Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Explode
Uvogin's passions are training his body and fighting.
When it came to training, Uvogin was persistent and even can be called crazy. That's why he has such extraordinary physique and strength that far surpassed his peers. As for fighting, Uvogin had a broad definition of the term. To him, even arm wrestling qualified as a form of fighting, as it is a competition where strength dictated victory.
Neither Machi nor Nobunaga had ever seen Uvogin lose to others in strength. So when they saw Law insisted on arm wrestling with Uvogin, they felt sorry for Law. Not to mention Machi, even if Nobunaga went up himself, although his arm would not be broken, he would definitely be left with soreness and pain.
"I'll be the referee. I'll count down from three, and you'll start immediately." Although Nobunaga believed there would be no suspense in this arm wrestling match, he was very interested because of Law's active provocation.
Seeing that Nobunaga was more excited than Uvogin, Machi shook her head slightly and turned her attention to the clasped hands of Uvogin and Law.
While arm wrestling does involve technique, Uvogin relied purely on raw strength, which is enough to render any skill meaningless.
'If he doesn't change quickly, someone like him has no place in Meteor City.' Machi looked at Law, who has a serious expression on his face, and thought to herself: 'Perhaps my intuition is wrong this time.'
"Are you ready?" Nobunaga glanced at both participants. Even before they began, it was as if sparks were already flying.
Law and Uvogin both nodded slightly.
"Alright, on my count." Nobunaga grinned and said, "Three… two… one!"
When the echo of '1' had not yet faded away, Uvogin wasted no time and unleashed his full strength. Fortunately, the protective suit he was wearing was loose enough, otherwise, it would have tear under the pressure of his bulging muscles.
"Hmm?"
Even though Aura was covering his right arm, when Uvogin exerted his strength, Law immediately felt his arm tighten to its limit. He felt a huge force pressing down on him like an endless wave, and his arm shifted outward slightly under the immense force.
"Oh? I underestimated you."
Uvogin was quite surprised that he failed to defeat Law in an instant even after using all his strength. He felt that Law, whose strength was weaker than Machi, was not worth mentioning. Before he even started, he had concluded that he could defeat Law in an instant, but the result was unexpected.
Though Uvogin had enough strength to speak, Law ignored him and entirely focused on enduring the relentless onslaught.
For the moment, the two were at a stalemate. However, if one took a closer look, they can see that Law is at a disadvantage, with his arm is moving outwards with a very small amplitude.
'This kid is not bad.' There was a glimmer of surprise in Nobunaga's eyes. He, like Uvogin, thought that Law would be defeated instantly, but he didn't expect that Law could still hold on.
He just didn't know how many seconds Law could hold on against Uvogin's overwhelming strength.
'My longest record is 11 seconds, and Machi's is 10 seconds. How long has it been now? Four seconds?' Nobunaga thought as he looked with interest at the tense arms of the competitors as they poured every ounce of strength into the match.
Machi shared Nobunaga's astonishment. She looked at the two arms stuck in a stalemate on the rock, her index finger slightly bent and resting on her chin, surprise evident in her expression.
'His strength was obviously very weak half a month ago, but now, he actually managed to last more than five seconds against Uvogin. It seems that he's not using some unknown means that he blocked Marza's punch on the street before.'
For a brief moment, Machi entertained the thought that Law had been hiding his true strength all along, but she rejected this idea as soon as it came into her mind. Machi felt it is more likely that Law had undergone a remarkable transformation during his time at her house.
'But... how could such a drastic improvement occur in just two weeks, especially given his daily diet of barely enough rice soup to sustain him?'
While Machi wrestled with these questions, the stalemate between Uvogin and Law had reached 10 seconds, breaking her record. Her thoughts paused for a moment, and it then reached 11 seconds... which is equal to Nobunaga's record.
'This kid...'
Nobunaga suddenly looked at Machi, and the latter also looked at Nobunaga as. Both of them saw surprise in each other's eyes, and then they continued to focus their gaze on Law's arm.
They wondered how was Law's lean, unimposing arm, which is devoid of visible muscle, withstand Uvogin's crushing strength.
The key to arm wrestling lay in strategy. It was important not to exert all one's strength immediately. By holding back and resisting the opponent's initial surge, one could wait for an opening to strike, which is a tactic known as building up momentum.
This required careful use of wrist strength, subtle adjustments, and maintaining the body's center of gravity. If both sides were evenly matched, victory would then come down to endurance.
On Earth, there was an island home to a tribe where arm wrestling was deeply ingrained in their culture. The tribe held monthly tournaments to determine their bravest warrior.
Because the culture of arm wrestling is deeply rooted in the bones, it has also affected the fighting style of this tribe. No matter when fighting against an enemy or hunting, they will not attack head-on. They will first defend to ensure that they are in an invincible position, and then look for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Law employed this strategy of building up momentum, while Uvogin relied solely on brute force, ignoring technique entirely. Once Uvogin started weaking, Law would seize the opportunity to turn the tables.
"20 seconds." Nobunaga whispered.
Machi nodded slightly. Meanwhile, Uvogin had fallen silent from the moment he spoke his first sentence. It seemed that he had realized Law's strength wasn't to be underestimated, so he concentrated on pouring all his strength into his arms.
"But Uvogin still has the upper hand." Nobunaga remarked as he looked at Law's arm, which had tilted halfway outward. Typically, when someone is at such a disadvantage in arm wrestling, in order to turn the tables and achieve victory, one has to wait until the opponent is exhausted, and then make a comeback in one go.
However, the opponent here was Uvogin, and he wouldn't give Law that chance. It's because Uvogin's endurance is as terrifying as his strength. Moreover, in this intense stalemate, given their physical conditions, Law's arm should already be in considerable pain by now.
And yet…
Nobunaga was suddenly stunned. At this time, Machi was also looking at him.
Yes, he was actually seriously considering the outcome of this match, something that had seemed utterly impossible before it started. It was astonishing. It should be said that it was completely unexpected that Law could persist until now.
"30 seconds have passed." Machi reminded Nobunaga, then turned his head and continued to watch the match between the two.
Nobunaga chuckled wryly and rubbed his forehead. At this time, even if Law lost, he had earned Nobunaga's respect. Most likely, Uvogin would be very happy too, because he had found a worthy opponent.
Law's eyes moved slightly upwards and fell on Uvogin's face, then he saw Uvogin's unprecedented concentration.
"It's about time." Uvogin stared intently at Law's arm. Right now, Law's arm was dangerously close to the rock's surface. Just a little more, and Uvogin could finish this. He didn't expect Law to be this tough.
Law's arm was nearly down, and he could see that Uvogin showed no signs of fatigue, which put him at a complete disadvantage.
'Five seconds? No, I might not be able to hold on in three seconds.'
Law gritted his teeth, 'I had clearly used the Ten, but I still couldn't even gain the slightest advantage. This guy clearly couldn't use Nen, but his strength was so terrifying. Moreover, if it weren't for the protection of the Ten, my arm would've given out from pain after just three seconds.'
'Is there any way for me to win?'
'Could I unleash my Aura explosively so that I could briefly surpass Uvogin's strength?'
'But… how to unleash it explosively?'
'Should I release my Aura from within my body...?'
Seeing that his arm was about to touch the rock, Law grew anxious and he started thinking of ways to deal with the current situation.
'If there is still a chance to defeat Uvogin, it would be Nen and Aura.'
'Stay calm. Focus. Imagine the Aura bursting out from my right arm!'
Law's eyes narrowed slightly, and with sheer willpower, he expanded his already-open Aura Nodes to their limits. Then, his Aura burst out through the and with sheer willpower, he expanded his already-open aura nodes to their limits.
At the brink of defeat lose, Law had used one of the four basic Nen Techniques, releasing more Aura than usual to cover one's upper body and greatly increased their physical strength.
Ren - projected the Aura outward through the Aura Nodes, releasing more Aura than normal.
The moment his Aura surged forth, Uvogin suddenly felt that Law's strength had increased significantly. In an instant, he felt the pressure, and before he could muster a counterattack, an even greater force coming from Law's arm.
Bang!
Despite being at an absolute disadvantage, Law took less than a second to slam Uvogin's arm down onto the rock surface with immense force.
Uvogin was stunned, while Nobunaga and Machi were equally dumbfounded.
"Lost?" Nobunaga and Machi were in disbelief. It was obvious that Law was about to lose in the previous second, but in the next second, it was Uvogin who lost. Moreover, Uvogin had actually lost to Law?
"Phew…"
Law exhaled deeply, the expanded Aura Nodes contracted back to normal, and the released Aura returned to its usual state.
When Law retracted his arm, there was a cracking sound, and the rock used as their table shattered into several pieces.
"You lost."
Law said with a faint smile. In the moment he defeated Uvogin, something dawned on him.
'There was no need to overthink. As long as I was strong enough… that was all that mattered!'
'Sure enough, it was better to let the world adapt to yourself!'