A muscular girl is presented to the passionate world of crossover anime.

But what does it matter? In fact, Jack expressed everyone's thoughts: "It's a pity we can only fight one of them. It would be so much better if we could fight them all at once."

If Sikorsky was a toy that boys fought over, then Kanon brought an entire toy store! The dazzling array of warriors with different styles had already overwhelmed Baki and the others, and now all they wanted was to start fighting.

“However…” Baki glanced at the fifth person in the room: “I didn’t expect Jack to know Kaya.”

It was a young-looking man, wearing camouflage and a headscarf; he seemed to be a soldier. He was smiling at Baki!

His name is Kaiya, and he is indeed an elite soldier, extremely adept at using the environment in combat, making him a top-tier "super-realistic" fighter. Baki fought him a few years ago during his training and was almost killed, but unexpectedly, he was summoned by Jack now, and is the "friend" Jack mentioned.

“There’s nothing strange about that.” Jack shrugged. “My mother was a soldier.”

Well, although Jack himself is known as "Canada's Street Fighter", he is indeed from a military family. Even Yujiro and his mother met on the battlefield.

Ignoring Baki or Kaeya, Jack eagerly walked to the entrance of the passage, waiting to see who the "Kanon Team" would send out.

This competition is a five-on-five battle, meaning each person can only fight once, so everyone hopes to choose the most satisfactory opponent. In addition, the best-of-five format involves strategies like "Tian Ji's horse racing" (using the best horse against the worst), so the two sides did not arrange a fixed pairing order, but instead sent their players in a "2-2-1" manner, with the opposing team deciding their opponent.

The first match was initiated by the warriors of the "Kanon Team".

"Um, who should we invite to perform..." Hanon's indecisiveness has lasted from last night into tonight. She looked back at the people in the dressing room, and there were indeed many talented people, just a little too many...

Ryo Inaba, Gozo Murobuchi, Oni-oyama-san, Eiichiro, Gaolang Unsavado, Julius Reinhardt, Adam Dadoli, Takeshi Wakatsuki, Kosuke Imai, Suekichi Kaneda, Ryo Himuro, Ryujin Sou, Tohei Daimon, and Haku Mabi—these are the warriors who responded to Kanon's call and came when they had free time.

However, not all of these people are going to fight. For example, Julius is only interested in Oliva, and he can't muster the fighting spirit of anyone else, not even Jack Vanma. For example, Samurai Wakatsuki is only participating out of loyalty, and he is obviously not very interested in this battle. Then there are Soryujin and Daimon Tohei. The former watched the previous tournament from the sidelines and thought he was no match for the five opponents. The latter has retired and can't even beat Kaoru Hanayama, so he has no interest in participating. He is basically here to cheer on Kanon.

Even so, Kanon's range of choices is still quite wide, or rather, there are too many possibilities to consider.

"Hmm, the other five are all top-tier fighters. Aside from Kaiya, whose strength is unknown, the other four are all top-tier experts. I'm confident I can win at least one. Gaolang and Uncle Wakatsuki also have a high probability of winning, but it's not a sure thing. I'm afraid they might upset me... The others are weaker, so I'm afraid they won't amount to much... No, I can't say that. Inaba-kun, Cosmo, Ina-mon, and even Kaneda-kun all have their own special skills, which might be able to act as surprise attacks. And Adam and Oni-oyama aren't completely without a fighting chance either. At least the situation won't be one-sided... Ugh, this is so annoying!"

The more Hanon thought about it, the more complicated and uncertain it became. At this moment, the staff began to urge her on, and everyone's eyes were on Hanon. Hanon also looked at everyone, and her eyes gradually became unfocused, and then small circles appeared, one circle after another... She was completely dumbfounded!

She was clearly overwhelmed by having too many cards in her hand, which everyone understood. Hanon deliberately didn't call Wu Lei'an and Aguya Qingqiu. The martial artists who came were all quite nice and got along well, so no one blamed her. They just looked at each other and considered Hanon's order of appearance.

"Let me go first."

Someone took off the burqa covering their body, revealing boxing shorts, and Masahiro stood up... The person who was going to fight was Gaolang!

"Ah, Mr. Gaolang..." Hanon was filled with admiration. Gaolang was such a good man. Although he didn't talk much, he was the most trustworthy older brother. Among this group of companions, he was even better at stabilizing morale than the samurai Wakatsuki, since Wakatsuki's fighting spirit was obviously low today.

Soon after, the announcer's voice rang out in the stadium. It was that same dedicated but mediocre uncle who excitedly announced Gaolang's entrance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, everyone here today is a regular at the arena, so I won't say much. Just enjoy tonight's fight! First up for 'Hanon Team' is Gaolang Unsavado. Following in the footsteps of Tyson, we now welcome another world heavyweight champion, and his reputation and achievements surpass even Tyson's! Thailand's fighting god, the king of boxing, welcome, welcome to our team!"

Gaolang stepped into the ring, and the audience cheered for him. At this moment, even the usually composed boxing champion was somewhat excited. This was his first time participating in a top-level fight since his injury in the elimination tournament last year.

So, who will he face off against?

"As for Gaolang's opponent, let's look at the choice of the 'Baki Team'... Ah! It's Katsumi Guji!"

Author's Note: Because the Kengan sequel manga is being serialized very slowly, this book definitely won't be able to see the Purgatory arc. I'll just have to write some side stories later. Gaolang's appearance first is a tribute to the Purgatory battle in Kengan. Hopefully, Gaolang can also defeat the Golden Emperor.

Section 643, Chapter 636: PTSD

When Gaolang appeared, the five members of the "Baki Team" inside the house were also excited.

Unlike Mike Tyson, the newly crowned heavyweight champion who rose to fame through sheer luck, Gaolang possesses absolute prestige in this new world and is renowned in the mainstream world. He and Naoya Okubo almost represent the pinnacle of combat sports in the mainstream world. His videos, like his fame, are widely circulated and easily found by anyone, who, after watching them, sincerely exclaims, "Truly a rare and powerful fighter!" He is like Muhammad Ali from earlier eras, a world-class icon.

“Gaoran Unsavado!” Jack Vanma raised the corners of his mouth: “The first person Ye Huayin sent out was such a master, excellent.”

But despite this, Jack did not take a step forward.

It's human nature—curiosity! Always wanting to see what's next. Since the first battle was against Gaolang, what kind of powerful figures will follow? Not only that, Jack was also eager to have a revenge battle with Kanon, so after thinking for a moment, he decided to suppress his impulse and not challenge Gaolang.

Their first reaction was the same, but someone had to take on the challenge. The one who first restrained his "curiosity" was naturally Lie Haiwang, the representative of Chinese martial arts that emphasizes self-cultivation.

"The most popular fighting techniques in modern society and the four-thousand-year-old Chinese martial arts will be a wonderful showdown." Retsukai strode forward, heading straight for the arena, but was stopped by Katsumi Guji at the last moment.

Katsumi pressed down on Retsu Kaioh's shoulder: "Retsu... please let me have this battle."

Retsukai was taken aback: "What, it's not just Chinese martial arts that want to challenge boxing?" Thinking about it, it makes sense. Karate also has a history of five hundred years, and compared to the all-encompassing and inclusive Chinese martial arts, the conflict between the philosophies of karate and boxing is even more serious.

But Katsumi shook his head: "This is not just a dispute between schools of thought, but also involves my personal feelings."

“You…” Retsukai looked at Katsumi strangely, but Katsumi avoided his gaze.

"I understand." This match is just a friendly spar, not a necessary life-or-death struggle. The loyal and righteous King Retsukai would not refuse his friend's request: "I'll leave it to you, Katsumi. Good luck."

"Hehe, thanks, but in Japan, it should be said 'May your martial arts prosper'." Katsumi took off his headscarf and walked towards the ring. On the way, he subconsciously touched his waist—but there was no familiar black belt there. Today he was only wearing ordinary clothes: "Ah, if only I were wearing a martial arts uniform."

Outside the arena, the cheers were deafening as always. Even though the event was held in a rushed manner and the audience consisted of only a small number of the arena's regulars, they were still excited about the duel between the two champions, as announced by the host.

"'The future of karate,' 'karate's ultimate weapon,' has now descended upon the ring once again! Katsumi Guji, who previously suffered a devastating defeat against Kaoru Hanayama, has returned after several months. Can he challenge the champion, Gaolang? We shall wait and see."

Katsumi walked up to Gaolang: "Hey, hey, what do you mean by 'returning'? Actually, you're the one who's returned, Mr. Gaolang... How's your right fist?"

Gaolang's right fist was accidentally shattered during "training," forcing him to take a nearly year-long hiatus. This incident caused a huge shockwave in the world of boxing, leading to a resurgence of heavyweight champions and a fierce battle for the titles. Anyone with even a slight interest in sports would have heard about it. Gaolang has been undergoing rehabilitation training for some time now, but he hasn't participated in any high-level fights yet. His previous sparring matches with Kanon and Maki didn't involve any direct punches, so even seasoned fighters, let alone fans, don't know how much of his former strength he has recovered.

“There’s no need to worry unnecessarily.” Gaolang’s expression was always so calm: “I can still fight.”

“Very good, that’s exactly what I wanted to see.” Katsumi and Gaolang bumped fists together—a friendly gesture common among boxers. Clearly, Katsumi had no ill intentions. The two were exchanging blows to make friends, confirming the sparring nature of the match.

After the referee checked, the two distanced themselves. Katsumi adopted the standard Shinshinkai forward lunge and punching stance, while Gaolang also adopted the familiar Detroit style—left-handed stance.

"His right hand injury is still having an effect..." Hua Yin's heart sank. There is a saying that once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of a rope for ten years. Sometimes, a martial artist's physical wounds may heal, but the damage to his mind is impossible to repair. There are so many soldiers returning from the battlefield with PTSD. This kind of thing is a problem that has existed for thousands of years.

But once the battle began, it surprised everyone, or rather... it was a dazzling experience.

So fast!

Gaolang's offensive was surprisingly fast. The Detroit style, also known as the "killer style" or "blitz style," originally involved using a left-handed jab to quickly harass the opponent, followed by a right-handed hook and swing for heavy blows. Now, Gaolang used it in reverse, and surprisingly, there was no slowdown. The speed of his right-handed jab was still swift, and his left hand, hidden behind his right fist's thrust, was powerful and unstoppable when it was occasionally unleashed.

There may still be subtle differences, but at least in terms of spirit, Gauran has returned to its former glory.

Including Kanon, all the fighters who had participated in the Deadly Elimination Tournament were moved: "Gaorang... he really has been training hard all along!"

It was to be expected that Katsumi would struggle against the boxing champion's attacks. Gaolang's attack speed was so fast that Katsumi was forced to retreat repeatedly in an instant.

"So fast, so fast... Is this the strength of the strongest boxer?" Katsumi Guji didn't even have time to exclaim before he was hit by Gaolang's jab.

"Ouch!" The punch grazed Katsumi's eye, forcing him to retreat further, just as Gaolang's powerful follow-up punch arrived.

"Don't underestimate me!" Katsumi suddenly shouted, stopping his retreat and headbutting Gaolang's fist. This was so sudden that Gaolang's wrist twitched, and he dared not touch Katsumi's head.

Using the skull to defend against punches is a technique that appeared in the classical era, because the skull is harder than human hand bones. Just like Shiba Inu used his head to break Tyson's arm, and Gao Lang, who had a painful experience, subconsciously avoided Katsumi.

"Ah!" The fighters were shocked again. They suddenly realized that punch speed was only related to the amount of training and did not mean that Gaolang had come out of the shadows. This dodge of the punch revealed his inner demons!

In this way, Katsumi just happened to run into Gaolang's arms. This distance is certainly within the range of a boxer's heavy punches, but it is not a familiar striking zone for a boxer. On the contrary, as a karate practitioner, Katsumi has more room to maneuver. Fingers, legs, and even headbutts are all counterattack moves he can choose.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Keji opened his arms... and embraced Gaolang.

“It’s a combination technique!” Hanon frowned. She was terrible at combination techniques, just like Gaolang—boxers aren’t good at them either!

Moreover, Gaoran is 187 cm tall and weighs 91 kg, while Katsumi is also 187 cm tall but weighs 116 kg. This weight class advantage means that Katsumi will have a significant advantage in suppression and grappling. Gaoran is in danger!

But to everyone's surprise, after Katsumi hugged Gaolang, he didn't move.

He was waiting, waiting for the referee to separate them...

Section 644, Chapter 637: Each Other's Inner Demons

The referee did separate Katsumi and Gaolang, but even he was confused afterward: "That's not how the arena rules work! I'm not a boxing referee!"

That's right, clinching and stopping the attack is a boxing move, a self-defense option that brings the match to a brief pause. This move is considered particularly unsightly in boxing; prolonged clinching is off-putting to the audience, let alone in a gladiatorial arena where there are no rules or even weapons. In an instant, the entire audience was cursing Katsumi Ikuchi.

"Whoa—whoa—"

"Trash! I never thought you were such a coward. I misjudged you, Katsumi!"

"Karate practitioners have no martial ethics? You don't deserve to be called a martial artist!"

"Hehe, karate master... What a nostalgic term." Katsumi chuckled self-deprecatingly, then distanced himself from Gaolang and assumed a fighting stance: "You couldn't land a punch, and I couldn't make any further moves either. It seems we really are a good pair of opponents."

"Are you making fun of me?" Gaolang frowned. His intuition told him that Yuji Katsumi wasn't provoking him, but the fact that the other party was interested in his right fist and boxing grappling made Gaolang unhappy.

“It’s not for fun… I don’t know either…” Katsumi shook his head sincerely in denial: “Sigh, let’s play again.”

With a touch of inexplicable melancholy, it was Katsumi Inochi who launched the first attack on Gaolang.

When the two sparred again, the rhythm seemed much more "normal." Katsumi began to use his karate techniques, while Gaolang's boxing remained reliable. The two exchanged blows, looking quite professional, and it looked like an intense battle.

The exchange lasted about half a minute, but Gaolang ultimately proved to be the superior fighter. Just because a boxer doesn't use kicks doesn't mean he has a technical deficiency. Gaolang was a Muay Thai champion in his youth, and later switched to boxing, incorporating the kicking techniques that Muay Thai excelled at into his boxing style, transforming them into footwork and subtle, controlled movements. In other words, Gaolang's martial arts don't lack the use of his legs; his technique is flawless. In terms of striking technique alone, he's among the world's best, even surpassing Kanon in this aspect.

"Bang!" Katsumi took another punch to the face, his nose bleeding profusely, and he was knocked back by Gaolang. He was very heavy and muscular, so he didn't lose his balance. When Gaolang chased after him, he used his head to deflect the punch again—and Gaolang dodged it once more!

Gaolang's stress response was so intense that he hesitated whenever faced with a strong impact, repeatedly giving Katsumi opportunities. This time, however, once he closed in on Gaolang, he didn't hesitate any longer—Katsumi's prized "four-hit combo along the center line" was about to strike...

Gaolang was hit first.

His Muay Thai technique proved effective. Although the punch missed Katsumi's head, it pressed down on the back of his head from behind. Since Katsumi was already charging forward, Gaolang took advantage of the momentum and pulled him down, turning it into a knee strike that Katsumi was about to deliver to Gaolang. His hands, which were just about to launch a combo, had to switch from offense to defense and become blocks.

The powerful knee strike sent Katsumi staggering backward, leaving his center wide open and a huge opening – the perfect opportunity for Gaolang to press his advantage! As he swung his heavy punch for the third time, all Katsumi could do was struggle to turn his head, attempting to "scare away" Gaolang with his skull for the third time.

However, Gaolang did not flee.

"boom!"

This marks the first time in nearly a year that Gaolang has landed a powerful punch to the head in a match against a top opponent!

My hand hurts so much that I can't help but worry that I might have injured my bones again, but I have to say, this feeling... is really good.

It's like the first electric light shining in the darkness, like the first ray of sun after a storm, like the first bioelectricity generated in a fetus's brain.

At the same time, a flash of inspiration struck Gaolang, and he seemed to have found the true intention behind his foolish self-destructive behavior.

Katsumi was struck by the punch and collapsed to the ground, all movement ceasing. Had he lost?

No. Just as the referee was about to check on him, Katsumi regained consciousness!

As the "ultimate weapon of karate," Katsumi's physical abilities are beyond doubt. Even if Gaolang's heavy punch lands squarely, it won't defeat him in one blow.

Of course, his face was a mess from the heavy punch, and the dizziness in his head was unbearable. Katsumi looked miserable and somewhat dejected: "I... I might as well have just lay down." But despite saying that, he still stood up shakily and got into a fighting stance: "Congratulations, Mr. Fighting God of Thailand."

“…Thank you, my friend.” Gaolang was relaxed and showed no signs of fatigue from the fierce battle. Even the audience, who knew nothing about martial arts, could see that his leaps were much more agile. “With your help, I overcame my inner demons.”