The arena erupted in applause.
"Beautiful! Just as expected from Player Nagai!"
But the cheering abruptly cut off when Daigo Umehara's second character, Chang Koehan—the fat man wielding a massive iron ball—stepped onto the stage.
King's agility seemed utterly powerless against Chang Koehan's unreasonable attack range and hit detection.
Nagai Kenta fought with extraordinary difficulty, each close-quarters exchange feeling like a dance on a knife's edge.
Finally, during a counterattack, King was caught in Chang Koehan's Super Special Move, Iron Ball Frenzy. The colossal iron ball, like a runaway steamroller, instantly emptied King's health bar.
Nagai Kenta was now down to his last character, Goro Daimon.
Daigo Umehara still had Chang Koehan, with at least a third of his health remaining, and his final character, Goro Daimon.
The situation looked extremely unfavorable for Nagai Kenta.
However, the atmosphere shifted dramatically the moment Goro Daimon entered the fray.
Nagai Kenta's gaze sharpened into intense focus.
Controlling Goro Daimon, he pinned the clumsy Chang Koehan to the stage edge with two precise aerial heavy kicks.
Daigo Umehara attempted to escape the pressure by rolling, but this move was instantly anticipated by Nagai Kenta's hawk-like eyes.
The moment Chang Koehan rose to his feet—
"Hell's Paradise Drop!"
Nagai Kenta's Goro Daimon, moving with lightning speed, seized the lumbering Chang Koehan. With three powerful, successive throws, he utterly vanquished the colossal opponent!
K.O.!
The arena erupted in frenzy!
"He turned it around! Nagai turned it around!"
"Unbelievable! Is this what a champion looks like?!"
The final match: Goro Daimon versus Goro Daimon!
This was a pure battle of skill, reflexes, and psychology.
Both fighters moved with extreme caution, their avatars exchanging probing punches and kicks on the screen like two supreme martial artists clashing their inner energy, neither daring to show a single flaw.
Time ticked by, both health bars slowly depleting.
Just as everyone thought the match would drag into overtime, the tide suddenly shifted!
Nagai Kenta made a probing leap, only to be caught by Daigo Umehara!
"Izumo Throw!"
Daigo's Goro Daimon, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, executed a flawless aerial takedown, snatching Nagai Kenta from mid-air and slamming him to the ground.
Immediately, he pressed forward, pinning his opponent against the ring edge.
A dazzling display of edge control and submissions instantly shattered Nagai Kenta's defenses.
K.O.!
First round: Daigo Umehara wins!
Nagai Kenta stared at the dimmed screen, a cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He felt he wasn't facing an eleven-year-old child, but a cold, precise, and utterly emotionless killing machine.
Second match.
Daigo Umehara's style suddenly transformed!
If the first match had been a cautious hunter, the second saw him morph into a frenzied beast.
Choi Bounge, who had started the match, played with unprecedented aggression, as if he had completely deciphered Nagai Kenta's habits.
Nagai Kenta's Kusanagi Kyo was forced back relentlessly, quickly meeting defeat.
Next, King took the stage, but she too couldn't withstand this "mad monkey's" relentless assault. After sapping some of Choi Bounge's stamina, she fell helplessly.
Daigo Umehara had taken out both of Nagai Kenta's main characters using just one character!
"Monster! This is definitely a monster!" The commentator's voice was completely distorted.
Finally, Nagai Kenta's Goro Daimon, now at half health, faced Daigo Umehara's full-health Chang Koehan.
It was a battle without suspense.
Under Chang Koehan's overwhelming Iron Ball Frenzy, Nagai Kenta's Goro Daimon tragically fell at his own arena edge.
The massive "K.O.!" signified the end of an era and the dawn of a new one.
No. 1 Building fell into a deathly silence that lasted for several seconds.
A deafening roar of cheers and applause, like a mountain-shaking, sea-stirring tidal wave, nearly lifted the roof off the building.
Below the stage, the arcade owner from Adachi Ward wept like a three-hundred-pound child, his voice hoarse from repeating, "We won— we actually won—"
Under the spotlight, Daigo Umehara remained motionless atop the beer crate, his face impassive. He simply stared at the "WINNER" banner on the screen. Unnoticed in the corner, his tightly clenched fists finally, imperceptibly, relaxed.
The emcee rushed onto the stage, shouting with all his might, "The winner of the Sixth Annual Sega Esports Tournament Tokyo Regional Championship is... eleven-year-old Daigo Umehara!"
"Furthermore, he will join the runner-up of this tournament—our esteemed inaugural champions, Nagai and Shirano—to represent Tokyo at the Budokan and challenge for the national title!"
Nagai Kenta stepped forward, looking down at the child who barely reached his chest. With a wry smile, he extended his hand.
"Kid, you fought well."
Daigo Umehara looked up, glanced at him, and gently shook his hand.
That night, Tokyo's media machine roared into action.
The next morning, convenience store newspaper racks were dominated by the face of the same young boy.
Nikkan Sports blared in bold, black headlines: "Tokyo's Strongest Turned Out to Be a Grade Schooler! The 'Fighting Game Beast' Has Been Born!"
The accompanying photo showed Daigo Umehara standing on a beer crate, his expressionless gaze fixed on the camera. His unnerving composure, so at odds with his age, made for a striking image under the camera flashes.
Inside the paper, the social commentary grew sharper.
A columnist for Yomiuri Shimbun wrote gravely: "Is it a tragedy when our children abandon baseball for the haze and clamor of arcade halls? Behind an eleven-year-old champion lies a childhood squandered on games."
Sensationalist magazines, ever eager for a scoop, dispatched reporters to Adachi Ward, where they staked out night and day, trying to unearth details about Daigo Umehara's family background. The headlines they cooked up were as inflammatory as they were attention-grabbing: [ Exclusive! Million-Dollar Prize Money Vanishes! Uncovering the Mysterious Family Behind the Genius Gamer! ]
In no time, the debate over Daigo Umehara had spread from gaming circles to the broader public, sparking a nationwide conversation.
Some worried, others admired, but the skeptics were the loudest of all.
Back in Adachi Ward, at that familiar arcade...
Manager Sato found himself cornered at the door by TV news crews first thing in the morning. Reporters shoved microphones in his face, their cameras trained on him.
"Is this where Player Umehara usually trains?"
"As his 'discoverer,' what do you think about his 'obsession' with gaming?"
Sweating profusely under the onslaught, Sato's freshly pressed suit—bought specifically for a trip to Akihabara—now looked as wrinkled as a dried-up pickle.
His face flushed crimson as he roared into the camera, "What 'obsession'? Daigo is more disciplined than anyone! He comes here for just an hour after school every day, leaves promptly to eat dinner—more punctual than any of you clock-punching office workers!"
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