Obai didn't waste his precious time by feeling satisfied. He brought down the bokken again, attacking the same spot and drawing more blood. He wasn't sure if his brutal act was going to kill Bolin, but honestly, he didn't care.
On the third strike, Bolin had regained some of his senses and blocked the attack with his forearm, forming a new bruise instead of continuing with the brain damage.
But Obai wouldn't let up. Positioning himself to strike from the side, he sent waves of bashes at Bolin, steadily weakening every part of the giant body.
Suffering under the barrage of attacks, Bolin began to grow desperate. He hadn't expected to face real trouble in his battle and thought his opponent was simply skilled. Not a threat, but enough for him to enjoy his time here.
Yet... he was about to lose.
A light burned behind Bolin's chocolaty eyes as new strength poured into the now aching muscles.
Obai was watching carefully for when the giant would make a move while continuing the delivery of pain to all parts of the muscular body. At this point, the bear before him had started bleeding from multiple tears, and bruises polka-dotted themselves all over. He was growing tired, though. Not because of the repeated swings, but from the pain that came with it.
Obai felt the sharpness in his back with every swing, exponentially bringing his stamina down. He was used to pain, but that didn't mean its effects were null. That previous toss had seriously messed with him. Everything Obai did became slightly slower and weaker, but worst of all, it pissed him off.
A hand grabbed his skull.
'What?'
His mind spun in panic.
'Since when was he so fast?!'
Obai may have been more determined than Bolin, but that didn't stop the giant. He had taken the opportunity of one of the upswings to start his own surprise attack.
The lanky body folded under the pressure at an alarming pace, as the giant hand guided Obai's forehead straight towards the sand.
A new, unforgettable pain washed over his head as blood started licking his face. His vision blurred for a split second, and as he opened his eyes in shock, he saw the ground grow distant as he was lifted once more.
'Shit! I can't die here!'
Fear. Obai forgot what fear had felt like. He outclassed everything on his journey back to the Vweiyan capital—granted, he had a much deadlier weapon back then and he kept his will strong—but surely one man, who couldn't even control energy, wouldn't have instilled him with fear.
He wasn't about to go out this way. It was just a simple duel! But giving up would result in the loss of strength. Obai needed that strength. He needed it desperately. If he lost this chance, death would meet him swiftly anyway. He couldn't accomplish his goal if he didn't have the means to do it.
Light burned within him once more. Obai's gray eyes slowly swirled with energy as he gathered all of his remaining strength.
'KILL HIM!'
Reaching back to grip Bolin's arm with both of his own, Obai pulled forward and down. His feet met the ground as the momentum of Bolin's follow-up smash transferred into Obai's own. All of the weight behind him burned his muscles; the bones in his back screamed as strength soared up to his arms.
Bolin's damaged body lifted into the air, tumbling around Obai as Obai's whole body strained to throw the massive hunk of flesh over him.
The grip around his skull loosened, and he felt tears exit his eyes and mix into his blood, highways of body fluid streaming off his chin. His face burned bright red as his mind clouded even stronger than when it was slammed against the ground. Obai's determination scared the world as his unreasonable level of strength finally released.
A body flew through the air. Except unlike before, it was Bolin who was destined to crash against the sand.
A loud thud washed over the crowd, and clouds of sand shot into the sky, displaced by the giant's body.
Obai slumped onto the floor, his own body giving out after achieving an impossible feat. He struggled to keep himself conscious, not willing to feel the relief of victory.
'It isn't... over yet!'
Using the sand as a pillow, Obai glared at his massive foe. He didn't move, allowing himself the minuscule amount of rest as he patiently waited for the worst-case scenario.
Bolin didn't move. He'd blacked out for just a second when he landed by the nets, visible to everyone. Pain pulsed everywhere. The previous hits done by Obai had finally caught up to him, and he finally felt spent.
His eyes flickered open as he slowly looked up at the now opening net, a pair of legs, dressed in black pants, marching towards him, followed by three more.
The guards had watched the fight closely. They were meant to initiate the fight and recover the losers' bodies. However, they also needed to report to their commander.
With the Karada spread out between multiple islands as well as the mainland, only one division could be sacrificed to run the recruitment operation.
Not many had the privilege of attaining the use of Body Trait, so the guards weren't simply guards... but also judges. The true purpose of the fights was to determine the true strength of each fighter, and decide where to rank each victor. There were few exceptions.
The losers didn't need to be ranked.
Bolin groaned as two pairs of hands grabbed his arms, muscles bulging as they began dragging the semi-limp body.
Said body started to shake.
Bolin hadn't fought like that in a long time. He completely forgot having to struggle, pushing himself to his limits. All his practice came from sparring with his younger brother, who's skill outweighed the uncertainty behind them.
And while he enjoyed his spars with Teddy... Bolin secretly loved the thrill of a true battle.
So his body continued to shake with laughter.
The guards above him looked at each other slightly confused before they felt a new force fight against them.
Bolin decided he wanted to keep fighting. All the pain in his body would certainly be enough to kill a different man, but it wasn't enough to stop him. He still had some emergency reserves of unreasonable strength left in him.
Obai's eyes widened, watching the behemoth rise to his feet.
'He's unreal.'
But it didn't look like he was alright. In fact, it took Bolin at least ten seconds before he stood tall once more.
As for Obai...
Even if he kept his consciousness, he had to fight the darkness away. That alone sapped his strength, and including the damage done from the previous blows and his one magnificent throw—as well as the pain received by them—Obai found that he was unable to move his legs.
The next moment, fear had found its way back to him as two pairs of hands gripped his own.
'No! No! I can't lose yet!'
His mind struggled, but his legs wouldn't answer.
'Stand dammit! I won't give up! I can't!'
His body shook.
Using nothing but pure will, he was able to. Obai shook and shook, his upper body flailing beneath the iron grip of the Karada guards.
His left elbow made contact with a jaw as he fought ferociously.
"I HAVEN'T LOST YET!"
With a simple slap to the head, Obai's body stopped responding.
The darkness took him.