Jinrang looked at Daniel, his expression different now. "How surprising." He wiped the blood from his neck. "I can't believe it. Not only do you have a body that's near perfect, you've even got such talent. Copy."
Daniel caught his breath and took Jichang Kwak's stance.
Jinrang smiled. "You even got the same exact stance as him. I never thought I'd get to see that stance again. How nostalgic."
He raised his fists. "Show me what you've got."
Daniel moved first.
His hand blade cut through the air, aimed at Jinrang's collarbone.
Jinrang's elbow came up to deflect it.
The redirected hand blade continued past Jinrang and struck the concrete wall behind him.
A deep gash appeared in the wall, chunks of concrete crumbling to the floor.
The crowd gasped.
'His hand movements are so sharp,' Jinrang thought. 'You'd think it was Jichang himself.'
Daniel pressed forward, his hands weaving in rapid succession. Slash, slash, thrust.
Jinrang blocked the first strike, deflecting it downward. 'It's like I am fighting Jichang from that day again."
Daniel's hand blade carved into the arena floor, splitting the concrete like it was paper.
The second strike came immediately. Jinrang twisted, letting it pass by his face.
The hand blade continued its trajectory and cut straight through a metal support beam on the side of the arena. The beam's top half slid sideways with a metallic screech.
Jinrang barely had time to process it before the third strike came.
He blocked it with his elbow, redirecting it to the side.
Daniel's hand blade sliced through three wooden benches in the front row like they weren't even there.
'Second Generation,' Jinrang thought, his eyes sharp. 'So they are this strong, huh?'
"Not bad," Jinrang said, his elbows responding faster now.
The exchanges accelerated.
Daniel's hand blade came from the left. Jinrang deflected it upward.
The strike carved a diagonal line across the arena ceiling, dust and debris raining down.
Another from the right. Blocked and redirected.
Daniel's hand cut through the ground, leaving a trench in the concrete.
A feint high, then a real strike low. Jinrang barely twisted away.
The hand blade grazed the floor where Jinrang had just been standing, splitting it open.
Daniel's hand blade came in a blur, three strikes in one second.
Jinrang deflected the first into the wall—concrete exploded.
He blocked the second with his elbow, redirecting it downward—the floor cracked open in a spider web pattern.
The third cut across his cheek, drawing blood.
Around them, the arena was scarred with cuts and gashes. The walls, floor, ceiling—everything Daniel's hand blade touched was torn apart.
The sound of impact and destruction filled the air as their exchanges grew even faster.
Jinrang's elbows and Daniel's hand blades clashed repeatedly, neither giving ground. Every deflection sent Daniel's strikes into the surroundings, tearing the arena apart piece by piece.
Daniel's hand came in low, aiming for Jinrang's liver.
Jinrang's elbow dropped to block it, redirecting the strike into the ground.
The concrete beneath them shattered, creating a small crater.
But Daniel's other hand was already rising toward his throat.
Jinrang tilted his head back, the hand blade missing by millimeters.
It continued upward and sliced clean through a hanging light fixture. Sparks rained down as the fixture crashed to the ground.
Then Jinrang saw it.
A split-second opening.
Daniel's stance had overextended slightly on that last strike.
Jinrang's body shifted. His elbow drove forward like a spear, aimed straight at Daniel's solar plexus.
Daniel's eyes widened. Too close to dodge.
But a hand grabbed Jinrang's elbow mid-strike.
The attack stopped completely.
Jinrang looked to the side.
Vin Jin stood there, his hand clamped around Jinrang's elbow like a vice.
"Did you forget about me?" Vin Jin said.
His grip tightened.
Crack.
The sound of bone grinding against bone.
Jinrang's eyes widened. 'What is this grip strength?!'
He tried to pull his arm away, but Vin Jin's fingers dug deeper.
Vin Jin's other hand shot out, seizing Jinrang's other elbow.
"I am not exactly the fast guy," Vin Jin said, his voice low. "But as for strength, I believe I have plenty."
His muscles began to bulge.
The fabric of his sleeves tore apart as his arms expanded, veins snaking across his skin like cables.
Jinrang felt the pressure intensifying. 'He's crushing my bones!'
Vin Jin's grip tightened further, his entire body trembling with exertion.
The space around Jinrang's elbows began to cave inward, the bones creaking under the pressure.
'If I don't move now—'
Jinrang gritted his teeth and exploded with all his strength, twisting his entire body violently.
His arms wrenched free just as Vin Jin's grip reached its peak.
Jinrang stumbled back several steps, clutching his elbows. He could feel the cracks in them.
He looked at Vin Jin, breathing hard.
Vin Jin stood there, his torn sleeves hanging off his massive arms, muscles still bulging.
"You're strong," Jinrang said, rolling his shoulders to test his elbows. They still worked, but the pain was sharp. "I'll give you that."
Jinrang's body suddenly relaxed.
Then his stance changed.
His feet spread apart, center of gravity lowering, fists clenched and positioned before his face.
That stance.
Daniel and Vin Jin both froze in place.
They stood rigid, staring at Jinrang.
"That's—" Daniel's voice trembled slightly.
"What's that stance?" Vin Jin asked.
At the edge of the crowd, Baki's eyes widened.
"That stance... could it be Gapryong Kim's stance?!" His body began to tremble, but not from fear. "Ah! How mesmerising!"
Jinrang slowly straightened, rolling his neck.
"You did well," he said. "But now, I'm getting serious."
He clenched his fists, then—
Bang!
Jinrang's fist shot toward Daniel.
Daniel raised his arms to block, but the power of that punch was completely different.
Crack!
Daniel's arm made a sound as his body was sent flying.
"What?!"
Vin Jin rushed forward to stop Jinrang, but Jinrang's other fist was already there.
Bang!
Vin Jin was also sent flying.
Both struggled to stand from where they fell.
"That power," Daniel said, gasping for breath, "is completely different from before."
Jinrang walked toward them. "I didn't want to use it since I am not it's true owner. This is a conviction-based punch. Only a fist carrying conviction can unleash true power."
Daniel wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. 'Conviction-based punch?' He recalled the feeling of that punch. 'If I could also—'
He clenched his fist, concentrating.
He charged at Jinrang, fist driving forward.
But when that punch struck Jinrang's arm, Jinrang didn't budge.
"Empty fist," Jinrang said. "A fist without conviction is just a shell."
Daniel froze.
Jinrang's punch hit Daniel's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
Daniel fell to his knees.
"Conviction isn't something you think up," Jinrang said. "It wells up from the depths of your heart. Your fist right now is just copying me. It has nothing of your own."
Vin Jin rushed forward to attack Jinrang, but Jinrang dodged sideways, his elbow striking Vin Jin's back.
Vin Jin also fell.
Jinrang stood before them both, looking down.
"It's over."
He raised his fist, preparing for the final strike.
But just then, a voice rang out.
"Hold on."
Jinrang stopped his movement and turned his head.
A tall figure walked into the arena.
The man was extremely tall, towering over Daniel. He had blonde hair with brown roots, styled in a middle part, with rather prominent eyelashes. He wore light blue jeans with a luxury-brand belt, a white dress shirt with the collar popped, and several necklaces around his neck—chains, beads, and pendants.
Baki saw the man and froze.
"What is he doing here?"
The man smiled, looking at Jinrang.
"King of Busan," he said. "Am I late?"