Martial Arts Worlds-Chapter 272: Weird Match

Confused looks were all around the stadium as no one understood what happened.

The punch looked slow and effortless, as if Lazaro wasn't even trying, and yet somehow it defeated his opponent.

'Fucking fool. At least punch properly! What the hell is that slow and pathetic punch?'

Alabaster felt his blood pressure rise as he looked at Lazaro with increasing anger.

'What the hell happened?'

Mateo thought in shock.

"U-uh…"

Raihan shook awake, then he sat up and looked shocked as he looked up to the ring. He was standing in the ring only a second ago, then everything turned dark, and he was outside.

"What the hell was that, Raihan?!"

The coach of Nyoom High lifted him up from the ground in anger and shook him violently as if he were a rag doll.

"U-uh, I don't know, coach! I was in the ring, then everything turned dark, and I woke up outside the ring!"

"What kind of bullshit are you spouting?! Did you get paid to lose the fight? You're a goddamn disgrace!"

"No, I swear, I didn't do that! I only remember standing in the ring one moment, then everything turned dark for a second, and then I was outside. Please, trust me!"

"How can you expect me to believe that bullshit explanation?!"

Raihan was on the verge of tears, but he really didn't know what the hell happened.

"Bring your next fighter, Nyoom High!"

The referee shouted as they didn't have all day to wait around for Nyoom High to deal with their differences.

"Go back to the bench!"

The coach pushed Raihan back to their bench, and even other members of Nyoom High looked at him suspiciously.

"Justin, your turn!"

Justin jumped to his feet and entered the ring. He had a surprisingly thick beard for someone in high school.

However, with some baby fat on his cheeks, it was clear that he hadn't reached adulthood just yet.

"Are you two ready?!"

"Yes!"

Justin growled loudly as he tightened his hands into fists.

'I don't know if they paid Raihan off, but if they did, I'll show these losers what happens if you try to cheat!'

"Yes…"

Lazaro said with hesitation.

He was still quite confused about how the last fight ended, but he didn't have any time to think about it.

"Fight!"

The referee swung his arm down.

"Hu!"

Justin took only one step forward, but then his eyes shook suddenly, and his gaze turned lazy as if he were in a trance.

"Haa!"

Lazaro swung his fist, and punched Justin off the ring. Justin flew through the air and landed outside the ring.

The crowd gasped in shock.

"What the hell?!"

The coach pulled Justin up from the ground and slapped him across the face. That finally woke him up, who looked shocked.

"E-eh, the hell?"

"You too?! How much did they pay you, huh? How can you sell away your pride like that?"

"I-I don't know what happened. Everything turned dark suddenly!"

"Did you guys decide together on that bullshit explanation, or did you all come up with that shit on the spot?!"

"I-I swear, something strange is going on!"

The referee and the crowd looked confused.

It didn't look like Raihan and Justin wanted to lose or intentionally lost. Maybe their opponent, Lazaro, was just deceivingly strong?

'What the hell is going on?'

Mateo wondered and looked at their coach, Alabaster, with a look of concern.

'Is he… doing something to our opponents?'

The coach pushed Justin back to the bench, then he grabbed Johnny by his collar and screamed straight at his face.

"Johnny, are you with them? Did they also pay you off? If they did, please rethink. Don't let them buy your pride away like that!"

"I-I'm not with them, coach! I would never sell off our team like that!"

Johnny trembled as he spoke.

"Please, coach, trust us! We wouldn't sell off our team like that, no matter how much money they offer us!"

Raihan and Justin pleaded, but they only reached deaf ears. The coach was certain that it was the only explanation for the weird losses.

"Bring your next fighter!"

The referee shouted.

Johnny arrived at the ring and cracked his knuckles.

"Are you two ready?!"

"Always!"

Johnny shouted with passion and raised his arms to move in front of him.

"I am."

Lazaro took a deep breath and moved into his fighting stance.

'I don't know what the hell is happening or how I defeated them so easily, but maybe I just took them by surprise. I don't know, but we're only one win away from advancing. It's time for me to be a hero!'

"Fight!"

The referee swung his arm down.

"Haaa!"

With a battle cry, Johnny made the first move and straightened his arm into a punch, but before it could reach, he froze like a statue, and his gaze turned lazy.

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"Huff!"

Lazaro "dodged" the straight punch and countered with a quick jab to Johnny's jaw. It pushed him back a step. He followed with a kick to the chest, then a fierce uppercut, and finally ended it with a roundhouse kick to the neck.

Johnny flew off the ring and sprawled on the ground.

Whistle~

The referee blew into the whistle.

"And we have a winner!"

Clap! Clap!

Alabaster started clapping, and then, everyone else on the bench started to awkwardly clap along.

Lazaro let out a sigh of relief, and with a smile, left the ring, but as he looked smug about his victory, he only received half-hearted claps as a return.

And as he hoped to at least hear compliments from the coach, Alabaster only looked at him coldly without saying a word.

"You too?!"

The coach of Nyoom High grabbed Johnny and shook him violently with a look of disappointment and anger on his face.

"U-uh, what happened?"

Johnny looked around with a dazed expression. It looked like he had just finished an eight-hour sleep but had no idea what happened before his sleep.

"Don't you start with that bullshit! I can't believe you guys!"

"H-huh? D-did the same thing happen to me too? P-please coach, I didn't throw the match!"

"Shut your trap! Throwing a match is the worst offense a martial artist can do! You'll find soon enough that the money you received from the throw will not be worth the shame you brought upon yourself!"