Round 2: Lion Kong Vs. Ryuu

After the assassin was knocked down by the knife blow, I could finally see the other person. I didn't want it to happen this way - the knife blow had taken me by surprise and I couldn't save the assassin. The other warrior was imposing - twice my height and wrapped in a white tiger pelt. His piercing eyes cut through me. It was clear that I couldn't leave without a fight. I had attracted too much attention and everyone knew who I was.

The warrior held out his large, blood-stained sword towards me. "I am Lion Kong, tamer of lions," he declared. "I challenge you. You are my next opponent and by defeating you, I will win both the bounty on your head and the tournament."

So that was it. I had no choice but to fight. "Come then," I replied, trying to sound brave.

"Your courage will be your downfall today, boy," Lion Kong sneered."Tutakana"

Before I could even process what was happening, the warrior gestured towards me with his free hand. Suddenly, a massive lion appeared before me. It was twice the size of a normal lion, with sharp fangs and long teeth. Its fur was a pristine snow-white.

The lion growled menacingly, its eyes locked on me as it waited for its master's command. Finally, Lion Kong spoke.

"Kill him, Skull Crusher," he ordered.

The lion sprang into action at its master's command, charging towards me with incredible speed. It was upon me in seconds.

I didn't have time to launch an attack, so when the lion lunged at me with its claws, I leapt backwards to avoid the blow. The lion didn't slow down - it opened its massive jaws and came at me again with its teeth bared.

As the lion reared up, I ducked and landed a hard uppercut to its jaw. Then I spun around and delivered a swift kick to its head. The lion staggered back on its hind legs and I took the opportunity to retreat as it lunged at me again.

I couldn't see my surroundings clearly, but the sound of approaching footsteps told me that another attack was imminent.

The footsteps were surprisingly light for a lion. As the dust cleared, I could see Lion Kong's massive sword coming towards me. The bulky warrior pulled his sword out of the dust and swung it at me with lightning speed.

Lion Kong continued to swing his sword in my direction. He spun around to deliver a powerful blow, but I leapt over his head to land behind him. However, he seemed to anticipate my move and turned to face me.

With one large hand, he grabbed my head and lifted me into the air. I kicked out at his approaching sword, knocking it aside. Using the opening I had created, I summoned all my strength and performed a backflip, landing a hard kick to Lion Kong's head.

When I regained my balance, I launched a powerful kick at the warrior from above. He managed to intercept my attack by placing his free hand in front of it. With all his strength, he hurled me to one side, away from him. But I was undeterred and quickly regained my momentum, charging towards him once again.

As I closed in on my target, I noticed another warrior reaching for the sword in his hilt. He was about to strike down a fellow warrior standing defenseless in front of him. In that moment, a plan formed in my mind. I had to take the sword and use it to prevent the senseless killing of people.

Before the warrior could even react, I swiftly grabbed the sword from its hilt and hurled it with all my strength towards the lion tamer. My aim was true and the sword flew straight towards his head. The lion tamer had only two options: dodge the sword or block it. Either way, it would create an opening for me to attack.

In a split-second decision, the lion tamer raised his own sword in front of him to protect himself. The clanging sound of metal against metal echoed through the air as our swords collided. For a brief moment, his view was obstructed by his own sword and that was all the opportunity I needed. As he looked back towards me, I struck him with a powerful blow to the chest.

The warrior, momentarily stunned by the force of my blow, could only steady himself by plunging his sword into the ground. Lion Kong, rising to his feet once more, called out to his creature in a fit of rage. He was determined to finish me off.

The warrior mounted his creature and charged towards me at full speed. His target was clear and he raised his massive sword, ready to strike. But I was ready for him. In one swift motion, I grabbed the sword I had previously thrown at him from the ground and used it to block his incoming blow.

Knowing it would be too dangerous to try and stop the massive sword with my bare hand, I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and retaliated against the warrior. I dodged his next blow and the lion had moved away a little with its owner, then turned towards me once more.

The lion was faster than the sword I held in my hand and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop it with just my sword. In a split-second decision, I reached for the shield lying on the ground and gathered all my strength as I pulled it towards me.

As the lion closed in, I swung the shield with all my might towards its head. The impact sent the massive creature tumbling to the ground, its rider still on top.

The warrior had lost his sword in the fall and was now defenceless. When I pointed my sword at him, he spoke to me without losing his cold blood.

"What are you waiting for? Kill me…"

Even as the words fell from his mouth I knew that this was not what I really wanted. At that moment I lowered my sword and instead threw a powerful punch that knocked the warrior unconscious.

With that, another opponent was defeated.