The rain showed no signs of letting up; if anything, the downpour grew heavier.
Just as Baki was about to lunged at Kitae again, a bloodied figure stepped into his path. It was Jinrang.
He was breathing hard, but his eyes were sharper than they had been all day.
"I don't know who you are or why you're sticking your nose in this," Jinrang said without looking back. "But this fight ends here. Don't come any closer."
Baki stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? You sure about that?"
"A wolf never shares its prey with another predator," Jinrang said, his gaze fixed entirely on Kitae. "Kitae Kim is my prey. I'm the one who settles this."
Baki couldn't help but let out a short laugh.
"Interesting," Baki said, relaxing his stance with a touch of mockery. "But an intelligent wolf knows his own weight. You sure you haven't picked the wrong prey today?"
Baki pointed toward Kitae. The man was currently rolling his neck, the sound of bone grinding on bone audible even through the rain. The pressure radiating from him was enough to make the very air feel heavy.
Jinrang didn't offer a reply. He sank deep into his stance, widening his base and bringing his arms up into a tight guard.
"Even so," Jinrang's voice was low and heavy, "I won't back off."
The moment the words left his lips, mud rose splattered in his spot.
Zip!
He vanished, leaving only a blurred afterimage. The sudden burst of speed caught both Baki and Kitae off guard for a fraction of a second.
'He's faster than before.'
The thought had barely crossed Kitae's mind before Jinrang appeared in his blind spot. Instead of lead with a punch, Jinrang dropped into a low-angle slide, driving his right elbow like a sledgehammer into Kitae's lead leg.
Thud!
Kitae's massive frame shuddered.
"I'm not done!" Jinrang roared.
Using the momentum of the slide, he coiled and sprang into the air. He twisted his torso mid-flight, driving his left knee straight toward Kitae's face. Kitae let out a cold snort and crossed his massive forearms in front of his head.
Boom!
The impact sounded like a heavy mallet hitting a war drum. Kitae blocked the hit, but Jinrang's next move was completely outside his calculations. Instead of falling back to the ground, Jinrang forced his body to twist again in mid-air. Using the torque of the rotation, he slammed his right elbow downward, aiming for Kitae's collarbone.
Kitae's pupils shrank. There was no room to dodge. He could only brace himself and tank the hit.
Crack!
The ground beneath Kitae's feet splintered once more. His lower legs were driven inches deep into the mud and asphalt.
"Interesting..." Kitae's voice remained chillingly calm. Suddenly, his hand shot out, seizing Jinrang's ankle before he could pull back.
'Damn it!'
Kitae's strength was monstrous. He tightened his grip, preparing to slam Jinrang into the ground like a ragdoll.
But Jinrang was operating beyond the limits of reason. He didn't care if his ankle snapped. He slammed his free foot into Kitae's chest, using the recoil to execute a near-impossible backflip in mid-air.
Tear!
The fabric of Jinrang's pant leg shredded in Kitae's grip, but he managed to break free. He landed in a three-point stance, panting like a cornered wolf ready for one last charge.
"I take back my statement. You're even tastier than that snake," Kitae said, pulling his legs out of the crater and brushing dust off his shoulder. His gaze turned feral. "But that just makes me want to take you apart bone by bone."
Jinrang didn't waste breath on words. His entire body was trembling.
'My body's at the limit... every muscle fiber is screaming.'
'But it's not enough! If I don't crush him here, Busan is finished!'
Jinrang charged again. This time, he abandoned all technical finesse. He simply walked toward Kitae, taking a heavy hook directly to the side of his face.
Smack!
Jinrang's head snapped to the side, blood spraying into the rain, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he took a massive step forward.
Kitae blinked in confusion. "Have you gone insane?"
Smack!
Another punch landed. Jinrang's eyelid split open, but he kept advancing. The distance between them closed to less than a foot.
Jinrang drew back his right fist. The scars on his arm pulsed a dark, angry red as they filled with blood. An iron-heavy will began to coalesce at the tip of his knuckles.
"This... is my conviction."
Jinrang took a deep, jagged breath. His fist swung in a perfect upward arc, slamming squarely into the underside of Kitae's jaw.
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted from the point of impact, instantly clearing the falling rain in a wide circle around them.
Kitae's massive body was lifted off its feet. He spun through the air like a broken kite, hurtling ten meters back before crashing into a pile of discarded fish crates.
Silence.
Aside from the drumming rain, the market was deathly still.
Jinrang stood his ground, his right arm hanging limply at his side. Blood flowed down his fingertips, tracing a steady line into the puddles.
Suddenly, a roar erupted from the edges of the market.
"JINRANG!!"
"THE KING OF BUSAN!!"
The spectators gathered in the arena began to scream his name. The sheer volume of the cheers seemed to push back the thunder.
Watching from the front, three men stood frozen, their hearts racing with a haunting sense of déjà vu.
Ship tycoon Park Jinnam gripped his tobacco, his knuckles white. 'This back... I've seen it before.' He whispered, "It's just like that day... when he stood against Dayoung Oh."
Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Do Hyungwang took off his glasses, wiping away the condensation—or perhaps tears. "He hasn't changed. When the city is on the brink of ruin, he's the only one who steps into the fire."
Chairman of L Group, Lee Nakchun, watched the blood drip from Jinrang's knuckles and felt a lump in his throat. "Gapryong Kim's shadow? No. That's Busan's shield standing there."
They were touched, moved to their core by the sight of a man breaking his own body to protect their home. To the people of Busan, Jinrang wasn't just a fighter. He was the one who kept the darkness at bay.
'That man's shadow... it really has reappeared in him.'
Jinrang didn't hear the cheers. He only stared at the wreckage of the fish crates, waiting for the monster to rise.