As the defense continued, Tien Shinhan realized he had managed to deflect most of Nail's power, but there was a portion he simply couldn't shake off.
That power penetrated deep into his body, causing secondary damage.
He had to find a way to break the deadlock. If this dragged on any longer, he might not even get a chance to go all out.
Just as Tien Shinhan was distracted, Nail keenly seized on this opening.
"You let your guard down!" Nail's cold voice rang out.
The next second, Nail turned into a blur and vanished from his original spot.
"Not good!" Seeing Nail disappear, Tien Shinhan's pupils contracted sharply.
A wave of danger swept over his body, and he tried to dodge on instinct, but it was too late.
Bang!!! Nail's powerful blow struck Tien Shinhan square in the back, sending him crashing down in an instant.
As he plummeted toward the ground, Tien Shinhan quickly twisted in the air, using the motion to disperse the lingering force and managed to land steadily at the center of the arena.
But before he could even catch his breath, an even fiercer barrage from Nail came crashing down.
With the momentum of the fight in his hands, Nail wasn't about to give Tien Shinhan a chance to take a breather. He unleashed his full power, golden light flashing between his hands.
"Haaaaaa!!!" Nail let out a loud roar, then whipped his arms forward, launching countless Energy Balls from his palms.
A dense barrage of energy attacks poured down like a torrential rainstorm, forming an impenetrable web that bombarded Tien Shinhan, leaving him with nowhere to run.
"Come on, let's fight to our heart's content!" Tien Shinhan's fighting spirit ignited. Nail's ferocious fighting style completely awakened his warrior genes.
His whole being entered a state of extreme excitement, powerful energy surging through his body. As Tien Shinhan thrust his hands forward, the energy solidified into layer upon layer of protective barriers, wrapping around him completely.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!... Explosions thundered on without pause, echoing across the sky.
Blazing flames shot upward, and powerful shockwaves from the explosions swept out in all directions, filling much of the invisible barriers.
Nail's energy bombardment didn't let up. He knew that this was the decisive moment!
As long as he kept pouring on the energy, he'd eventually break through Tien Shinhan's defense. Now it was just a contest of stamina.
"Haaaa!!" Nail shouted, ramping up his bombardment even further.
Dense Energy Balls kept falling like raindrops, raining down on Tien Shinhan relentlessly.
Tien Shinhan, forced to defend with everything he had, now felt enormous pressure. His muscular body was already covered with sweat.
Crack! Crack!
The protective barrier he'd created with every ounce of his strength was reaching its limit. If he kept taking the energy bombardment, it would inevitably collapse!
Since reaching this level, it was the first time Tien Shinhan had ever felt such intense pressure.
Nail's overwhelming strength made the blood of the Triclops race within him boil and burn, making him forget himself and sweep away all fatigue.
"Kaio-ken!!" Full of fighting spirit, Tien Shinhan suddenly let out a thunderous shout, and in an instant, a terrifying aura erupted from his body.
Blood-red, murderous energy shot into the sky, the intense surge of aura rapidly expanding outward. It instantly blew away the smoke from the explosion and neutralized every remaining Energy Ball in the air.
"What?!" Nail sensed something was wrong and instinctively raised his arms to shield himself from this terrifying aura.
But the force of this aura was far stronger than he'd imagined, it almost knocked him off his feet.
When the storm finally subsided, Nail saw clearly. In the center of the arena, Tien Shinhan was shrouded in blood-red murderous energy, his aura more overwhelming than anyone could imagine.
With the boost from Kaio-ken, Tien Shinhan's power level instantly broke past 100 million, reaching a staggering 160 million.
In terms of power level alone, he was actually even stronger than Goku in his normal Super Saiyan 1 state!
"Amazing... Is this your true power? This Kaio-ken move is really an eye-opener," Nail gasped in disbelief.
At that moment, the intensity of Tien Shinhan's aura was so overwhelming, it made Nail feel as if he couldn't possibly resist.
While Nail was still in shock, Tien Shinhan suddenly teleported, appearing right in front of him.
"So fast!!" Nail was startled and instinctively threw a punch.
Slap!!
Tien Shinhan effortlessly raised his hand and blocked the punch, deftly neutralizing all the force behind it.
Seeing his attack stopped so easily, Nail's expression changed dramatically. He tried to pull his fist back to counterattack, only to find he couldn't move it at all. Tien Shinhan's grip was unimaginably strong.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free!
"To be honest, this is my first time actually using Kaio-ken in a real fight. Sorry about this, Nail!" As he spoke, Tien Shinhan's other hand struck out with tremendous force, landing a heavy blow to Nail's abdomen.
Bang!!! The impact sounded with a jarring, visceral thud, the force of the punch piercing through Nail's body.
The power behind that punch was terrifying.
Even though Tien Shinhan had deliberately held back most of his strength, the effect on Nail was still enormous.
Nail's face twisted in pain as his mouth spewed out a stream of blood. His body went rigid and he was temporarily unable to move.
But it wasn't over yet. Seizing the opportunity, Tien Shinhan followed up with a whip kick that sent Nail flying, then used super speed to catch up to the airborne Nail, interlaced his fingers, and brought both hands down like a massive warhammer.
Boom!!! The resulting impact was so powerful it caused ripples in the very air.
Struck by this devastating blow, Nail crashed into the arena like a meteor, smashing a huge crater more than a dozen meters wide. He lay in the center of the pit, convulsing, completely unable to get up.
At this moment, the outcome was already decided.
The difference in power was clear as day. With Kaio-ken, even Goku in Super Saiyan 1 couldn't match Tien Shinhan.
After knocking Nail back into the arena, Tien Shinhan slowly descended, landing at the edge of the crater.
He stood as the victor, looking down at Nail who had completely lost his ability to fight.
Even now, Nail was still struggling with all his might. He wanted to keep fighting, but he simply couldn't move anymore.
Tien Shinhan watched silently, keeping his composure, then glanced over at the blonde-haired referee not far away.
Seeing that, the referee finally came to his senses, climbed onto the arena, and walked to the edge of the crater to begin the countdown.
Within ten counts, Nail still hadn't gotten up.
"The winner of Top 8's fourth match is Tien Shinhan!" the blonde-haired referee declared, announcing Tien Shinhan as the victor.
At the same time, the audience erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, as if celebrating Tien Shinhan's victory.
Especially those who had followed Tien Shinhan since the last World Martial Arts Tournament. They were deeply shaken by the power he'd just unleashed and became die-hard fans.
Even Tien Shinhan himself hadn't expected that. Thanks to this intense match and his astonishing display of power, he'd win over a ton of new fangirls.
Just then, Nail, lying in the crater, finally recovered and slowly got up, letting out a long sigh.
Tien Shinhan's two consecutive heavy blows had both struck his weak spots. Though not fatal, they left him unable to recover his strength.
The two fighters looked at each other again, both smiling in mutual respect.
"Your strength is truly impressive. I admit defeat. You may have won this time, but next time, I'll take the victory back!" Nail said to Tien Shinhan.
"All right, I'm looking forward to our next match, too." Tien Shinhan offered his right hand in friendship.
Nail responded by reaching out as well. The two mighty warriors, both nearing a power level of a hundred million, made a pact.
Next time, they'd fight again!
...
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