125- Broken Limbs, Unbroken Pride
The shoreline quaked under the weight of their collision.
Kai and Taejin surged forward at once—two predators lunging, two storms colliding. Their fists met in the center of the beach—
BOOOOOOM!
The impact cracked the air itself, rippling through the dunes. Sand lifted in a circular wave, spraying outward like a miniature explosion.
Both men staggered back a single step, shoulders squared, gazes locked. Neither yielded, neither dropped blood.
Kai rolled his shoulders, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Damn. You've got iron in your bones. Figures—you were one of the hunters in that fox raid. I'd expect nothing less."
Taejin's mouth twitched, almost a smile, but his eyes stayed cold, unreadable. "Flattery won't save you, Kai. It never has."
Kai chuckled low, shaking out his right hand. "Who said anything about saving? I just like knowing I won't get bored."
The silence between them cracked, then they clashed again.
Fist to fist. Elbow to rib. Knee to thigh. The sound was flesh and bone colliding like war drums, the rhythm of warriors who had thrown themselves into a fight not for survival—but for the purity of the contest.
No elements. No flames. No lightning. Their agreement was simple: nothing but bodies, nothing but skill.
Kai's jab shot forward, fast as a whip. Taejin blocked with his forearm, the strike thudding like stone against stone. Taejin countered instantly, his palm cutting across Kai's jaw—
SMACK!
The taste of copper filled Kai's mouth.
He spat blood into the sand, grinned wider. "That all you've got? My grandma slaps harder."
Taejin tilted his head. "Then your grandmother deserves more respect than you."
And with that, his heel snapped upward.
THUD!
Kai barely managed to bring his forearm up, catching the strike inches from his temple. The force jolted through his bones, his entire arm vibrating, muscles screaming. His stance nearly buckled, but he ground his feet deeper into the sand, holding steady.
"Nice kick," Kai said through gritted teeth. "But you'll need more than balance tricks."
He shoved Taejin's leg aside and lunged, right hook blazing.
The knuckles connected.
CRACK!
Taejin's head whipped sideways, blood spraying from his lips. He stumbled, knees nearly giving way—
—but his foot carved deep furrows into the sand, anchoring him. His torso twisted, momentum reclaimed. He spun with the recoil and drove a counterpunch straight into Kai's ribs.
WHUMP!
The blow reverberated through Kai's chest. His breath hitched, pain blooming, but he refused to yield ground.
Kai laughed, even as he winced. "Good. You're making me feel alive."
Taejin narrowed his eyes. "You won't be laughing long."
Kai leaned in, their foreheads almost colliding as they pressed close, fists cocked at the same time. The air grew heavy, the salt of the sea clinging to their sweat, the rhythm of waves syncing with their heartbeats.
And then, in the same breath—
They struck.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Their fists became blurs. The sound wasn't strikes anymore—it was explosions. Each blow split the air, sending ripples across the beach, shattering palm trees in the distance.
Kai ducked a hook, swung his knee upward—
CRACK!
His kneecap smashed into Taejin's nose. Blood gushed instantly, spraying red across the golden sand. Taejin staggered, his eyes flashing with raw pain.
Kai's grin widened. "There it is. A crack in the mask."
But Taejin didn't fall. Instead, he stepped forward through the pain, spitting blood at Kai's feet. His voice was steel.
"I'll show you what happens when you mistake pain for weakness."
His leg snapped up again—faster, harder, this time an overhead axe-kick. Kai barely shifted aside, sand erupting as the heel slammed into the ground where he'd stood a heartbeat before.
Kai whistled. "Not bad. Almost had me. Almost."
Taejin wiped the blood streaming down his face, lips curving into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Almost is enough. You won't survive the next one."
In the same breath, Kai vanished behind him. His fist streaked toward Taejin's spine—
—but Taejin's hand shot back, catching the punch in an iron grip. His eyes flared.
"Too obvious."
SLAM!
He wrenched Kai's arm down, driving him into the earth with a brutal throw. The ground split, sand exploding upward.
"GAAAHHH!" Kai roared, his arm cracking under the pressure. Pain flared white-hot, but just for a second. He gritted his teeth, forced composure back, and tore himself free. The arm dangled uselessly, bone shattered.
Kai shoved it into his pocket like trash. "Guess I'll do this with one hand."
And he did.
He lunged again, left arm limp, right fist a storm. Blows hammered into Taejin's guard, every strike a cannon blast. He drove a flying knee upward—
CRACK!
Blood sprayed as Taejin's nose shattered. His focus faltered, his eyes flickering with pain.
Kai grinned. "Got you."
His shin slammed down—
SNAP!
Taejin's leg buckled, bone cracking in half. He dropped to one knee, teeth clenched against the agony.
Kai stepped back, chest heaving. His plan had worked. Break the legs, steal the speed, claim the advantage. Victory was within reach.
But Taejin wasn't finished. His fists lashed out, heavier now, driven by sheer will. His broken stance didn't slow him—it anchored him.
Kai ducked, weaved, and went to cripple the second leg—
—but Taejin's fist whipped downward, slamming into Kai's foot.
CRUNCH!
Kai's scream tore through the beach. His sole shattered, his foot folding at an unnatural angle.
Taejin smirked through bloodied lips. "Guess what? We're both tripods now… oh, wait—my mistake. You're a bipod."
Kai only smiled, breath ragged. "Cute."
But he knew the truth—he was at a disadvantage. One arm ruined. One leg ruined. Balance cost him focus, and focus cost survival.
He had seconds to act.
Kai feinted, throwing his one good punch. Taejin slipped aside, jumping clear—
—but Kai had predicted it.
"Got you."
His foot lashed upward in a savage downward kick—
BAM!
It cracked against Taejin's skull. The man's head snapped down, face slamming into the sand.
Dazed. Dizzy. Vulnerable.
Kai pounced. His fist, his knee, even his battered body became weapons. He didn't stop until every remaining limb of Taejin's cracked under his assault. Arms twisted. Legs splintered. Taejin lay broken, chest rising and falling, but his eyes… his eyes still burned.
The shoreline lay broken.
Sand, once smooth and golden, had been churned into craters and ridges by the violence of two storms wearing human flesh. The waves, which had roared through every strike, now whispered against the shore as if the ocean itself exhaled in relief.
Kai stood there, chest heaving, sweat stinging his eyes, his knuckles torn raw. Every muscle trembled, every breath carried the taste of iron. The world tilted around him, blurred at the edges, but his stance remained. He had survived.
For a moment, neither man spoke. Only the waves spoke for them, dragging silence over the battlefield like a funeral shroud.
Then Kai moved.
Slowly, deliberately, he reached to his side and pulled free two small glass vials—liquid light shimmering within. His hand shook, not from fear, but from exhaustion, from the toll exacted by their brutal pact. Without hesitation, he uncorked one with his mouth and swallowed it whole. The warmth surged through him, bones knitting with an audible snap, torn flesh weaving itself back together, bruises fading as though the fight had been a dream.
The second vial he held forward, his arm extended toward Taejin. His voice was quiet, almost gentle, carrying a strange weight after all the violence.
"Drink. I'm the winner… right?"
The words lingered, heavy as the tide.
Taejin lifted his gaze. His lips curved—not in defiance, not in threat, but in something weary, almost human. Blood streaked his teeth as he chuckled low, the sound hoarse but steady.
"Winner, huh?" he echoed, the word rolling like bitter wine on his tongue. A ragged cough tore through him, spraying crimson into the sand. Still, he smiled through it. "Fine. Call it what you like. But listen…"
His chest rose and fell, laboring, his voice breaking between each word. "You'd better get accepted into the Divine Seal. Otherwise… all this pain?" He spat to the side, a streak of red painting the sand. "Worthless."
Kai tilted his head, studying him in silence. His expression gave nothing away—no mockery, no arrogance, only a quiet acknowledgment. A warrior recognizing another.
Taejin took the vial with steady hands, lifted it to his lips, and drank. The glow pulsed faintly across his battered frame, closing wounds, easing agony. Then, without hesitation, he pressed his palm to his own chest.
The system responded.
[Taejin has eliminated himself.]
The words echoed in Kai's ears like the toll of a great bell.
Light bloomed around him. The notifications surged into view, radiant and final:
[50 Points Reached.]
[Phase One Completed. Candidate Kai has qualified.]
The battlefield blurred at the edges. The salt wind, the smell of blood, the thunder of his own heartbeat—all of it stretched thin, unraveling.
Then—
The world collapsed into brilliance.
And Kai was gone.
Vanished, ripped from the ruin and returned home.
The sea remained, endless and indifferent, erasing the footprints of two warriors who had given everything in a single storm.