left hook — BOOM — the shockwave cracked the arena tiles.
Mini screamed, "OH SNAP! He's treating the floor like a drum kit!"
Xao Min weaved, narrowly dodging another hammer-fist.
The Sloth King smirked lazily.
"You dance good, girl. But how long you gonna last?"
He launched a devastating combination — jab, jab, body blow.
Each impact against the air was like a grenade detonating.
Xao Min's arms numbed as she blocked, her frame rattling under the force.
(I can't trade blows. He'll crush me.)
She jumped back, breathing hard.
Her vision blurred.
Her ribs throbbed from a glancing hit.
In the stands, Genji clenched the railing.
"Xao Min... you need to awaken."
Blaze muttered, "Come on, Penguin Queen..."
Suddenly — the ground around Xao Min frosted.
Her breath came out in cold mist.
Inside her heart — something cracked open.
A shimmering blue light erupted from her — forming the outline of a giant spectral penguin.
Its wings wrapped around her protectively.
Her aura — ice-cold, razor-sharp.
The crowd gasped.
Double Pace Sensei's eyes gleamed.
"Awakening. The Frost Penguin Spirit. True fighting spirit unlocked."
The Sloth King laughed — a deep, rumbling sound.
"Nice trick."
He stomped forward — fists raised like sledgehammers.
But Xao Min's body moved differently now.
Sharper. Faster. Deadlier.
She slid in low — like skating on ice — weaving between his massive punches.
Penguin Wing Chun.
Her palms blurred — SLAP-SLAP-SLAP — striking pressure points along his forearm.
Disrupting blood flow.
Nerve attacks.
Soft destruction.
The Sloth King grunted, his left arm going numb.
Xao Min pivoted — a spinning frost-swept palm strike straight into his solar plexus.
BOOM!
Frost exploded outward.
The Sloth King staggered, coughing.
He swung desperately — wild haymaker — but Xao Min ducked under it, stepping into his blind spot.
One precise, chilling strike — three rapid blows to his kidneys — then a soaring jump-kick to his chin.
CRACK!
His head snapped back.
The giant stumbled.
Xao Min wasn't done.
She channeled her spirit — frost enveloping her fists — and unleashed her signature:
Penguin's Final Waltz.
A blizzard of strikes — 32 hits in 10 seconds — targeting joints, tendons, breath, balance.
The Sloth King fell to one knee.
Panting.
Broken.
The referee jumped in, waving frantically.
"STOP! STOP! WINNER: XAO MIN FENG!"
The crowd went wild.
Xao Min bowed respectfully, even as her body trembled from the exertion.
The Sloth King chuckled weakly from the ground.
"Penguin... Queen... huh. Not bad..."
He collapsed unconscious.
Blaze cheered from the stands.
"Hell yeah! Our ice queen is insane!"
---
Next Match: BLAZE VS. KRIEG
Mini screamed into the mic.
"NEXT! Lightning vs. Madness!"
Blaze Kuronuma walked into the arena — silver hair tousled, electric sparks crackling around him.
He wore simple street clothes — loose pants and a sleeveless hoodie — but his eyes burned with fierce confidence.
Across him, Krieg stomped into the ring.
Shirtless, muscles gleaming with sweat, black chains wrapped around his fists like living things.
His face was split into a savage grin.
"I LIKE YOU, SPARK BOY," Krieg roared.
"BUT I'M GONNA BREAK YOU!"
Blaze cracked his knuckles, electricity surging up his arms.
"Talk less. Punch more."
DING!
---
ROUND TWO: BLAZE VS. KRIEG
Krieg charged like a wrecking ball — fists whistling through the air.
Each punch was a bomb — destructive shockwaves cracking the stadium walls.
Blaze dodged with razor precision — footwork like a dance — weaving between death itself.
BOOM!
Miss.
CRACK!
Dodge.
Krieg bellowed in rage, swinging with both fists — a double hammer strike.
Blaze dropped low — planted his hand on the ground — and launched upward with a spinning electric uppercut.
THUNDER STRIKE!
His fist slammed into Krieg's jaw — lightning bursting outward.
The crowd exploded.
Krieg stumbled back, blood flying from his mouth —
but he laughed.
"GOOD! MORE!"
He tore the chains off his fists, whipping them outward.
The chains snapped through the air — deadly whips aimed at Blaze's head and legs.
Blaze sprinted forward — charging directly into the storm.
Electricity blazed from his body — overloading the chains — burning Krieg's arms.
With a wild scream, Blaze drove a crackling knee into Krieg's ribs —
then pivoted —
and unleashed a barrage of lightning-fast jabs to his face.
Krieg absorbed them, roaring, and countered — slamming a massive punch into Blaze's side.
Blaze coughed blood — his ribs cracked.
Vision swimming.
Pain screaming.
(Stay standing. Stay awake.)
He stepped back, gathering all his spirit.
Electricity spiraled around him like a living storm.
The ghostly image of a silver wolf howled behind him.
Blaze raised his fist — crackling brighter than the sun.
"FINAL VOLT."
He sprinted — blurring —
and slammed his fist directly into Krieg's heart.
BOOOOOOM!
A shockwave blasted across the arena.
The ground cratered.
Krieg's eyes rolled back.
He stumbled once.
Twice.
Then collapsed face-first.
Silence.
Then —
the stadium erupted into deafening cheers.
The referee staggered forward, blinking.
"WINNER: BLAZE KURONUMA!"
Blaze dropped to one knee, gasping, the wolf spirit fading behind him.
But he was smiling.
Alive.
Victorious.
In the stands, Genji and Asumi roared with pride.
Xao Min wiped tears from her eyes.
"We're not losing today," she whispered.
Not today.
Not ever.
---
TO BE CONTINUED.