Lineman sprinted across the concrete floor with a speed that made his outline blur. He reached Ryu in a second and launched a flurry of low kicks that clicked against the floor tiles.
Ryu stood his ground and held his heavy kanabo with both hands. He did not try to chase Lineman's movement but shifted his weight to track the rhythm of the air.
CLACK!
The iron-studded club swung in a short arc and met Lineman's flashy shoe mid-air. The impact sent a vibration through the floor that cracked the nearby tiles.
Lineman bounced back and immediately spun into a series of high kicks. His movements did not follow any regular pattern and looked more like a frantic dance.
Ryu tightened his grip on the kanabo and used the length of the weapon to create a barrier. He blocked three kicks in rapid succession, the metal studs sparking against the soles of Lineman's shoes.
"You are fast, but you lack the weight to finish this."
Ryu stepped forward and unleashed a heavy overhead strike. Lineman twisted his body like a spring and slid between Ryu's legs to avoid being crushed.
CRASH!
The kanabo smashed into the floor and created a crater a foot deep. Debris flew everywhere and sliced into the nearby wooden crates.
Lineman did not waste the opening. He jumped onto Ryu's back and delivered a series of rapid punches to the sides of his neck. Ryu grunted and dropped one hand from his weapon.
Ryu moved with sudden precision and caught Lineman by the collar. He pulled him over his shoulder with raw strength and slammed him into the wall.
THUD!
Lineman hit the bricks hard and felt the air leave his lungs. He did not stay down and used the momentum to kick off the wall and launch himself back at Ryu.
Ryu was already prepared and started a continuous cycle of heavy swings. He was not just attacking anymore but was moving in a way that restricted Lineman's space.
The kanabo whistled through the air and forced Lineman further into the corner of the room. Every time Lineman tried to find a rhythm, Ryu changed the timing of his strikes to break the flow.
Lineman felt the pressure building as the walls closed in on him. He tried to dash to the left, but Ryu had already predicted the move and was waiting with a horizontal swing.
The metal club was inches away from Lineman's ribs when a hand reached out from the shadows. Daniel Park caught the heavy kanabo by the neck and stopped the momentum instantly.
Ryu felt the vibration of the stop travel all the way up his arms. He looked at Daniel and saw a calm expression that did not match the violence of the fight.
"Good job on holding out till now. I will handle it from here."
Ryu pulled back his weapon and exhaled a cloud of hot breath. He looked at the deep gouge in the floor and then back at the new arrival.
Sung Jegal and Roy Kwon stared at the newcomer with wide eyes. They recognized his face immediately because the whole crew had memorized his photo before the mission started. It was definitely Daniel Park.
"Wait, is that really him?" Yeowool Ha asked barely, clutching her ribs.
Lineman wiped a smear of blood from his mouth and looked at Daniel. He was still breathing hard from his fight with Ryu.
"What happened to Jake Hyung-nim?" Lineman asked. "And where is Jaegyeon Na?"
Daniel kept his eyes on Ryu but shifted his weight. He looked completely relaxed despite the metal club held inches from his face.
"I don't know where Jake is right now," Daniel admitted. "Jaegyeon said he was busy dealing with some personal business."
He glanced back at the group for a split second.
"Jaegyeon has something important to take care of," Daniel said. "He told me he would be back soon. We need to finish things here so we can go help him when he returns."
Lineman nodded and slowly backed away from Ryu. He retreated toward Boknam Lee and Sebastian Kang, letting his arms hang at his sides.
The Speed Circle members did not look convinced. Sebastian Kang was barely standing, watching Daniel. To them, Daniel looked like the same guy who had been kidnapped and beaten before.
"Are we really leaving this to him?" Roy Kwon whispered. "It would be better if we team up with Lineman to take him down."
Lineman overheard them and let out a short, dry laugh. He remembered a conversation he had with Jake Kim sometime time ago.
"That won't do," Lineman said. "You don't know who Daniel Park is."
Sung Jegal and the others turned to him and waited for an explanation.
"Daniel Park isn't just some guy," Lineman continued. "Seoul, the land where monsters fight, he commands those monsters."
Ryu gripped his kanabo tighter and narrowed his eyes at Daniel. He could feel a change in the pressure of the room.
"He's a genius no one can deny. Someone who rose from the bottom," Lineman said. "He's the head of Allied. And Gun, the strongest man. This guy is his one and only disciple."
Lineman pointed a shaky finger at Daniel's back.
"The one he calls the Masterpiece."
Daniel reached up and grabbed the hem of his tracksuit. He pulled the zipper down and tossed the jacket onto a pile of broken crates.
He stood there in a plain white t-shirt. On the back of the shirt, the Allied logo and name were printed in bold ink.
Daniel rolled his shoulders and loosened his neck. The air around him seemed to grow heavy as he stepped toward the crater Ryu had made.
Ryu did not wait for Daniel to get comfortable. He gripped the handle of his kanabo and swung it in a violent blur. He wanted to crush Daniel under a constant stream of heavy metal before the boy could find his footing.
WHISH!
The iron studs sliced through the air and missed Daniel's nose by a fraction of an inch. Daniel shifted his weight and leaned back just enough to let the weapon pass. Ryu pulled the weapon back and narrowed his eyes as he recognized the boy.
"I remember you. You are the young man I captured with Yujae."
Ryu launched a series of rapid stabs and overhead smashes. Daniel ducked under a horizontal swing that shattered a wooden pillar behind him.
CRACK!
Ryu did not stop his assault. He stepped through the wood splinters and kept his weapon moving in a tight circle. His calm expression broke into a look of genuine confusion.
"Hey, how did you escape? No one gets out of our cells unless we let them out."
Daniel did not answer. He remained silent and used the distraction of the falling debris to close the distance. He flattened his hand into a stiff blade and drove a Hand Edge strike toward Ryu's neck.
Ryu had fought people with similar styles before. He tilted his head and used the shaft of the kanabo to parry the strike. He immediately pushed forward and aimed a heavy knee at Daniel's stomach.
Daniel did not dodge this time. He tightened his muscles and used the Iron Fortress technique to take the hit. The impact sounded like a hammer hitting a stone wall, but Daniel did not move an inch.
THUD!
Ryu's eyes widened. He lost his polite composure for a moment and stared at Daniel's unmoving form.
"What is this? Are you really the same guy from before?"
Before he could pull his leg back, Daniel switched his stance. He drove a Kyokushin Karate punch straight into Ryu's chest. The force of the blow made Ryu's heavy jacket ripple.
WHAM!
Ryu stumbled back and struggled to keep his balance. He realized he was being outclassed in speed and power. He started to play defensively and used the long reach of his kanabo to keep Daniel at bay.
Daniel followed him calmly. He was not in a rush to end it. He was watching the way Ryu moved and waited for that specific feeling he had experienced in the basement. He wanted to see the path again.
Ryu grew frustrated with the stalemate. He raised his weapon for a massive, final overhead strike. He poured all of his remaining strength into the move, intending to break the floor along with Daniel's guard.
Daniel looked up at the descending metal. In that second, the world seemed to slow down. He saw a series of glowing lines and intersections that traced Ryu's posture. A bright, flickering point appeared right at the hinge of Ryu's jaw where his balance and defense met.
BOOM!
The kanabo hit the floor and sent a massive shockwave through the room, but Daniel was not under it. He had moved forward at the exact moment the swing started. He delivered a single, precise strike to Ryu's chin.
WHACK!
Ryu's head snapped back and his entire body went rigid. The heavy metal club slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the concrete. Ryu fell backward and hit the ground with a heavy thud, his eyes completely blank.
Daniel stood over him and breathed slowly. He looked at his hand and felt the lingering warmth from the strike. The path was no longer a blur.