The leader of the Hell Riders, Skull, twitched his eyes. His instincts were screaming that this man was bad news.
Calm down, he told himself. Taking a closer look, the guy was a purist. No chrome on his body, no visible weapon either. Henry had called him a swag, and if he really was that breeder's senior disciple or whatever, then he should be at least as good as her.
That breeder was good, sure, but Skull wasn't scared of her. No chrome, not much damage output in those lean muscles, and barely any armor. That Kang guy was even worse, he looked like a fragging tourist.
Skull himself wasn't as heavily chromed up as Big John—well, no one in this slum was—but he had decent armor that could take a few hits from cyberwares. And his trusty electric bat, juiced to the limit, had cracked no fewer than twenty skulls since he customized it.
Yeah, no reason to be afraid. Skull nodded to himself. Still, it might be smarter to let that hot-headed Senka samurai go first. Even if that guy somehow won, he'd be in no shape to fight afterward.
Kang suddenly turned toward him, as if reading his mind.
"What's wrong? Scared already? Hell Riders, huh? Sounds more like Hell Kittens to me~"
That did it. The go-gang members exploded with anger, jumping off their hoverbikes, weapons ready.
"Boss, what the hell are you waiting for?" his lieutenant roared.
Damn it. No turning back now. Skull stood up and stepped into the center.
"You asked for it, drek!"
The gathered gangsters howled with excitement, closing in. Kang moved calmly to meet his opponent, eyes sharp and focused. The circle tightened around them using vehicles and bodies to form a crude arena. A death arena, slummer style. Only one man would walk out alive, and the crowd was eager to make sure of that.
Skull twirled his electric bat, its tip crackling with blue current.
"I hope you like BBQs, because you're on the menu!"
Kang didn't answer. He simply loosened his shoulders and exhaled, steady and calm, then got into his combat stance.
This biker didn't look too tough, but his weapon might be a problem. Still, Kang had his own plans. He wanted to "recycle" at least two assholes today, to make sure all the gangsters in this area would never dare look at Xiao Yun like that again. Especially that red samurai, he didn't like his smell. It was a familiar and dangerous smell, one that was totally different from all the other gangsters here.
Can't go all out from the start, then. Let's make this a hard fight and just barely win. Damn, Kang thought, that might actually be harder.
Skull charged in confidently, his bat swinging in a wide arc. The current lit the air as it cut through, but Kang tilted his body just enough for it to miss.
BZZRRT!
Kang's arm was grazed by the bat. He felt a sudden sting, followed by a jolt that made his arm seize up. The skin was scorched where it hit, faint smoke rising from the burn.
"Tsk!"
That caught Kang off guard. So these electric weapons could discharge such voltage even from that range? Dodging by a hair was out of the question, then. Kang quickly leapt back, checking the injury. Fortunately, it was only mild paralysis, and after a few seconds he could move his arm again.
"Kehehe! From that surprised face, it must be your first time getting zapped, huh, country hick?"
Skull laughed mockingly. This could be even easier than he thought.
The crowd roared again, this time with boos and mockeries.
"Big swag?" Henry turned to Dalton, frowning.
Dalton glanced around, then spoke in a low voice.
"Trust me, boss. That guy's a real swag. He just enjoys playing with his prey..."
Dalton recognized that playful glint in Kang's eyes, it was burned into his memory. That man had looked completely harmless at first, then in the next second it was like pure terror itself was staring down at him.
The others didn't know that, though. Except maybe Lena and Xiao Yun. Even her two lieutenants were watching with worried eyes.
"What's senior brother doing, Lena sis? He could've taken that Skull guy out already, even with one arm..."
"My guess?" Lena smirked. "That asshole's afraid nobody would play with him if he finished this idiot too fast~"
Skull was feeling great, keeping up his relentless assault, not even giving Kang a chance to counter. Kang's body and legs took a few hits, light ones, but the electric shocks must've been tearing him up.
In truth, Kang had been choosing where to take the hits, aiming for places where his skin wasn't exposed. Not to lessen the pain, but to make sure Skull and the other gangsters didn't realize that he was completely unharmed.
After that first zap, he'd secretly channeled his Qi and activated Turtle Shield, the defensive technique of their Style. Kang created a thin layer of Qi around his body to block light damage from shallow hits. It was excellent against slashes and cuts, though not so useful against blunt or piercing attacks. More importantly, it completely neutralized the electric current from that bat.
Ever since, Kang had been acting hurt each time he got struck, though the worst he actually took was a small bruise here and there. To the crowd, though, he must've looked beaten up—and that was exactly what he wanted.
Skull was better than Big John, for sure. Less durable, but faster and with sharper strikes. Not enough to give Kang real trouble, though. Time to end this little act.
KZZT!
A solid hit, or at least that's what Skull thought.
Kang lost his balance and fell onto his back. Not missing the chance, Skull lunged forward, his arm raised overhead, the bat sparking with full voltage for the finishing strike. The crowd howled with excitement.
"This is the end, fragger!"
He swung down, confident of victory... only to find Kang suddenly right in front of his face.
"Indeed, it is!"
Before Skull could react, there was a sharp, sickening crack. Kang's elbow struck with brutal precision, crushing Skull's windpipe in an instant.
Skull staggered backward, eyes wide in disbelief. He tried to breathe but only managed a ragged, wet gasp. His electric bat slipped from his hands and clattered to the ground, faint arcs of current still dancing along its length. Kang lowered his elbow and straightened his stance, silent and calm.
Skull's fingers clawed at his throat, blood seeping between them. His face shifted from red to a dark purple as his body failed him. Dropping to one knee, he let out a gurgling wheeze before collapsing onto his side. The last thing that could be heard was the faint hiss of air escaping his ruined throat, then nothing. The bat's dying sparks cast flickering shadows over his lifeless body.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The whole pit was frozen in silence. It had happened too fast. One instant, Skull was bringing his bat down, and the next, Kang had risen up from an impossible posture and finished him.
Then the cheering broke out. The spectators roared, shouting curses and disbelief. To them, it was the perfect comeback. The only ones who didn't move were the Hell Riders, still stunned by the sight of their dead leader.
Kang stood there breathing heavily, hands on his knees. After a few seconds, he straightened up, steady but visibly tired. His gaze swept the crowd before stopping on the red samurai who had been standing ready with drawn blades since the start.
"Who's next?" he asked.