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Chapter 48 is only the beginning of what that fight truly means.
Sometimes a battle isn't about winning.
Sometimes it's about discovering what someone is willing to become when pain stops mattering.
The deeper this story goes, the more dangerous the people around Elijah become.
Fighters start revealing monsters hidden beneath calm faces.
Loyalty starts carrying weight.
And some relationships begin changing in ways that are hard to notice at first… until it's already too late to go back.
There are moments coming that make these underground fights feel small compared to what's ahead.
Because eventually, strength alone stops being enough.
You'll see what I mean soon enough.
It's better to discover it yourself here → https://www.patreon.com/KingAlex738
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Chapter 48
The darkness didn't last.
Elijah's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a ceiling he didn't recognize—steel beams, exposed pipes, the kind of industrial ceiling that belonged to the warehouse's back rooms. His head was resting on something that might have been a folded jacket. The air smelled of sweat and blood and something chemical.
"He's awake."
Aurora's voice came from somewhere to his left. Elijah turned his head slowly, his neck protesting, and found her sitting on a crate beside him. Her silver hair was pulled back, the cut above her eye cleaned and bandaged. She was watching him with those blue eyes, something unreadable in her expression.
"What… happened?"
"Kai carried you here after you passed out." She didn't smile, but something in her face softened. "You look like hell."
Elijah tried to sit up. His ribs screamed, his shoulder throbbed, his jaw felt like it had been replaced with a brick. Aurora put a hand on his chest, pushing him back down with surprising gentleness.
"Don't move. Kai said to keep you still. Also told me to focus on your breathing."
"My breathing?"
"You were coughing blood after the fight. He said to make sure it stayed smooth." She pulled her hand back, crossing her arms. "So lie there and breathe."
Elijah lay there, breathing using the healing and adaptation function as his stats increased once more.
Stats
Strength: 27 → 28
Endurance: 24 → 25
Defense: 25 → 26
Willpower: 17 → 20
He lay there continuing with his breathing. On the other hand, Kai went to cash out Elijah's money. The register didn't want to pay at first, but in the end, he gave Kai the money. Soon after, Kai went to meet Henry, who was still tired and beaten up from the last fight, as he looked into the ring which was being cleaned.
Kai reached him, giving him a bag which had the money, saying, "Take care of the money and check on Elijah soon. It will be my match, and after winning, we will go to the bar."
"Okay, just don't lose. It would be funny for you to be the only one who hasn't won." Henry teased him with his tired expression, holding his arm and saying, "Elijah could still stand with his arm being removed, and here I am, can't fully move it yet."
Kai chuckled and answered, "It's because you don't have a reason to."
Henry looked at Kai and questioned, "What is his reason?"
Kai looked behind them. They were at the place where everyone was, and Elijah and Aurora were behind all of that. He sighed. "He's not doing this for his family or his gang, but to prove to himself that no matter the pain, it's not as great as the pain of losing oneself."
"What do you mean?" Henry was confused and added, "Is that your reason also?"
Kai chuckled and said, "No, my reason is to do what I can to make sure Elijah's goals are reached."
Then someone called out, saying the next match was starting.
The announcer's voice cut through the noise. "Next match—Kai versus Victor Hale."
Kai's eyes narrowed. Victor Hale. The lower underground was full of fighters who came and went, their names forgotten as quickly as they appeared. But the man who climbed into the ring from the opposite side was not someone who would be forgotten quickly.
He was taller than Kai by several inches, his body thick with muscle that moved beneath his skin like coiled steel. His head was shaved, his face all hard lines and flat planes, his eyes dark and empty. He wore no shirt, his chest a map of scars.
His Ki was dense, heavy, pressed against Kai's senses like a physical weight. Beginner Knight Stage Peak. The same stage as Tristan, Dante, and Jack.
Victor Hale stood in his corner, his arms crossed, his dark eyes fixed on Kai. Both took a deep breath. A dark purple aura surrounded Kai as a smile appeared on his expression as the instinct of a fighter took over.
Victor was surrounded by a silver aura as both their Ki boosted their stats by 30%, but Victor was still stronger. Kai didn't care about that because no matter how stronger you are, if the person you're fighting is more skilled than you and can react to your attacks, then it's meaningless.
The bell rang. Both disappeared, appearing at the center, sending a punch at each other which clashed. Using Victor's force against himself, Kai moved down, wanting to send a punch, but Victor sent a knee at his face. Kai quickly blocked it, but the impact pushed him back, creating some distance. Before he could recover, Victor appeared, his punch hitting Kai's stomach. Kai's Ki sense had already picked it up.
In that moment, he took the hit so that he could land a hit of his own on Victor's face. Then the two started boxing each other out in a very close space where it wouldn't be easy to dodge, but Kai was dodging some and being hit by some. He wasn't on the defensive, as he was also attacking, but his punches weren't causing much of an impact because Victor had a very good defense stat.
It was a disadvantage for Kai, so he kicked Victor away to create some distance and jumped back so he could have time to react.
But Victor moved to enter close combat, which would be more advantageous for him. In response, Kai moved but not forward.
He dropped. His body folded, his legs giving out, his back hitting the mat. Victor's punch passed over him, close enough to stir his hair, and for a moment, the man was off balance, his weight shifted too far forward, his guard open.
Kai's leg came up. His foot drove into Victor's knee, the joint bending the wrong way, and Victor's aura flickered wildly. His leg buckled, his body twisting, and Kai was already moving, rolling to his feet.
Standing up, he sent a kick to Victor's face which sent a shockwave, knocking him to the ground. Kai sensed his Ki and knew it was over. But Victor stood, his Ki even more dangerous than before, now angered. He looked at Kai with the eyes of a cold killer.