Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1699

The Zhinoran fighters exploded with rage! Disregarding the risk of being disqualified, they all stood up, ready to rush the stage to protect Evan. Elliot and the female bodyguard stood up, working to calm them down. On stage, the male bodyguard stood beside Evan, his face impassive as he translated, waiting for Evan's command. Evan gritted his teeth. 'Cripple him and throw him off the stage? Make an example of him? Oh, I know how to play that game!' With that, the little guy charged. He didn't give the man on stage a chance to speak, nor did he kick him off the stage. Instead, he leaped up, wrapped his legs around the man's neck, and executed a brutal, lightning-fast takedown. 'THUD!' Before the man even knew what was happening, he was slammed hard onto the ground. The microphone went rolling. He clutched his neck and began to cough violently. 'Cough! Cough!' Evan landed gracefully, raised his little fist, and stomped down hard on the man's ankle. 'CRACK! CRACK!' Two sharp sounds of bone breaking. The man's eyes bulged in pain. A moment later, the screams came. 'Ah, ah, ahhh—' The sound echoed through the entire arena. Evan gave him another kick, sending him tumbling towards the Thyania fighters. Evan clenched his fists and glared at them. 'Cripple him and throw him off the stage. Make an example of him. I'm the best at that game!' Everyone was stunned. '?!!!!!!!!!' A dead silence fell over the arena. Shekao's brow tightened. He leaped onto the stage himself. 'You're asking for it!' Just as Evan was about to meet the challenge, Elliot suddenly appeared on stage, stepping in front of Evan to block him. He stared at Shekao and said, 'If this is the attitude of you Thyania fighters, then we'll have to take this up with your king! Our two nations have had peaceful diplomatic relations for many years, with no animosity. If you want to turn a martial arts tournament into a political confrontation, we will be more than happy to oblige. Let's talk about our two nations' military strength, and we'll see who's really stronger!' Shekao's face darkened. 'This is a martial arts tournament. It has nothing to do with politics!' Elliot fixed him with a cold, unwavering stare. 'If it has nothing to do with politics, then it should be fair and just, with everything following the tournament rules! Right now, you Thyania hosts have failed to be fair and just. You should apologize to us Zhinora fighters!' The Thyania fighters behind Shekao were enraged. 'You're the ones causing trouble, and you want us to apologize? Are you crazy?!' 'You think just because your richest man beat Punikon's father, we're scared of you? We could crush you easily!' 'Stop wasting your breath on them! Let's just take them out!' In response, Elliot calmly took his phone from the female bodyguard and began playing a video of the matches between #3, #5, and #6. Fearing that the crowd wouldn't be able to see, Elijah discreetly tapped a few commands on his smartwatch, and the video feed flashed onto the massive screens above the arena, ensuring everyone in the venue could see it clearly. First, it showed #3 brutally beating #5. The man was unconscious, but he was still being hit. The referee glanced over coldly, did nothing, and let #3 continue. Then, it showed #3 fighting #6. After #6 was knocked out, #3 was still hitting him. The referee, again, just glanced over, playing dumb, and let #3 continue his assault. The two clips played on a loop. The arena was silent. The Zhinoran fighters gritted their teeth, their eyes red with anger. What was this if not bullying? It was outrageous! On stage, Elliot questioned Shekao, 'When Thyania sent out the invitations to the world, you said this would be a friendly competition. Barring any private agreements, all fights are supposed to stop once a point is made! After a fighter surrenders, you can't hit them! After a fighter is unconscious, you also can't hit them! But the Zhinoran fighters, #5 and #6, were clearly unconscious, yet fighter #3 ignored the rules and kept hitting them!'