Shigeaki and Hiroaki, the Kojima brothers, stepped out of the shadows. Both had aged considerably since Vin Jin last saw them in Cheonliang.
Shigeaki pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. "I heard Seongji is here too. Did you guys join Hostel?"
Vin Jin cracked his neck. "You know, seeing your faces reminds me of some bad memories. So let's talk with our fists."
Shigeaki lit the cigarette and took a deep drag. "You... You're not at the level to talk to us with your fists."
Vin Jin rushed at them. "Is that so? Then you're in for a shock."
The cigarette smoke curled in the air as Vin Jin's fist cut through it, aimed straight for Shigeaki's face. Shigeaki moved his head slightly, and the punch missed by inches.
"Too slow," Shigeaki said, the cigarette still in his mouth.
Vin Jin felt a sharp pain in his side. Hiroaki had already moved in and slammed his elbow into Vin Jin's ribs. Before Vin Jin could recover, Hiroaki's knee crashed into his stomach.
Vin Jin stumbled back, gasping.
"What's wrong?" Shigeaki took a drag from his cigarette. "I thought you wanted to fight?"
Vin Jin wiped his mouth and rushed forward again. This time he went low, trying to grab Shigeaki's legs. If he could take him down to the ground—
Shigeaki's knee came up fast, hitting Vin Jin in the shoulder and forcing him to let go. Immediately, Hiroaki attacked from the side with a spinning kick that Vin Jin barely blocked with his arms. The impact still sent him sliding backward.
"Not bad," Hiroaki said. "You blocked that one."
Vin Jin charged at Hiroaki this time, throwing a combination of punches. Left, right, left. Hiroaki blocked the first two, but the third one connected with his cheek. Hiroaki's head snapped to the side.
"Got you, fucker!" Vin Jin grabbed Hiroaki's arm and twisted, trying to throw him over his shoulder.
But Shigeaki was already there. A hard punch to Vin Jin's kidney made him lose his grip. Hiroaki pulled free and delivered a brutal kick to Vin Jin's chest, sending him crashing backward.
"You're fighting two people, kid," Shigeaki said. "Every time you focus on one of us, the other will punish you."
Vin Jin coughed, tasting blood. His chest hurt from that kick. But he got back up.
He rushed at them again, faster this time. He threw a punch at Shigeaki but at the last second changed direction and grabbed for Hiroaki instead. His hands caught Hiroaki's jacket, and he pulled, trying to throw him off balance.
It worked. Hiroaki stumbled forward. Vin Jin's knee came up, catching Hiroaki in the stomach. Hiroaki grunted in pain.
"Watch your back, kid." Shigeaki's voice came from behind.
Pain exploded in Vin Jin's back as Shigeaki's elbow slammed into his spine. Vin Jin's grip on Hiroaki loosened. Hiroaki grabbed Vin Jin's wrist and twisted hard, forcing him to spin around. Then Hiroaki's fist crashed into Vin Jin's face.
Blood sprayed from Vin Jin's nose. The world spun. But he stayed on his feet.
"Tough kid," Hiroaki said, shaking his hand. "That actually hurt my knuckles."
Vin Jin charged again. He had to keep moving. If he stopped, they would overwhelm him. He threw himself at Shigeaki, grabbing him around the waist and driving forward with all his strength. Shigeaki's feet left the ground as Vin Jin lifted him.
"Got you now!" Vin Jin slammed Shigeaki down hard onto the concrete.
Shigeaki grunted as his back hit the ground. The cigarette flew from his mouth. For a moment, Vin Jin thought he had the advantage.
Then Hiroaki's foot caught him in the side of the head.
The kick sent Vin Jin rolling across the ground. His vision blurred. His ears rang.
"Not bad," Shigeaki said, standing up and dusting himself off. "You actually managed to take me down. But that's not enough."
Vin Jin slowly stood up. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth. But he raised his fists again.
"Still want more?" Hiroaki asked, circling to Vin Jin's left while Shigeaki moved to his right.
"I'm not... done yet..." Vin Jin's words came out slurred.
The brothers attacked together. Punches and kicks came from both sides. Vin Jin tried to defend, but there were too many attacks. He blocked a punch from Shigeaki but took a kick from Hiroaki. He dodged Hiroaki's elbow but Shigeaki's fist found his ribs.
Each hit pushed him closer to his limit. His blocks became slower. His movements sluggish. Blood covered his face and shirt.
Vin Jin saw an opening and drove his fist into Shigeaki's stomach. Shigeaki bent forward slightly, wind knocked from his lungs. Vin Jin followed up with an uppercut that snapped Shigeaki's head back.
But Hiroaki was there. His kick caught Vin Jin in the jaw before he could press his advantage. Vin Jin's head whipped to the side, blood and spit flying from his mouth.
Shigeaki recovered and grabbed Vin Jin from behind, pinning his arms.
Hiroaki's fist slammed into Vin Jin's exposed stomach. Once. Twice. Three times. Each punch drove the air from Vin Jin's lungs. He struggled against Shigeaki's grip but couldn't break free.
"Let... go... motherfucker!" Vin Jin gasped.
Hiroaki's next punch aimed for his face. At the last second, Vin Jin threw his head back, hitting Shigeaki in the nose. Shigeaki's grip loosened. Vin Jin broke free and rolled to the side, avoiding Hiroaki's punch.
He came up on one knee, breathing hard. Shigeaki held his nose, blood trickling between his fingers. Hiroaki looked annoyed.
"You've grown a lot," Shigeaki said, his voice slightly muffled. "But you're still too young."
They came at him again.
A punch from Shigeaki broke through his guard and hit his cheek. Hiroaki's kick swept his legs. Vin Jin hit the ground hard. Before he could roll away, Shigeaki's foot stomped down on his back, pinning him.
"Don't worry, kid," Shigeaki said.
Vin Jin tried to push up, but Shigeaki pressed harder. His ribs creaked under the pressure.
"We were just ordered to capture you. Not kill you."
Hiroaki walked around to where Vin Jin could see him. "This is over. You fought well, but you lost."
Vin Jin's fingers clawed at the concrete. He tried to move, to push Shigeaki's foot off, but his strength was gone. His vision started to blur. Dark spots appeared at the edges.
"Should we finish this?" Hiroaki asked.
"Yeah," Shigeaki replied. "No point dragging it out."
Shigeaki lifted his foot off Vin Jin's back, only to bring it down toward Vin Jin's head.
Vin Jin rolled at the last second. The foot hit concrete instead of his skull. He scrambled away on his hands and knees, coughing up blood.
"Still moving?" Shigeaki sounded almost impressed. "I'll give you credit for determination."
Vin Jin managed to get to his feet. Both Shigeaki and Hiroaki rushed at Vin Jin and rained kicks and punches on him.
Vin Jin raised his arms in guard. A green glint appeared in his eyes. For a long time, the Kojima brothers didn't stop their assault. But when they did, Vin Jin stood there as if nothing had happened.
Both of the brothers were shocked. "What?!"
Vin Jin didn't wait for them and threw a punch at Shigeaki. Shigeaki crossed his arms to block it. A red glint appeared in Vin Jin's eyes. The punch connected with Shigeaki's arms and shattered them. Shigeaki went flying like a broken kite.
Hiroaki was shocked by the whole scene. "What just happened? A 2nd gen kid?! Did he achieve two masteries in such a short span of time?! How's that even possible?!"
Vin Jin turned toward Hiroaki and threw a punch. The red glint appeared in his eyes once again. But the punch didn't connect. Hiroaki ducked down, his eyes glinting blue. He countered with an overhead punch.
A sickening crunch echoed. Blood began to flow profusely from Vin Jin's nose.
On the other hand, Shigeaki walked out of the debris. "That's unexpected. A 2nd generation achieving mastery? You might be the first one to do that."
Hiroaki added, "But we didn't survive pre-generation without mastery. It's impossible to do that."
---
Tom Lee's eyes glinted green. "Are you thinking of finishing it in one final attack? Don't be delusional, kid. I fought all the way through pre-generation. Masteries? They mean nothing to me."
Seongji looked solemn. He rushed at Tom Lee with a punch. His eyes glinted purple as he stacked speed and strength mastery.
Tom Lee also rushed from his spot, his eyes glinting green.
Just then, a tire screeching sound came. A minivan stopped beside them.
Both Seongji Yuk and Tom Lee stopped in their tracks.
BOOM!
Dust flew everywhere from the collision of their momentum.
Sera Shin stepped down from the van. "Director, President Eugene has sent the Kojima brothers to capture Big Mommy, Sally Park of Hostel. Though they faced some resistance, the capture was successful. President Eugene wanted me to inform you about this since he couldn't contact you."