Returned, the world is not in ruins -56-
056.
Kwaaah!
Breaking through Akuma’s guard, a raging Hongyeomgak.
Followed by a series of strikes.
As the Black Flame raged on, the legacy(?) of Beyond was coming to an end…
Thunk! Thwack!
The spectacle that unfolded afterward was exactly what the viewers had been waiting for.
Crash! Pow!
The various techniques of Kuzo that Akuma had been using until now.
Now, those techniques were being displayed through Idohyuk’s hands and feet.
The dazzling skill effects typical of a high-level battle game bursting forth moment by moment.
Thanks to this, Idohyuk’s Kuzo, which had become several times more splendid than before.
Moreover, the viewers who had been watching his broadcast knew very well how Idohyuk had mastered those techniques.
-Kya
-Your skills are amazing
-Is this Kakashi or Idohyuk?
The crazy talent to be able to follow just by watching what the opponent, Akuma, was unfolding.
This was why countless viewers were so enthusiastic about Idohyuk.
‘What?’
Of course, from Akuma’s perspective, it was a moment that he simply couldn’t comprehend.
The opponent he had thought he was overwhelming just a moment ago.
That opponent was now, as if to say, overwhelming him in return.
Moreover, what was that just now.
From the trajectory of Kuzo’s aerial back kick, to the timing of extension, and other aspects that differed from what he knew.
As a result, he couldn’t read the trajectory properly and allowed the blow to land directly.
It was different from manipulating opponents into making mistakes or misleading them by distinguishing between corrective and non-corrective movements, which were essential to becoming a pro-level master.
‘Unpredictable? No… The trajectory was different… Ugh!’
Thud!
At that moment, another accurate strike.
Akuma’s face twisted even more.
After that strange attack from earlier, now Akuma was utilizing only Kuzo’s techniques in a way that seemed to mock his opponent.
Although Ido-hyuk had his reasons, Akuma couldn’t fathom them.
Of course, if he knew, he would have been even more shocked.
Either way-
Whack!
Another exchange of blows.
“Ugh!”
[Amuka]
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
As the last remaining HP dwindled.
[YOU LOSE]
A defeat sign appearing before his eyes.
[Hmpg, defeated]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □
-Oh, lol, but the opponent didn’t really win
-Godfi usually has less perfect than alpha
-Yeah, but the opponent’s main character rank seems quite high?
Even the blood shed by his opponent was merely a square.
“······”
Akuma’s face stiffened.
He lost without even properly understanding how.
‘Is this… a first-day user?’
No matter how skilled in other fighting games, is this level of skill possible?
Especially surprising was Kuzo’s expertise.
Was he hiding his strength because there hadn’t been a worthy opponent until now?
Ugh-
If that’s the case.
Challenging the same Kuzo in a mirror match was his own mistake.
[Revenge requested]
The idea of winning against a beginner to immortalize the victory is dismissed.
Now, Akuma was truly gearing up in full combat mode.
Zap-
In the end, his choice was his top main, Devil King.
Even his pro nickname was derived from this character.
Crackle-!
As the character selection ended, lightning flickered around Akuma.
“Oh?”
And then the chatroom burst into flames upon seeing that.
– LOL
– What a sharpshooter
– ??? : Take this too!
– Right, if you’ve started God Fist, you should master the Brainwave too.
Among the various characters in Iron Fist, there were characters who shared common skills.
They were called the Brainwave.
Of course, even though they were all Brainwaves, they were not completely identical but rather had many similarities.
Characters who used Brainwaves generally had good performance characteristics, so mastering Brainwave characters was naturally a requirement for masters of Iron Fist.
However, to choose such a Brainwave character after Kuzo.
Moreover, the opponent who picked the Brainwave character seemed to be considerably high-ranked, showcasing various flashy techniques.
From the viewers’ perspective, there was no other sharpshooter who distributed like this.
“Oh, nice.”
Of course…
Ping-
“???”
When he summoned Devil King, the sight of Lee Dohyuk waiting to pick the same Devil King was somewhat puzzling as an Akuma.
**
Kwaang!
[Perfect!]
[YOU WIN]
How much time had passed?
Lee Dohyuk, who had started the broadcast some hours ago, had already passed several hours.
[30 Wins 0 Losses]
As a result, there was a change in his record.
A total of 30 matches, 30 wins, 0 losses.
“Hmm. The numbers are neatly falling into place.”
– LOL
– Win rate 100%!
– Easily 30 consecutive wins!
– Wow LOL If you keep this up, you’ll soon enter the Golden Tier, won’t you?
Ding-
Mission success!
[“LRE” has sponsored 100,000 won.]
[“Miracle Boy” has sponsored 300,000 won.]
Lee Dohyuk pressing the success of the missions that were tied to the 30 consecutive wins.
– Sweet, sweet~
– Seriously, top-tier missions
– Will safety assets be around 100 consecutive wins?
– Nah, that’s just one loss.
“More than I thought…”
The speed at which ranks were climbing was fast.
It was said that the more consecutive wins one achieved, the faster the climb would be.
“At this rate, I could split it into Part 1 and Part 2, right?”
In a situation where he had to quickly raise his rank, recalling what Anatol had mentioned before, Itohyuk.
With only a few days left, he wondered if he should focus solely on Iron Fist during that time.
Looking at today’s progress, it seemed he could proceed a bit more leisurely.
“I have to clear it quickly, even if it’s Balhalla.”
Once he made up his mind to finish what he had started, there was no turning back.
He planned to swiftly skip over the boring parts with criticism and only focus on the key parts during the broadcast.
-Well, in the end, there was no Balhalla today ㅠㅠ
-Save Balhallaㅕㅕㅕ
-Throw away the Twin Axes? Wheelbarrow? Hoecken?
-Hoecken is why you have it lol
Even in the midst of progressing through Iron Fist, there were viewers sporadically looking for his Balhalla play.
“That’s right. Today, somehow, I just kept on with Iron Fist. It might have been boring for some of you, but thank you for watching.”
Ding-
[“SuspiciousGhost” has donated 100,000 won.]
-No no, it’s fun. Shall we keep racing for the top spot like this?
At that moment.
A donation notification asking how it would be to keep running without turning off until reaching the top spot.
“Hmm.”
Itohyuk had a pensive look for a moment.
-Hmm, intense
-Doctor, what does this ‘hmm’ mean?
-?
-I’m curious, Doctor, what does this ‘hmm’ mean..? ㅠ
-Oh
-Doctor..? Could it be this ‘hmm’..?
With the chat room buzzing.
With no response from Itohyuk to the question about the top spot, and as the time drew near.
A time similar to the ones when Itohyuk had ended his broadcasts so far.
-Masaki..?
-Oh
-No wayyy
-We might all die at this rate
-Oh… no!
Disappointed viewers held onto him.
But while Ji-an was a weakling in real life, if he was a fierce warrior on his broadcast, Itohyuk was Itohyuk in both the game and the broadcast.
No matter how much the viewers reached out, they couldn’t even touch a strand of Itohyuk’s hair.
“Ready!”
Swish!
In a vanished world called Waravale, there was Ido-hyuk, who guarded like a sword.
**
Similar viewpoint.
Next country, Japan.
Whoosh-
Tsuki let out a small breath.
A domestic tournament held exclusively in Japan.
However, the level was exceptionally high, as it was the homeland of Iron Fist.
In the past, during the heyday of Ultimate Fighter, Japan was overwhelmingly surpassed by the neighboring country Korea, but that was a long time ago.
In the world of Iron Fist, the current Japanese Iron Fist scene could boast of being equal to or even surpassing Korea.
Even Tsuki, acknowledged as the best in Japan and even as one of the top-level experts in Asia, couldn’t guarantee a victory in the domestic tournament!
“Congratulations on your victory, player Tsuki.”
“Thank you.”
But today’s Tsuki achieved the seemingly impossible.
It wasn’t just a victory.
After winning the tournament, a media interview took place.
The main curiosity of all the articles was one thing.
“You displayed a level of skill in this tournament that was better than ever before, dominating every opponent in every match. You didn’t even drop a single round.”
How did you manage to perform so well?
It is an undeniable fact that Tsukika is the strongest in Japanese Iron Fist, but there were other experts who could rival him.
Although there was a slight gap in their records, there were some Japanese experts who occasionally defeated him and won the championship.
In this domestic tournament where they all participated, Tsuki easily clinched the victory with overwhelming skill.
“Is there any secret to your victory?”
There was no way not to be curious about the sudden surge in skills.
“Hmm…”
Tsuki’s mouth opened upon hearing the journalist’s question.
The secret to victory.
As he thought about it, the sound ‘hmm’ unconsciously slipped out of his mouth.
At the same time, Tsuki remembered the opponent he faced a few days ago.
“Dohyoku-san…”
The words Ido-hyuk said to him still vividly echoed in his mind.
[Twin weapon… That’s not how it’s used…]
When he first heard those words through the translation function, he thought it was some kind of bug.
Ido-hyuk was someone who had the right to say such things to Tsuki.
And not just him!
[Crack-!]
[Hmm… Gap here. Ah, there’s one here too]
[Thud! Pow! Bang!]
Kindly teaching him through a friendly 1:1 tutoring session, Yido-hyuk had imparted valuable lessons to him.
Reflecting endlessly on those replays from back then, he realized how much he could learn and grow.
And now, the outcome was right in front of him.
As Wolfgang did, handling dual weapons, Iron Fist’s ninja character, Hattori.
Tzuki, who had always handled Hattori well, made him the main focus in this tournament, easily defeating all domestic rivals in Japan and claiming victory.
“The secret to winning is…”
Tzuki’s mouth opened and closed several times.
Advice from Dohyoku, kind tutoring, and the enlightenment that followed.
However, expressing such sentiments openly was not in line with Japanese behavior.
Moreover, considering the emotions between the two countries, speaking out such feelings truthfully would likely transform Tzuki from ‘Tzuki, pride of the Japanese fighting game community’ to ‘Uragirimono (traitor), Tzuki,’ or ‘Zainichi, Tzuki.’
“The support of my fans, the team’s backing… and the constant desire to learn? Is that all it takes?”
In the end, Tzuki’s response could only be as follows.
“Wow!”
“As expected of Tzuki!”
Japanese journalists marveled at Tzuki’s answer.
Thus, the interview flowed in a warm and friendly atmosphere from start to finish.
Towards the end of the interview.
“Can we expect Tzuki to defeat Anatol of Kankoku and elevate Japan’s status in this tournament?”
A journalist asked Tzuki.
This tournament referred not to the Iron Fist World Tournament (IWT) that concluded earlier but to the comprehensive fighting game event EVO.
If IWT was the World Cup of Iron Fist, EVO could be seen as the Olympics of fighting games, encompassing various fighting games, not just Iron Fist.
“Meeting Anatol in EVO…?”
Although he fell behind in the Alpha era, the difference in their Iron Fist skills was only a mere sheet of paper (according to Tzuki’s thoughts).
But the Tzuki of now was not the Tzuki of the past.
Having upgraded further through his battle with Yido-hyuk, Tzuki was more formidable than ever.
“Well, I don’t want to defeat Anatol… I will defeat him.”
He stated his aspirations confidently.
“Of course, Kwan-na will be tough.”
No matter how much he had grown, Kwan-na was Kwan-na.
Not yet declared as an opponent due to insufficient career, Kwan-na was considered a monster among top-tier Iron Fist professionals Tzuki had faced.
The journalist, aware of this, subtly inquired about the ‘possibility of defeating Anatol’ rather than the ‘possibility of winning the championship.’
Either way-
“Anatol…!”
Tzuki’s eyes sparkled.
If they meet at EVO, this time, I will stand atop you!
His gaze contained a vow.
“Of course… luck in the draw will play a part!”
If he were to face Kwan-na first, it would be an uphill battle.
No matter how much Tzuki had grown, the truth was, he was no match for Kwan-na.
Tsuki himself was well aware of that.
And back then.
As the official interview was coming to an end and preparations were being made to head back one by one, a journalist who was close to Tsuki said to him.
“Oh, by the way, have you heard that news?”
“What news?”
“Yes. Shintaro might be able to participate in this year’s EVO.”
Shintaro, a young gamer who had been showing remarkable skills since a young age and was considered the crown prince of the Japanese gaming world (of course, Tsuki was the emperor).
Despite just making his debut, he was showcasing extraordinary talent to be mentioned in such regard.
However, due to his late debut, he might not have qualified for EVO yet, a major tournament that grants participation to players who perform well in other tournaments excluding EVO.
“Shintaro? Given his current points, it seems difficult for him to qualify for participation. How…”
“Oh, I heard that Vanco Spirits put some effort into it. Since there’s no better place than EVO for Shintaro to debut on the world stage.”
“?”
Vanco Spirits was the developer of Iron Fist.
Being a huge company with a scale far beyond just game development.
“Wasn’t Shintaro originally from a streaming background? So, they collaborated with Tworke to host their own tournament and grant the winner a spot in EVO… Something like creating a streamer model.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“…”
A streamer tournament?
And the winner gets to EVO?
“What, me?!”
These idiots!
Tsuki felt like he was witnessing foolish black magicians who summoned a demon lord wanting to conquer the world and bring about its destruction.