Chapter 5- hit em where they're strong

I have seen boxing and WWE matches before, but this is different. Neither of the two wore any kind of protection, the only thing on them are the very clothes they wear every day. No headgear preventing skull cracks and concussions. No gloves stopping you from accidentally injuring your opponent for life. No referee to jump in when things go too far. 

This is violence at it's finest. 

Unlike the other matches, the watching students started to cheer for this one. For which of the two fighting students are they cheering for? They probably don't know either, they are just cheering for the hell of it. 

Should I cheer too? But for which one? This fight got me holding my breath, did the author really skip over something like this?

Liams seemingly endless barrage of swings finally found an end, out of breath he took a step back to have some time to see Kaans next move coming. And it came.

A wild swing, no plan, no tactic, no technique, just sheer and utter brute force. Liam weaved it, but then another one came and then another and another. Liam dropped his wooden hatchets and raised his fists, now on the receiving end. 

"Get him! Show him who's boss!" 

"Come on! Fight back, kick him in the nuts!"

"Twenty marks say that the guy getting a beat-down will make a comeback."

"You're crazy! I'm in."

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As the students were cheering and betting among themselves, some of the academy staff were watching as well on a elevated spot hidden from the students view using clever architecture. 

"That wolfkin has some stamina, taking a beating like that and immediately switching into offense once his opponent ran out of breath." 

D'naili, the man in charge of keeping the academy clean, had an eye to spot hand-to-hand talents.

"But the lad isn't half bad either-"He's a mage."

D'nailis praise was cut off by Desique, the very receptionist that was planning on laying off Liams request. 

 "A mage you say? No wonder, his mana is probably giving him a advantage." 

D'nailis expression changed to one of disgust, all his praise for Liam gone. 

"He doesn't feel like a mage."

Tenebrias, the librarian, remarked in a quiet and hushed voice. D'naili jumped up from his seat, he was genuinely unaware of her presence until she spoke. 

"Geez woman, wear some bells or something."

She doesn't pay any attention to him and looks down into the pit fight. 

"He's no mage. His mana weak and the little he has is uncultivated."

"Maybe it's his skill?" 

"No, he's a luggage carrier." 

Suddenly laughter broke out from the fourth one, Kefslan the head chef.

"That sly bastard drank a potion before jumping in!" XD

"Is that allowed?" °-°

"It's not forbidden." ^^

"What for a shit show." -_-

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Back in the pit, a brutal swing connected to Liams head. A puff of sweat and dirt was knocked out of his hair as his head cocked to the right with tremendous force. For a moment Liam thought his neck would snap, fortunately he thought wrong. 

A follow up swing just as violent made his head cock to the left and another swing cocked it to the right again. Kaan put Liam between a hard place and a rock.

But he fell for Liams bait. 

In the moment when Kaan pulled his arm back for another swing Liams fist shot out and hit him scare in the jaw, uppercutting him. Liam did not pull his fist back, instead he charged and tackled the wolfkin. 

The brawling turned to grappling as Liam put his arms around Kaans neck and squeezed, hard. 

Kaan struggled with all his might, punching, elbowing, scratching, headbutting and biting. But Liam made use of the one gift he was born with: an unhealthy amount of stubbornness. He took each punch, each elbow, each scratch, each headbutt and his grip stayed strong even through the fangs baring in his shoulder. 

Liams entire focus was on one thing and one thing only, strangling the beastman. Everything else faded from his reality, even he himself was removed from his own being. The only things that existed to Liam in that moment were Kaan and his forearms strangling him.

Kaans struggles grew more frantic and desperate, but it was to no avail. Even if Liam lost consciousness, even if Liam was to die, even if Kaan ripped Liams arms off it would be for naught. 

His arms have been tensed to the point where that his blood couldn't flow from the sheer pressure of his muscles, turning his arms past the elbows into a sickly pale flesh color. His arms would only loosen up once Kaan stopped resisting, which the wolfkin was too much consumed by panic to realize. 

Soon the stubbornness of the two bare fruit, Kaans struggles weakened as his vision darkened. It wasn't long until the beastman blacked out from the lack of air.