From the perspective of a third party observer, it can be said that up until now, Watanabe Gengo is winning in this confrontation. After all, he has successfully blocked the wolf spider's sudden attack and is about to deliver a powerful punch to its face.
At least, that's how it appears in this split second.
However, in the next second, the wolf spider has already swiftly caught the knife that was deflected by Watanabe Gengo and is now merely 20 centimeters away from Watanabe Gengo's throat.
In reality, this all happens in the blink of an eye.
The wolf spider's knife tears open a deep and wide gash on Watanabe Gengo's throat, undoubtedly injecting him with the deadly venom of the Australian box jellyfish coating the knife. Within thirty seconds, this unknown man who suddenly emerged in the wolf spider's path will turn into a lifeless corpse.
As for Watanabe Gengo's punch, although it's the first time the wolf spider has fought him, in this brief moment of contact, the wolf spider already knows that it's impossible to break several bones from being hit by that punch.
In this race against time battle, the wolf spider plans to exchange Watanabe Gengo's life with the assumption that he'll be severely injured by that punch.
However, he quickly realizes that he was mistaken.
Watanabe Gengo's punch never lands.
The wolf spider had planned to use the force of Watanabe Gengo's punch to escape from his grasp.
Yet, this expected punch never arrives.
Watanabe Gengo, who was gathering strength, changes his powerful punch into a grip as it travels towards the wolf spider's head.
As the wolf spider slices open Watanabe Gengo's throat, Watanabe Gengo's right hand grabs onto the wolf spider's throat.
This sudden change catches the wolf spider off guard, but he soon regains his composure. He knows very well that the hand currently choking him will lose its strength and release its grip in a few seconds, and along with it, its owner will fall to the ground.
Although his throat is being tightly strangled and he can't breathe, the wolf spider, who has fought his way back from the brink of death multiple times, calmly faces this situation.
Relax, don't force yourself to breathe, wait calmly.
During this wait, the wolf spider reflects on the process of their recent fight and develops a deep admiration for this unknown stranger. The aspect of Watanabe Gengo that the wolf spider admires is his excellent reflexes and judgement. If Watanabe Gengo had retaliated with a punch, the wolf spider would have been able to make a clean escape, leaving Watanabe Gengo to slowly die on the side.
Furthermore, with one leg already incapacitated and Watanabe Gengo poisoned, there would have been no chance for Watanabe Gengo to get close to the wolf spider again.
Indeed, it is only through seizing the opportunity in this initial and Yui's first encounter that Watanabe Gengo can catch and inflict fatal damage upon the wolf spider. The strategy, which requires careful consideration, is something that Watanabe Gengo accomplishes in an instant during their fight, leaving the wolf spider feeling genuinely impressed.
But that's where it ends.
- If your physical condition were better, perhaps our match would have been even more exciting, and maybe the one who dies here today would be me.
The wolf spider, held by Watanabe Gengo with one hand around its neck and lifted high, looked down on Watanabe Gengo from above. It saw his angry eyes and gradually lost its luster, its eyes filling with blood vessels, as it approached death.
