Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 134: Sambo

Chapter 134: Sambo

"You do Sambo, right?"

Observing the spar with quiet commentary was Kazi alongside Marta. She was learning from every loss, getting pointers from both William and Nikolai’s mistakes. Although practically speaking, it was mostly William’s mistakes.

"You practice?" Nikolai asked.

"Not really. I participated in a Sambo tournament once, that’s all."

Knowing Kazi, there was definitely more to the story than him simply participating. William would have bet his entire savings that he won that tournament.

"Hm." Nikolai squinted and tilted his head. "Hm. Hmmmm...."

"What’s up?" Kazi asked innocently. He and Marta were quite comfortable in the sleeping bags.

’I should ask Kazi for one too,’ William thought, eyeing the comfy portable bedroll.

"You’re strong, huh?" Nikolai seemed surprised by his own statement. "Hm. Hmmm. Would you accept a short spar?"

William whipped his head. That was a hell of a leap. But still, Kazi versus Nikolai? That sounded exciting.

Surprisingly enough, Kazi approved it and was thrilled.

"Really? It’s been a very long time since anyone has challenged me," Kazi said, pushing himself out of the sleeping bag. Casually, he tossed a ball of fire into the campfire to blossom the light beyond their immediate surroundings.

Kazi was the same height as him, if not a little shorter, but Nikolai was a behemoth. In unarmed combat, the advantage went to the Russian male. How would he handle his grapples, William wondered, sitting on the ground adjacent to Marta. He almost considered stealing Kazi’s sleeping bag. In the end, he went against it figuring that Nikolai might want to spar with him again. He was a veteran gym bro. His approval meant something to him.

Sambo—whatever it was—didn’t have clear stances like boxing did, or if it did, William wasn’t able to comprehend it.

"Let us begin!"

Grinning, Nikolai initiated the confrontation with a surge of speed. As he engaged with a decoy jab that Kazi found too easy to evade, his swift footwork allowed him to angle toward Kazi’s left side. Through a sweeping jab, Nikolai transitioned into a dive to drag the smaller male down to the ground.

Kazi remained cool in spite of the two quick attacks. He adjusted his stance, pivoting with an uncanny sense of anticipation, and bounced to the side. It was a total miss. A total read of Nikolai’s move.

There was an instant where Nikolai’s back was to him. Distance did not matter. Size did not matter. In this overwhelmingly dominant position, Kazi was king. He went forward, weaving under an elbow to the temple, and executed a picture perfect imitation of Nikolai’s signature hip throw.

Slam!

Winner: Kazi Hossain.

"You read my move." Nikolai blinked twice, his arm still locked. "How did you do that?"

"I told you, I’m pretty familiar with Sambo."

"Don’t tell me you won your little tournament?"

"It was a rigged tournament. But yeah, I took first place."

"Hm."

Kazi released him after that, dusting away the muck under his arm. The black garbs, while defensively worthless, offered flexibility that Nikolai’s armour could not. In that sense, it made sense why Nikolai was unable to match him.

A rematch was inevitable.

Nikolai was careful this time. He kept his distance.

In Sambo, a total throw and pin equated to victory. Thinking he needed to one-up Kazi fast, Nikolai went at him. His arms were a distraction. His legs were going for a sweep.

He missed.

Slam!

Suddenly, Nikolai was on the ground. Kazi had read through his sweep, tripped him up, and pushed him down. Nikolai attempted to fight. He failed. Kazi slithered like a snake, wrapping him up and breaking his counter.

Winner: Kazi.

A rematch was inevitable.

Correction: a rematch was unnecessary. Because not once did Nikolai touch Kazi. It was a mismatch.

Slam! Slam! Slam!

Again and again and again. Nikolai crashed to the ground for what must have been the tenth time. A small crowd of soldiers had gathered, curious and cheering Nikolai on. It was like the larger man was facing Goliath himself. Insurmountable odds that no one, even himself, expected to triumph against.

"One last round," Nikolai declared. "After that, I will bother you no longer."

"You can come at me however you like." Kazi rolled his shoulders. "I haven’t had this much fun in a long time."

Magical energy teemed from every fibre of his being. It was like he was powering himself up. William blinked. ’Huh. Is it just me or did Kazi get faster and stronger?’

Marta clapped her hands together, quietly cheering him on. Meanwhile, the soldiers yelled at Nikolai not to give up. To William, it was quite clear that Kazi possessed strength inferior to his own and Nikolai. What set him apart were his eyes. Those hazel eyes of his eyes were as beautiful as they were terrifying. After sparring with him so many times, William came to understand there was nothing Kazi couldn’t see through. Nothing, except pitch-black darkness.

Nikolai attempted to bring him into a hold. His attempt wasn’t clumsy either; the issue was that Kazi made it look clumsy in comparison. He countered instantly, unleashing a rapid flurry of strikes—precise jabs aimed at Nikolai’s upper body designed to disrupt the strength in his shoulders. From then on, there was a small weight slowing his shoulders and consequently his arms. No amount of System regeneration seemed to help.

As Nikolai attempted to close in for a clinch, Kazi swiftly pivoted on his heel, using Nikolai’s momentum against him. With a calculated push, Kazi expertly redirected Nikolai’s arm away and maneuvered out of the imminent grapple.

Nikolai shook his head, panting and laughing. "Ahh, devil! You got out of it again. How are you reading my movements with such ease?"

As if knowing he wouldn’t attack, Kazi relaxed and shifted his feet together. "I can say the same for you. That’s not purely natural talent; someone taught you."

Light-heartedly laughing, Nikolai nodded. "Spectre Forde has been personally training me in unarmed combat! But let me ask: what does a man as great as you seek from this? From this, I mean the Heavenly Games. What is your wish? What is the desire that fuels your talents?"

Kazi didn’t hesitate and said, "My dream is to bring total peace to the world."