After Monga received encouragement from his group, he stepped forward onto the stage.
The arena continued to be loud as each spectator became eager to see how this sort of confrontation would unfold. That was especially given the anticipation around his opponent.
But as Monga arrived at the center stage, everyone noticed Lars still standing in his cell with his head down and arms crossed.
"Is he sleeping?" someone from the crowd asked.
"Naw," another answered, "who could sleep in a tournament like that?"
To be frank, Lars was in that same stance since the first match ended, seemingly uninterested in anything happening around him.
Arthur understood the reason for Lars' detachment: none of the fighters so far had intrigued him.
Much like Arthur himself, Lars didn't need to watch the matches unfold in front of him; he could feel the energy in the air and had been filtering out the unworthy from the interesting.
Such was the instincts of real power!
But who was Lars exactly?
He was stated to be a pivotal character in the Tekken series, first making his mark in "Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion" and continuing as one of the main protagonists in Tekken 7.
Illegitimate son of "Heihachi Mishima," one of the franchise's most significant figures, he led a rebel splinter group called "Yggdrasil" as a military soldier. And his tagline? The one who betrayed his own in order to build a new era.
The narrative of Lars' story took an intriguing turn when he encountered an android resembling a young woman during a raid in a laboratory. Their journey became a quest to regain his lost memories. And because of those events, he had a lot of charisma, a strong sense of justice, and a mercurial temperament.
Where he shined the most was in warfare, often opting for a genuine approach over sentimentality.
But what were this fighter's goals?
Arthur was not entirely sure. All he knew was that if someone like him accepted to come here, then the latter was clearly looking for something of value.
"Mr. Alexandersson," the announcer loudly beckoned, "would you please take the stage!"
Lars finally released his crossed arms with an unchanged demeanour. He then casually walked forward, eyes still closed. Everyone could practically feel the confidence exuding from him.
Once he reached the center stage, he stopped right in front of Monga and finally opened his eyes, revealing how piercing they were.
Monga, a well-built fighter, steadied himself without showing any signs of unease. And when Lars noticed Monga's unshaken composure, he smirked, intrigued by the man before him.
In the stands, William was on the edge of his seat, vibrating with excitement. He couldn't help but think of this match as some kind of epic crossover event (an interaction that featured other characters from different worlds).
His fascination was marred on his face, and Jada couldn't help but chuckle at his nerdy expression.
"What?" William whispered defensively with flushed cheeks. "He's a Tekken fighter in this world! I bet Jasper's gonna be jealous when he finds out."
"So what?" Margaret said. "He doesn't even look that strong."
"Well, he is," William pivoted. "His combos is Storm Two are—"
"Hey, cuz," interrupted Naruto, "what the heck is a 'Tekken fighter'?"
Meanwhile, Lars and Monga faced each other in the center stage.
The Stone shinobi introduced himself confidently as he stated, "I can feel how strong you are just by looking at you."
Lars, maintaining his cool demeanour, responded with a dispassionate drawl. "That's not good that you can feel my strength…"
"Why's that?" Monga asked.
Yet Lars remained quiet.
The announcer, noticing this, didn't hold back. "And… begin!"
Without hesitation, Monga launched forward, rushing to plant a punch square into Lars' face. But in a stunning display of reflex, Lars raised one hand and caught Monga's fist mid-swing, halting him in his tracks.
"It's because…" Lars mused. "I can't feel yours…"
Bang-bang!
Lars jabbed Monga with his left fist, then quickly followed with his right. Monga was easily pushed back, drawing awe from almost every corner of the audience.
Then, in one continuous motion, Lars elbowed Monga in the chin. The Stone shinobi staggered backward as Lars dove under him to deliver a punch straight to Monga's abdomen, lifting the shinobi off the ground.
Just as Monga began a slow descent, Lars moved past the slumping shinobi and delivered a kick, sending Monga soaring higher into the air.
Then, bang!
Monga's body flew like a projectile from another kick that echoed across the arena, sending him sliding completely out of the arena.
All of this happened in mere seconds—a rattling display of skill and explosive violence that left the spectators momentarily stunned. Many just stayed staring in disbelief, yielding questions one to another at what the heck they just witnessed.
Only a select few had understood what had happened: Lars' sequence of attacks just now wasn't ordinary; it was the same choreographed ten-hit combo from his universe. And the speed at which it was executed made him especially dangerous.
Lars stood there nonchalantly before brushing off the adrenaline. It was as if it meant nothing to him. Then he looked at the announcer. "We have an injured. Send a medic."
"And the match goes to Lars Alexandersson!" the announcer boomed. "What a crazy display of skill!"
Arthur was impressed. Not only had Lars won, but he won without taking a single damage—a perfect match.
Even those from earth understood that Lars was on a whole other level. His movements were executed with such fluidity that was almost beyond their comprehension.
"Jada," William whispered, "did you catch any of that with your Sharingan?"
"I actually didn't have time to activate it."
"For real?! Wow. Hey, did you at least catch that last line he said? That was totally his victory quote after he wins a match."
Jada giggled. "You are such a nerd."
From the very beginning of the match, it was clear that Lars was not going to allow Monga any opportunity to recover or strategize. His punches were sharp, and that combo he performed was done with pinpoint accuracy.
Monga simply had no time to regain any footing.
'You pass…' Arthur secretly thought to himself.
As Lars left the stage, maintaining a cool demeanour, he could hear the admiration growing around. Even the Kages were just as impressed, with both A and Mei whispering to one another about where a 'shinobi' like him came from and whether he could join their ranks.
After all, Lars did not have any headband on, signifying his neutrality.
By the time he made it to his cell, the crowd's cheers did not stop. Their applause, however, was nothing new to him since he was well accustomed to recognition.
From Arthur's perspective, it almost felt as if Lars was waiting for something, something to see if being here was worth his time.