Kitae Kim walked towards the kings. His sunken black eyes remained fixed on them as his body towered over the group.
"Chungcheon, Daegu, Ansan and Suwon. Four kings. Coming to Korea, I thought it'd be a long while before I had some fun, but I seem to be lucky."
Jichang's pupils dilated. He launched forward and swung his hand in a horizontal arc aimed at Kitae's throat.
Kitae caught the strike with his palm. Jichang's hand dug into the skin but couldn't push through. Kitae shoved him backward.
Jichang landed and immediately closed the distance again. His hand came down in a vertical strike aimed at Kitae's skull. Kitae raised his forearm and blocked. Jichang followed with a rapid series of strikes. His hands blurred through the space between them.
Kitae absorbed two strikes on his arms and twisted away from the third. The fourth caught him across the jaw and turned his head slightly. Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth where the inside of his cheek split against his teeth.
Jichang stepped back and reset his stance. His breathing remained controlled, but his forearms ached from the exchanges.
Kitae touched the blood on his lip with one finger and looked at it. He wiped it on his jeans and returned his gaze to Jichang.
"All these years and you didn't improve at all. You're still just the White Viper from years ago."
Jichang rushed forward again. He slashed down vertically. Kitae stepped back at the last moment. Jichang's hand struck the asphalt and the street shattered beneath the impact. Chunks of pavement flew upward and cracks spiderwebbed across the surface.
Jichang brought his hand up in a vertical slash from below. Kitae raised his palm to intercept the strike. The edge of Jichang's hand dug into Kitae's palm and blood welled up around the point of contact. The skin split and red ran down Kitae's wrist.
Kitae pushed Jichang's hand away and stepped back. He looked at his bleeding palm and flexed his fingers. Blood dripped onto the cracked pavement between them.
"It seems you have tried to improve, but it's useless even if you train both sides of your hand."
Taesoo Ma stepped forward and closed the distance. His right fist cocked back as every muscle in his body tensed. His legs drove upward as his core twisted and his back and shoulders rotated to channel the force into his right fist. The strike shot forward and compressed the air around it into a visible distortion.
"You've forgotten that there are more of us!"
Kitae raised both arms to guard. The fist crashed through his defense and connected with his chest. The sound echoed like a hammer striking meat. Kitae's feet left the ground and he flew backward through the air.
His body slammed into the black sedan. The entire side of the car crumpled inward from the impact. Metal shrieked and glass exploded outward in a shower of fragments. The vehicle's frame buckled and the wheels on the opposite side lifted off the ground before slamming back down.
Kitae lay in the wreckage with his back against the destroyed door. Blood ran from his mouth.
Isu Jo stood beside the car with his mouth slightly open. He quickly closed it and his face returned to its neutral expression, but he did not call out to Kitae or move to help him.
Taesoo Ma lowered his fist and rolled his shoulder. His breathing had deepened and sweat beaded on his forehead. The muscles in his right arm trembled slightly from the exertion.
Kitae pushed himself away from the ruined car. His sunken black eyes focused on Taesoo Ma as a smile spread across his blood-stained face.
"Now that's more like it. I was starting to think this would be boring."
He took a step forward and looked down. Seokdu Wang had grabbed him by the collar and closed the distance to nothing.
"But what are you trying to do?"
Seokdu's neck muscles tensed and his spine flexed forward. His legs drove upward and his scarred forehead shot toward Kitae's face.
"This should end it."
His forehead met Kitae's face. The collision sent a shockwave through Seokdu's skull and down his spine. Pain exploded across his forehead and his vision blurred. His grip on Kitae's collar loosened.
Kitae's face remained in place. The skin around his nose and cheekbones showed slight bruising, but no blood appeared and no bones shifted beneath the surface.
Kitae grabbed Seokdu's wrist and yanked it off his collar. His other hand drove forward in a straight punch that caught Seokdu in the chest. The force lifted Seokdu off his feet and sent him flying backward through the air. His body crashed into the Rolls Royce and caved in the passenger side door. Metal crumpled and glass shattered across the street. Seokdu slumped against the wreckage.
Gongseob Ji stared at the scene. His hands unclenched and his jaw tightened. Taesoo Ma's breathing deepened as his muscles tensed in preparation for another exchange.
Jichang looked at Kitae and his pupils contracted. His stance shifted slightly.
Kitae rolled his neck and the vertebrae popped. He looked at the four kings.
"Is that all?"
---
Seongji stood before the law firm. He had come here on Jichang's instructions. If they handed the Red Paper to the authorities directly, it might backfire. They needed someone who could navigate the legal system properly and help them get Baki out of jail.
A security guard stopped him at the entrance. The guard stared at Seongji's blood-covered clothes and his eyes widened.
"Hey! Who are you? What do you want? Leave or I will take action."
Seongji looked at the guard and recognized that this was just someone earning his livelihood, but the situation didn't allow time for explanations. He moved behind the guard and struck the side of his neck. The guard's eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
Seongji entered the building. The law firm was mostly empty at this hour. Everyone had already left except for the person he was looking for.
He climbed to the second floor and noticed light coming from a slightly opened door. He approached the office and knocked.
A sharp female voice came from inside.
"Enter."
Seongji pushed the door and stepped into the office. A man stood upright behind the woman at the desk. He had black hair, sharp eyebrows and a pronounced jawline. Seongji couldn't recognize him, but he could feel that this was no ordinary person.
The woman was busy looking through documents. She looked up at Seongji and her eyes narrowed.
"What are you doing here?"