Beyond Gods 76 1 Week Later

Billy Bob had just been beamed in front of Johan.

Against all reason Johan had taken the week to prepare for the fight.

Johan's hand was fully healed.

Billy Bob looked at Johan as if he was some kind of joke.

Billy Bob had good reason, forecasters had stated the odds were 100 to 1 in Billy Bob's favor for winning the fight. Billy Bob had the advantage in size, strength and weight.

Johan stared back confidently at Billy Bob who was over three times his weight.

Hanuman hadn't disappointed.

To think a guardian spirit was capable of so much ... to still be so strong. To train him to this degree in such a short amount of time ... Hanuman must have been unfathomable at one point.

But now wasn't the time for Johan to think about his amazing week.

Now he had to focus on his fight.

Hanuman and his father were silent.

"Fight!," roared the announcer.

Johan lashed out throwing sand into Billy Bob's eyes.

Foooooshhh!

Johan was completely relaxed. No one had seen him pick up the sand when he had first beamed into the stadium.

"Ya little runt!," yelled Billy Bob covering his eyes. "Playin dirty cause you don't got a chance, eh? Now your probably running to try and tire me out."

Johan leaped to Billy Bob's right silently, and threw a kick right to his temple. It was smooth, unforced, yet with impeccable technique.

CLANG!

Johan made contact with Billy Bob's temple.

Then Johan quickly pushed off Billy Bob's head with his hands making distance.

Billy Bob fell to the ground unconscious.

The crowd went silent.

Brain shake.

The hits that usually knocked people out were the ones they didn't see coming. The skull when hit correctly would cause the brain to shake inside it and cause the subject to either pa.s.s out or loose their ability to stand.

Johan cautiously stared at Billy Bob's unmoving body.

"Winner!," yelled the announcer, "by lucky punch! Johan!"

Despite the announcer's comment, Johan knew that luck had nothing to do with this win.

The way this fight had gone had been according to Johan's fight plan, a plan he had put together based on what Hanuman had taught him.

A day pa.s.sed, and Johan stood in front of Jabber in the middle of the arena.

Jabber stared at Johan curiously.

"Kid," said Jabber, "I saw your fight against Billy Bob and Boris ... I honestly didn't expect you to beat Billy Bob. But it was clearly luck. You do realize that against me you are out cla.s.sed. Tricks like that won't work on me. Give up. I'd rather not hurt you."

In the last week, Hanuman training had Paid off. It gave Johan confidence.

"Don't worry," said Johan. "I doubt You can."

"Why hasn't your hair or eyebrows grown back in the last week?," asked Jabber out of the blue.

Johan had been wondering it himself. It might have been a side effect of the Labyrinth food.

"So you are trying to play on my insecurities to distract me eh?," said Johan smiling. "Are you that afraid?"

"No," laughed Jabber. "Im not afraid. You're a funny kid."

"FIGHT!," yelled the announcer.

Johan threw a flying knee at Jabber. But his knee missed as Jabber casually stepped to the side.

Jabber threw a hook at Johan's head hitting him. He clearly wanted to end the fight quickly.

As the punch connected with Johan's face he turned his head quickly away from it, minimizing the damage.

Immediately, Johan countered with a strike of his own hitting Jabber in the liver with a punch.

Jabber threw out a clumsy straight but stumbled to his knees.

Hanuman had taught Johan that a direct liver strike overloads the nervous system causing paralyzing pain.

Jabber looked at Johan in disbelief as he clutched his side with his face contorted in pain.

"You saw my hook coming to hit your chin," muttered Jabber. "and you turned your head away from it as it made contact to minimize the damage. You turned your face away at the same speed or even a bit faster than my hook. Then you threw a counter attack. That is a skill only high level fighters use ... but to pull it off with me. I underestimated-"

CRACK!

Johan threw a swing kick at Jabbers head while he was down. Jabber blocked it with his arm.

"This kid has no shame!," yelled the announcer. "He is attacking the honorable Jabber while he is down! But no one saw the fight turning out this way!"

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

Johan knee too much was on the line for him to let Jabber recover. He threw powerful kicks one after another without mercy. Regardless, of the weight and strength difference a kick was much stronger than a punch and a regular forearm could only withstand so much before breaking.

Johan thought back to his conversation with his father. His reaction when he explained how there was a chance that everything could be restored.

Since Johan mentioned that his father hadn't spoken much.

JD's last words had been a weak, "I can see your mother again?"

Yet those words had been filled with compa.s.sion, love and longing. Feelings his father had been clearly hid from his son.

Johan parent had been happily married over sixteen years prior to their deaths. Marriage didn't last that long without deep underlying compa.s.sionate connection.

Johan knew how much his mother and father had loved each other. He remembered how much he had loved her. Johan's gut told him that this fight was a step towards making things as they once were ... getting his family back.

So many people were relying on him. Yet they didn't realize it. It seemed his warning about the pending attack after his first fight had been dismissed as crazy talk.

"Will Jabber loose to this b.u.mpkin!?," yelled the announcer. "Will he once again fail to win this tournament and achieve his goals!?"

"No!," roared Jabber as he struck out at Johan with his right hand.

Fooos.h.!.+

Air cut as Johan threw a quick side kick at Jabber's shoulder.

Johan kick hit Jabbers shoulder first and it nullified Jabber's punching power. Johan then hopped in the air kicking Jabber's chin with his other foot.

Jabber fell back into the sand unconscious.

Johan continued to kick Jabbers head ruthlessly to make sure he was unconscious.

The crowd went silent.

Even the announcer went silent.

No one had expected this outcome.

Johan's fighting manner during this fight had been ruthless and barbaric.

Johan had been the underdog by far. Yet he had managed to defeat a legend without getting a scratch in under a minute.

Totally unexpected.

Boxers weren't used to dealing with kicks, which is why Johan threw so many of them.

Despite having exceeded everyone's expectations he knew that tomorrow's fight would be harder and more dangerous.

Even with his training and his plan, Johan was uncertain of whether he could beat the infamous Anna Yankovich.

But he had to ... for everyone's sake.

"Booooo!"

People from the crowd seemed to realize what had happened when Jabber failed to wake up.

The audience was not happy.

"He cheated!"

"This kid isn't a talented fighter!," yelled another person. "He uses misdirection and trickery to win his fights!"

"He should be disqualified," yelled another person. "Kicking someone while he is down!? What a dishonorable jerk!"

"I could beat this kid in my sleep!"

People started to throw garbage into the stadium.

"Rematch!," yelled another person.

"He is clearly on som type of drug," yelled another onlooker. "Test him! He is sneaky and up to something!"

"Please," yelled the announcer, "stay in your seats! Keep garbage out of the arena, we have other fights! If you are caught you will be removed!"

"This bald ugly guy doesn't even have eyebrows! He shouldn't be allowed to fight because he is ugly!," yelled another onlooker.

Johan snarled at the audience. He was trying to save these people, and was putting his neck on the line fighting. Yet these mere onlookers were talking this trash.

The last comment Johan heard set him over the edge.

"HEY!," roared Johan, "SHUT UP! IF YOU WANT TO BE QUALIFIED TO JUDGE ME, ENTER THE TOURNAMENT! YOU DIDN'T GIVE ME THIS WIN! I TOOK IT BY FORCE! THIS WASN'T A WIN BY DECISION! THIS IS A NO RULES FIGHT! YOU HAVE NO SAY IN THE MATTER!"

"And that sums it up!," yelled the announcer. "Winner by knockout! Johan Flint!"

Johan had won.

The announcers words finalized it.

Not everyone approved ... but it was to be expected since Jabber had a huge fan following.

But this was what made Johan different.

He was never naturally the best. Nor did he always have support or backing when he won.

He didn't need it. He took his victories.

Johan was a fighter. Although he didn't realize it, this more so than his training and strength was what continued to make him surpa.s.s others.

Johan raised his fist into the air staring down the crowd. Enjoying the look of irritation on the faces of Jabber's fans.