Round 3: Twins Vs. Ryuu

Even as the hours passed, the stream of warriors seemed never-ending. Though their numbers had dwindled since the start of the tournament, they continued to come at me with unrelenting ferocity.

As the sun reached its zenith in the sky, marking the halfway point of the day, it became clear that they would continue to fight until only one man was left standing. There would be no breaks for rest or sustenance. The battle would rage on until its bitter end.

No one was allowed to leave, whether from exhaustion or hunger. The desire to win drove us all forward and I saw very few give up. Instead, they fought on with fierce determination. I moved quickly between my opponents, dispatching them one by one until a new challenger appeared before me.

A powerful blow from a great warrior sent me flying backwards and I landed in a defensive crouch. As I prepared to make my next move, two warriors appeared before me.

The two warriors standing before me were nearly identical in appearance. Though their faces were obscured by masks, their posture, clothing, and weapons were all the same. The style of their garments revealed their heritage - they were unmistakably samurai.

In contrast to the other warriors I had faced, these two were silent. There were no taunts or threats, only the cold stare of their eyes as they drew their swords from their scabbards and assumed an attack stance.

I knew what had to be done. Without a word, I shifted into a fighting stance and waited for them to make their move.

As the sun blazed overhead, the two samurai charged towards me, swords at the ready. One came at me from the right and the other from the left. I braced myself for their attack, but they had something else in mind.

At the last moment, they switched directions. The warrior on my right darted to the left and the one on my left darted to the right. They moved with incredible agility and their swords were now pointed directly at me. I had no time to dodge their blows, so I raised my arms to protect my head. Their swords sliced into my flesh, leaving deep gashes in my arms.

Before I could even register the pain, they struck again. This time their swords found their mark in my exposed stomach and I was sent reeling backwards. My arms throbbed with pain as I struggled to regain my balance. One of the samurai had already leapt into the air and was descending rapidly towards me.

As he swung his sword down at me, I knew I had to stop him. With all my strength, I thrust both hands forward and managed to halt his sword mid-air. But within seconds, I was sent tumbling once again by a powerful kick from the other samurai.

The samurai were highly coordinated in their attacks, working together seamlessly to exploit any opening in my defense. Their swift and powerful strikes were difficult to fend off simultaneously. I knew that I had to muster all my strength to fight them, or it would only be a matter of time before they overpowered me.

In a brief respite between their attacks, I quickly shed my clothes and tore them into strips, using the fabric to bind my wounds. The samurai were honorable warriors and they waited patiently as I tended to my injuries. When I was ready, we faced each other once again.

I could have unleashed the full extent of my abilities and met them with unbridled ferocity, but I was uncertain how long I could hold them at bay and how much damage I could inflict. Moreover, I did not want to draw the attention of the townspeople or arouse the curiosity of the Miron. For the time being, it was imperative that I conceal my true identity, so I was careful not to show my powers.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for the battle ahead. With a fierce determination, I charged towards my foes. The samurai were ready for me, their weapons at the ready. My initial attacks were swift but they easily dodged them.

Just when they thought they had gauged the extent of my abilities, I sprang a surprise on them. As one of the samurai lunged at me from the left, I deftly ducked and shouldered him aside. Another swung his sword down at me from above, but I raised my arm to block the blow. The bandage wrapped around my arm was reinforced with pieces of iron that I had found on the ground and wedged between my two arms. My makeshift shield held firm against the sword strike.

With this new advantage, I felt a surge of confidence. The battle was far from over, but now I had a fighting chance.

The samurai relentlessly pressed their attack, their swords flashing through the air with deadly speed and precision. I parried and countered as best I could, using my arms to deflect their blows.

For half an hour we fought, neither side gaining the upper hand. The samurai showed no signs of fatigue, their determination to win unwavering. In a sudden move, I managed to block a sword strike from the samurai on my left, and using my other arm for leverage, I threw him to the ground.

The other samurai lunged at me with his sword extended in a straight line. I twisted my arm inward and used the iron on my wrist to deflect the blade to the right. As I extended my other arm to deliver a punch, the samurai deftly leaned to the left and dodged my blow. In a swift countermove, he swung his sword at my head.

I managed to block the sword strike once again with the iron on my arm. The samurai then aimed a punch at my stomach with the inside of his hand. I caught his blow with my other arm just as the other samurai came at me from the side with his sword raised.

I managed to stop the sword blow of the first samurai with my arm while still holding onto his hand. As he kicked towards my abdominal cavity, the second samurai attempted to strike my stomach with his palm. However, before the blow landed, I quickly attacked the free leg of the first samurai with my own leg, causing him to lose his balance and involuntarily draw his sword. I was able to stop the palm strike with my exposed hand.

As the first samurai stumbled, I seized the opportunity and placed my hand on his throat while delivering a series of punches. I quickly threw him towards the second samurai and followed up with a powerful spinning kick. But somehow, they both managed to regain their balance and stood up to face me once again. They took on the same battle stance and attacked me with even greater speed and coordination than before, as if they shared a single mind.

The enemy's swords were faster than ever before, their movements coordinated and precise. Despite my best efforts to dodge their attacks, I soon found myself unable to keep up with the flurry of blows coming at me from all directions.

With nowhere to run and no time to make a move, I was forced to defend myself with my bare hands. As I caught one of their swords with the back of my hand, a searing pain shot through me and blood began to flow freely from the wound. Another samurai attacked with the same movement and I caught his sword in the same way, adding to my agony.

As I struggled to maintain my composure, one of the samurai landed a blow on my knee, sending me crashing to the ground. The pain was unbearable and the pressure was mounting. I knew I had to control myself, but as my blood continued to flow and my injuries worsened, it was only a matter of time before I lost control and gave in to my aggression.

With all my might, I applied immense pressure to the swords clutched in my hands. By virtue of the immense pressure, I succeeded in shattering the swords by pulling them apart. Quickly getting back on my feet, I hurled the broken sword pieces one after the other, aiming directly at the legs of the approaching samurai. In addition, I dealt a powerful punch at the samurai who was closing in on me and delivered a sharp kick to the one next to him.

When the samurai aimed a kick at me, I skillfully blocked it with my elbow and followed up with an uppercut. Moreover, I deftly evaded the punch that came from behind, taking it under my armpit. Seizing the opportunity, I pulled the samurai towards me and delivered a punch to the other one's stomach. As both their heads were moving at the same speed, I pulled my arm back and then swung a punch from right to left with all my strength, landing a single blow on both their heads, which sent them crashing down.