Chapter 80 (2)
The streets of the 7th District were empty at 2:00 AM, the streetlights casting pools of orange light onto the cracked pavement and the shadows between them deep enough to hide anything that did not want to be seen.
Elijah drove through the quiet city with his red eyes scanning the road ahead and his mind focused on the hours to come, and the only sounds were the hum of the engine and the soft rush of wind through the partially opened window.
The location that Jack had chosen for their fight was an underground fighting ring in the 8th District, a sprawling space of concrete and steel that Elijah had visited once before during his death match run.
The building was dark when he arrived, the windows boarded up and the doors locked, and the only light came from the pale glow of the streetlamps that lined the empty street.
He used the key that Tristan had given him to unlock the side entrance, and he walked through the dark corridors until he reached the main room where the cage stood in the center of the space like a beast waiting to be fed.
The lights were off, and the cage was empty, and the only sounds were the echo of his own footsteps and the distant hum of the city outside.
Elijah walked to the cage and opened the door, and he stepped inside and sat down in the center of the canvas floor with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees.
He closed his eyes and began to breathe, letting the rhythm of the Eternal Grounded Tree technique settle into his body, and the darkness wrapped around him like a blanket as the hours passed.
The Gathering breathing pulled Ki from every corner of his body and brought it toward his heart, and the door behind his heart pulsed with each breath, ready to open fully when the time was right.
The Healing breathing moved through his muscles and his bones and his organs, repairing the last remnants of fatigue from the day before.
The Adaptation breathing prepared his body for the strain that was coming, tightening his skin and hardening his bones and sharpening his senses.
A screen flashed in the corner of his vision, and he opened his eyes to read it.
[The day has come, Little King.]
[Quest: The True King's Challenge]
[A True King who knows himself is challenging you to a battle. For honor and respect between kings, you must accept and prepare for the battle.]
[Reward: 2,000 System Points | 2,000 EXP]
[Punishment: Death by the system if you do not accept. If you lose, the loss itself is punishment enough.]
Elijah closed the screen and closed his eyes again, and he continued to breathe as the darkness outside the boarded windows began to fade into the gray light of early morning.
The clock on the wall was too shadowed for him to read, but he could feel the passage of time in the way his Ki settled and strengthened with each passing hour.
The Vice Leaders arrived one by one as the night gave way to dawn.
Kai came first, his dark purple aura flickering around him and his blue eyes sharp despite the early hour.
He did not speak, and he did not approach the cage.
He simply found a seat in the shadows near the wall and sat down with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes fixed on Elijah.
Henry came next, his green aura bright and his footsteps heavy on the concrete floor.
He nodded at Kai and took a seat on the opposite side of the room, and his green eyes watched the cage with an intensity that matched the weight of the moment.
Aurora arrived shortly after Henry, her silver hair pulled back in a tight braid and her blue eyes cold and focused.
She sat between Kai and Henry without a word, and her presence added to the growing weight in the room.
Tristan came last, his purple aura steady and his expression unreadable.
He stood near the entrance with his back against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes never left the cage where Elijah sat in the center of the canvas with his eyes closed and his breathing steady.
The gray light through the boarded windows grew brighter as the clock ticked toward 7:00 AM, and Elijah opened his eyes.
The door at the far end of the room opened, and Jack Reyes stepped through.
He was taller than Elijah remembered, or perhaps Elijah was simply seeing him differently now that the moment of their fight had finally arrived.
His blond hair was bright even in the dim light, and his red eyes burned with a calm intensity that made Elijah's Ki sense hum with warning.
He wore dark pants and a dark shirt with no jacket and no visible weapons, and his body moved with the easy confidence of a man who had never doubted his own strength.
No one spoke as Jack walked across the room toward the cage.
The Vice Leaders watched him pass with their hands resting on their weapons and their auras flickering with tension, but Jack did not look at them.
His red eyes were fixed on Elijah, and his expression was calm and focused in a way that suggested he had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
He opened the cage door and stepped inside, and the sound of the metal latch clicking shut echoed through the silent room.
"I have been waiting for a long time, Elijah," Jack said, his voice low and steady.
Elijah pushed himself to his feet, his body uncoiling with the smooth grace that weeks of training had given him.
He looked at Jack's red eyes, at his calm expression, at the way his Ki moved beneath his skin like a river waiting to burst its banks.
"Yeah," Elijah said. "Let's see who's the strongest."
The system screen flashed in the corner of his vision, and he opened it without looking away from Jack's face.
[Status: Elijah Ashford]
[Cultivation: Beginner Knight Stage (Peak Stage)]
[Level: 5 (19% EXP)]
[Physical Limit: 50]
[Base Stats (Raw):]
Strength: 45
Agility: 43
Endurance: 44
Defense: 42
[Ki Enhancement: 300% at maximum (Zenith)]
[Effective Stats with 100% Zenith + Flash Step + Iron Body:]
Strength: 90
Agility: 103
Endurance: 88
Defense: 101
The screen flickered and shifted, and new text appeared beneath Elijah's status.
[Status: Jack Reyes]
[Cultivation: Beginner Knight Stage (Peak Stage)]
[Physical Limit: 55]
[Base Stats:]
Strength: 55
Agility: 55
Endurance: 55
Defense: 55
[Ki Enhancement: 100%]
[Effective Stats with Enhancement:]
Strength: 110
Agility: 110
Endurance: 110
Defense: 110