"Oh?"
Sakazuki was slightly surprised.
He had used seventy percent of his strength in that elbow strike, intending to knock Tatsuki out instantly, but he merely swayed slightly.
"Interesting! But not enough!"
Sakazuki roared, advancing instead of retreating, his left hook carrying a foul wind straight toward Tatsuki's exposed ribs.
If that punch landed solid, the breakfast he hadn't digested would come right back up.
Tatsuki's eyelids twitched slightly.
With his current neural response speed, he could easily keep up.
Dodging was effortless.
But if he dodged, and Sakazuki realized he couldn't beat him, how was he supposed to farm points?
Only a mutual exchange of solid blows would get him the most points.
Bang!
The dull thud of the impact made the observing trainees wince.
Tatsuki neither dodged nor avoided, taking the punch squarely on his side abdomen, and countered with a whip kick aimed straight at Sakazuki's face.
[Ding! Assaulting a fellow cadet, Violation points +80!]
Listening to this wonderful notification sound, Tatsuki felt the pain in his ribs turn sweet.
"Good!"
Tatsuki spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and laughed aloud, "Again! Are you starving, Sakazuki?!"
The two instantly became entangled in a fierce struggle.
It was a fistfight where every punch landed, with no fancy probing—just brutal moves aimed at putting the opponent out of commission for half a month.
The more Sakazuki fought, the more alarmed he became.
He considered his physical techniques to be absolutely top-tier among the trainees of this generation. Every punch was heavy and powerful, capable of shattering even rock.
But Tatsuki, standing before him, was like a piece of extremely tough taffy. Although every punch landed on him with a dull thud of bone, and blood was already spilling from the corners of his mouth, his blue eyes burned with a fervor that Sakazuki could not comprehend.
'Is this guy crazy?'
Sakazuki's temper flared, and his movements became even more violent, delivering a fierce knee strike straight to Tatsuki's stomach.
Tatsuki grunted, blood spilling from his mouth, but countered with a savage headbutt.
Bang!
The two heads collided.
Sakazuki stumbled backward, his nose bridge throbbing painfully, as warm liquid dripped down his philtrum.
His nasal bone was cracked.
[Ding! Inflicted facial damage on a fellow cadet! Violation points +100!]
Awesome!
This is f*cking awesome!
Tatsuki laughed wildly internally, but outwardly, he staggered backward, haphazardly wiping the blood from his face.
He gasped for air, his voice hoarse yet arrogant. "Sakazuki, is this the only extent of your justice? You can't knock me down at all."
"You bastard!"
Sakazuki was completely enraged.
He abandoned all defense and lunged forward like a mad dog.
Left hook! Right swing! Knee strike!
Tatsuki also raised his fists to counterattack.
"Ora Ora Ora!"
"Muda Muda Muda!"
[Violation points +50... +50... +50...]
The numbers on the system panel flashed wildly, more stimulating than the slot machines on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty minutes passed.
The observing trainees had long since held their breath, daring not to make a sound.
Zephyr stood on the sidelines, his brow tightly furrowed. He could tell that Tatsuki had several opportunities to dodge attacks and counter, but he chose to meet force with force.
'Is it the pride of crushing an opponent head-on, even if it means taking damage?' Zephyr speculated, raising his evaluation of Tatsuki in his heart.
'Although he's a troublemaker, this spirit is certainly the makings of a Marine.'
In the center of the arena.
Both men had turned into bloodied messes.
Tatsuki had one eye swollen, his clothes were tattered, and his body was covered in bruises.
Sakazuki was not much better off. His crew cut was covered in dust and blood, his breathing was heavy, his fists were swollen red, and his fingers were even slightly distorted.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
After another collision, the two tacitly separated, confronting each other from three meters away.
Sakazuki was bent over, staring at the figure opposite him who was teetering but refused to fall.
A monster.
That was Sakazuki's only thought at the moment.
His ribs were clearly broken in at least two places, and his internal organs must have been concussed, yet why wouldn't he fall?
Why could he still wear that look of wanting more?
"I misjudged you."
Sakazuki spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, the brutality in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex emotion.
He was a man who respected strength. Tatsuki's tenacity earned his respect.
"Let's stop here."
Sakazuki lowered his fighting stance, his voice hoarse.
"If we keep fighting, you will die. Your fists are hard, Tatsuki. And you truly have the resolve to shoulder justice. We'll call it a draw today."
Having said that, Sakazuki turned to leave.
The observing trainees let out a sigh of relief.
Kuzan also patted his chest, preparing to go help them up.
However...
"A draw?"
A light, airy voice sounded from behind Sakazuki.
"Sakazuki."
"Who permitted you to unilaterally end this game?"
Sakazuki's steps halted abruptly and he turned back in disbelief.
He saw the blood-soaked man slowly straighten his back, the previous feeling of imminent collapse vanishing without a trace.
Tatsuki wiped the blood obscuring his eyes and glanced at the system panel.
[Violation points: 41,200]
'That's enough.' Tatsuki calculated internally.
Shearing the wool too aggressively leads to baldness, and Sakazuki already had the mistaken impression of "respectful appreciation" for him, continuing the act would seem fake.
Since that was the case...
Tatsuki stretched his neck, producing a crisp cracking sound. A heart-stopping aura erupted from his body.
"Sakazuki."
Tatsuki looked at Sakazuki opposite him, the corner of his lips curving slightly upward.
"The warm-up has just ended. Next, try your best to stay alive."
Sakazuki's pupils sharply contracted, and a strong sense of danger made the hair on his body stand on end.
Tatsuki was hiding his strength the whole time? Was he using me for practice?
'System, allocate points to Rokushiki: Soru. Upgrade to Mastery.'
[Consuming 6,000 Violation points! Skill infusion in progress...]
In an instant, countless techniques regarding leg muscle explosive power, blood flow, and ground reaction force flooded Tatsuki's mind.
The muscles in his legs trembled slightly beneath his trousers, like two springs compressed to their limit.
"I'm coming, Sakazuki."
Tatsuki's voice was still echoing in place but he had vanished.