The round continued, and soon it was finally the Beggar's turn.
His opponent was a brute wearing the uniform of the Sword and Shield sect, staring at him like he was about to devour him alive.
They stood facing each other, the size difference so stark it seemed like Apollo could be flicked away with a single movement.
"Real weapons are not allowed. If you have one, throw it off the stage now," the Referee said, eyeing the two participants.
Yohan shook his head. "I don't have one."
Apollo, on the other hand, reached under his robe and pulled out the tree branch he had found on the side of the road. This scene caused the audience to chuckle, though they weren't surprised anymore—every time this small, masked man fought, he always threw in a stick.
"Don't underestimate me!" Yohan shouted, seeing his opponent about to toss his "weapon."
"Are you sure about that?" Apollo raised an eyebrow.
"Hell yeah! Don't think I'm not worthy of you going all out! Let's fight fair and square, no holding back!" Yohan said, his eyes full of determination.
The Referee glanced at the brute, confused. What's wrong with this guy? It's just a tree branch, right?
I guess I shouldn't hide this anymore, Apollo thought, nodding. "Alright then, I'll use my weapon in honor of your courage."
"Good! This time, I won't hold back!" Yohan said, cracking his neck and fists.
The Referee looked at the two in disbelief. A tree branch? He sighed and walked over to the small, masked man. "Is this stick your weapon?"
"Yes," Apollo nodded. "I know real weapons aren't allowed, but this guy insisted I use mine. So it should be okay, right? Both parties consented."
The Referee paused. Apollo was right—there was an unspoken rule that if both parties agreed to use weapons, the Referee would have to comply. This also meant the participants were aware they could potentially kill each other. However, he still had to report it and get permission from the Headmasters.
The Referee turned to the Headmasters on the floating platform. The trio conferred briefly before Master Axton nodded.
Apollo felt the familiar signal but didn't bother tuning in this time—he had a good idea of what they were discussing.
"Let me see... your weapon," the Referee said, clearly uncomfortable calling a tree branch a weapon.
The Beggar handed it over. After inspecting it closely to ensure it was just an ordinary stick, the Referee gave it back. "So, it's allowed?"
"Yes," the Referee nodded, a strange expression on his face. "It's a regular tree branch and not even comparable to the wooden weapons we have here. Are you sure you want to use this?"
"Don't underestimate the power of nature," Apollo said, raising the tree branch in front of him. "Even though this is just a normal stick, it's the sharpest thing in the world."
"If you say so," the Referee shrugged, clearly not buying it. He moved to the center of the stage and raised his hand. "Let the fight begin!"
With that, Yohan activated his Battle Technique. A dark blue haze surrounded his body before materializing into giant hands that covered his own.
He punched his giant fists together, causing ripples to appear with each collision. A smirk crept across his face as he stared coldly at his opponent. "In our previous fight, you just got lucky, and I held back. But now! You will see my true power!"
Apollo yawned, motioning with his tree branch. "Just come at me."
Seeing his opponent's laid-back attitude, Yohan felt disrespected. His face twitched, and anger made him grit his teeth. "I will crush you!"
A resounding explosion echoed as Yohan activated his movement technique, appearing in front of the Beggar in mere seconds. "Take this!" he shouted, his giant fist, covered in energy, flying toward Apollo's face.
Apollo stepped aside, the punch barely missing him. He responded with a left-handed slap, using the True Hardening Technique. This increased his body's mass and doubled the strength of his attack.
However, Yohan blocked the slap with his other hand!
The force propelled him backward, his feet leaving marks on the stage.
"I said don't underestimate me! Use your weapon!" Yohan yelled, eyes blazing with intensity.
"But that wouldn't be fun, right? You'd just get defeated instantly," Apollo grinned. Belittling people who overestimated themselves was actually quite entertaining.
"Then I'll make you use it!" Yohan shouted with determination, closing the distance in just a few steps. He unleashed a barrage of punches, their might causing the air to crackle, as the two fighters covered the stage.
Tsk! This is frustrating! Yohan thought, noticing the small, masked man was only using his free hand while dodging most of the attacks.
"You leave me no choice!" Yohan shouted, leaping back and pulling his right hand behind him.
Apollo raised an eyebrow. He was still enjoying the fight, but now Yohan was gearing up for something big. Has he reached his limit already? "Oh, you're preparing your final move?"
"Hell yeah!" Yohan yelled. The dark haze around him gathered on his right hand, and the translucent fist grew to a massive five meters in size.
"Hmm, I guess it's time to end this," Apollo muttered, bringing his tree branch in front of him.
All this time, the Referee had been watching intently, especially curious about the small, masked man who had yet to use his tree branch. Why bring out a stick if you're not going to use it? But as Apollo raised the tree branch like a sword, the Referee anticipated a spectacle, though he didn't hold much hope.
Yohan's eyes lit up. "That's it! Good! Now take this!" he shouted, charging toward Apollo.
Apollo did the same, and the two dashed past each other.
As if nothing had happened, the Beggar calmly placed his tree branch back inside his robe and turned to the Referee. "Don't worry, he's still alive."
The Referee looked confused, glancing at the still-standing Yohan. Are they just playing around? But then his eyes widened as Yohan's giant translucent fist disintegrated, and Yohan collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.