The 4v4 duel began, and as Min-Jae had expected, the Japanese side immediately seized the upper hand. Excluding Cha Hae-In and Baek Yoon-Ho, the Korean hunters were being completely overwhelmed.
The first to fall was Ma Dong-Wook. Despite his imposing size and reputation, he was swiftly taken down by a Japanese hunter named Ken Tanaka, whose precision strikes found every gap in the big man's defense. Moments later, Lim Tae-Gyu followed, outmaneuvered and forced to surrender.
The 4v4 had become 2v4.
Baek Yoon-Ho found himself targeted by two opponents simultaneously, their coordinated attacks forcing him on the defensive. On the other side of the arena, Cha Hae-In moved like water—her movements so fast and fluid they appeared almost like a graceful dance. Within seconds, she'd eliminated one of the Japanese female hunters with a series of strikes too quick for most observers to follow.
'She's incredible,' Min-Jae thought, watching her work.
But then things took a turn.
After eliminating her opponent, Cha Hae-In moved to assist Baek Yoon-Ho with his 2v1 situation. Midway across the arena, she was intercepted by a Japanese hunter wearing a mask and eye patch—Atsushi Kumamoto.
At first, it seemed like a standard duel scenario. But something felt off.
Cha Hae-In's instincts must have kicked in—the bloodlust radiating from Kumamoto was far too intense for a friendly spar. In a single instant, she pivoted with inhuman speed and launched a counterattack.
Her fist became a blur.
'Fifteen punches,' Min-Jae counted, his enhanced perception tracking each strike. 'She just hit him fifteen times in that split second. How fast is she?'
But instead of backing down, Kumamoto's entire demeanor changed. His aura shifted—became darker, more savage. The bloodlust intensified, rolling off him in waves that made several of the watching hunters tense instinctively.
'He's snapped,' Min-Jae realized. 'Completely lost control.'
Out of the corner of his eye, Min-Jae noticed Sung Jin-Woo taking a half-step forward, clearly preparing to intervene.
'But I'm her brother,' Min-Jae thought. 'And I need to make an impression here.'
Kumamoto's speed had increased dramatically. He launched himself at Cha Hae-In with killing intent, his attack aimed to seriously harm. She reacted instantly, dodging backward—but Kumamoto was already following up with another strike.
"I think it's time to step in," Min-Jae said calmly.
Before anyone could respond, he vanished from his position beside Sung Jin-Woo and the Chairman. In the same instant, he materialized directly between Cha Hae-In and Kumamoto, his hand raised casually.
Kumamoto's attack—a vicious strike that would have connected with Cha Hae-In's head—stopped cold. Not blocked, not deflected. Simply stopped, as if it had hit an invisible wall centimeters from Min-Jae's palm.
The entire arena fell silent.
Every Japanese hunter, including Goto Ryuji, stared in shock. The Korean hunters looked equally astonished—not at Min-Jae stopping the attack, but at the *speed* of his intervention. He'd moved so fast that most hadn't even seen him cross the distance.
Goto Ryuji turned sharply to his translator. "Is he really a mage-type hunter?" he demanded in Japanese.
"Yes, sir," she confirmed, checking her notes. "According to official data, he's classified as S-Rank, mage-type."
"I couldn't even see when he moved," Goto muttered, his eyes fixed on Min-Jae. "There's no way he's just a mage."
---
Min-Jae looked at Kumamoto's frozen fist, still pressed against Infinity, then shifted his gaze to the man's masked face. The bloodlust was still there, but confusion was creeping in—Kumamoto couldn't understand why his attack had stopped.
'Time to end this cleanly.'
Min-Jae focused, channeling a precise amount of magical energy into a specific pressure point technique. His hand moved forward, not touching Kumamoto but directing concentrated force at key neural points through the invisible barrier.
*Pressure Knockout,*
Kumamoto's eyes rolled back, and his body went limp instantly. Min-Jae caught him before he hit the ground, lowering him carefully.
He looked over his shoulder at Cha Hae-In. "You accepting the loss?"
She met his eyes for a moment, reading something in his expression, then nodded. "Yes."
"Good call." Min-Jae stood, carefully lifting Kumamoto and carrying him toward the Japanese side. He handed the unconscious hunter to one of his teammates, who took him with visible concern.
Min-Jae turned to address the room. "Then it's settled. The Japanese team wins 3-1 in a well-fought 4v4 duel."
He walked back toward Cha Hae-In, who was brushing dust off her sleeves. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," she said, though there was an edge to her voice. "I had it under control."
"I know. But he wasn't following the rules anymore—"
"Hunter Min-Jae."
Min-Jae turned. Goto Ryuji was approaching with his translator, both walking with purpose toward where he and Cha Hae-In stood.
The translator spoke first, her tone professional and respectful. "Mr. Hunter, Goto Ryuji has a message for you."
She paused, translating as Goto spoke in Japanese. "Hunter Min-Jae, would it be acceptable if we had a one-on-one match?"
'Wait,' Min-Jae thought, processing this. 'If it had been Sung Jin-Woo who intervened instead of me, would Goto have challenged him? I mean, currently I'm probably stronger than both Goto and Sung Jin-Woo combined, so challenging me makes sense, fight the one you feel is the strong one. But still...'
[Note : He is trying to process the actual canon storyline by the happenings currently. That's why he is predicting what would have happened and all. Just thought this explaining was needed]
He met Goto's eyes—calm, assessing, competitive. This wasn't about bloodlust or proving dominance. It was genuine curiosity from one fighter to another.
"Same rules as before?" Min-Jae asked. "First to grab the opponent's wrist wins?"
The translator relayed the question. Goto nodded, a slight smile forming.
"Then I accept," Min-Jae said.
Cha Hae-In touched his arm. "Are you sure about this?"
Min-Jae looked at her, his expression confident but not arrogant. "No problem. I've got this."
The arena began to stir with renewed energy. Korean and Japanese hunters alike moved to better vantage points, sensing that this match would be something worth watching.