Chapter 1003: A Big Mistake
Stanley had his eyes on two places. One was the large TV screen where the fight between Harvor and Jayden was taking place. Usually, he would just ignore the fight altogether, but the way Harvor had been acting had Stanley a little concerned.
Not that he thought his boss would lose, but maybe something else would occur. As for his other eye, it was kept on the tablet screen. Not too long ago, he had sent one of the Zodiacs to check a particular location.
‘I’ve still had no news on Simba at all, and the cameras couldn’t get a clear image of the person responsible. Simba should have dealt with it, I shouldn’t be overly worried. There aren’t many people in the world that can take on the Zodiacs, after all.’
Placing his tablet by his side, Stanley decided it was best to continue concentrating on the fight ahead.
Inside the ring, Jayden was no longer playing games or trying to fight Harvor on an even playing field. He wanted to beat his opponent in a way that felt fair, to feel like they were on the same level, but it didn’t seem possible.
So Jayden had transformed into his Altered state. Black markings could be seen across his face, running down the side of his cheeks, while mystic white fur flowed from the rest of his body.
He had stopped Harvor’s strike with his hand, and his heart was still pumping, ready to fight. While holding onto Harvor’s hand, Jayden pushed with his leg, forcing Harvor’s hand back, winning a battle of strength for the first time.
Harvor seemed to stumble backward, and Jayden quickly moved across the floor, kicking himself from the side. His body was swinging wide, just like the Dempsey Roll punches he had performed before. This time his body was leaning so far back, his face was almost skimming the floor.
With the momentum he had built up, his body flung like a spring and bashed right into the side of Harvor’s body. The moment it hit, the impact of the air was visibly seen by the crowd. It looked like the punch had stayed in place for a moment before Harvor’s body went flying toward the cage.
While in the air, though, Harvor spun his body several times and landed before reaching the end of the cage, oddly getting rid of all the momentum of the punch.
“That hit was quite heavy,” Harvor said with a smile. “This is more like what I expected.”
He stared at Jayden, who didn’t say a word, instead baring his long canine teeth that had grown with his fierce eyes.
Jayden made the first move as he rushed forward, and in an instant, reacting the same way, Harvor moved in as well. The two of them met in the center and started to throw blows at each other.
Jayden’s first hits struck nothing but air, as Harvor had managed to dodge them. But when Harvor went to strike back, Jayden blocked a bunch and then delivered a kick of his own that was blocked by a kick.
The two of them furiously continued to throw punches and kicks at each other, and the crowd couldn’t believe their eyes. It was like watching an action movie fast-forwarded right in front of them.
A series of blocks and hits with no clear winner between the two. If a person blinked, they would miss part of the sequence, and if it were any faster, they weren’t sure if they’d be able to see anything at all.
‘I can see them, I can see them. While I’m in this state, I can see all of his movements, and I’m able to match his strength as well!’ Jayden thought, as he threw another hit, aiming right for the side of his head.
Harvor blocked the hit and continued to block another one coming from the other side. Right then, he lifted his leg to kick Jayden in the stomach, but Jayden leapt back and pounced forward after dodging the attack.
Jayden jumped up at Harvor, kicking him with both legs, then flipped in the air. One thing was clear: Jayden was the more athletic of the two.
When Jayden looked to see how Harvor was coping, there was still a smile on his face.
‘Even though I’ve transformed, even though I’m in my Altered state and he’s not, even though I can see everything he can do, I still can’t win this fight!’
Moving forward, Jayden swung a fist right at Harvor’s face, and then saw an uppercut coming his way. With his other hand, Jayden threw a hook, and now both were striking toward each other at the same time, and both blows landed.
Jayden was struck on his chin, his head rattled, while Harvor was struck on the side of his temple. Both of them had to have been hurt from the hits, but they continued their attacks once again, fighting without rest.
“Hey, I might be imagining things, but I think this is the hardest I’ve seen Harvor fight,” one of the crowd members said.
“I think you’re right. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Harvor move this fast.”
It was true, and Harvor could tell as well. That’s why the smile couldn’t be wiped off his face. But the more the smile stayed, the more it angered Jayden.
‘That d.a.m.ned smile, how can he… how can he smile… how can he!’ With fury running through his entire body, Jayden took a swing. He knew his fist would miss, but in his anger, wis.h.i.+ng to use all the power he had, a glow started to appear around his clawed fist.
A large current swayed in the air, and right out of Jayden’s hand, a wind claw strike appeared. The attack cut right through Harvor’s forearms and lifted him into the air, until he crashed into the cage.
Stanley was staring at the screen in the waiting room.
“That d.a.m.ned Jayden Tiger!” he shouted. “What does he think he’s doing? Elemental attacks are illegal in the AFC!”
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