Amitesh's pupils snapped left, then right, slicing through the room like scanners searching for a target.
Leon was down.Rex's lightning was useless in this state.
Bad position. Worse timing.
Think—
A sharp blur cut through his vision.
Too late.
The tip of Kai's shoe crashed into his temple.
Slam.!!
The impact snapped his head sideways. His body lifted for a split second before smashing into the ground. Once. Then a short, brutal bounce.
Silence—thin, heavy, suffocating.
Kai didn't rush he stepped forward with slow, deliberate steps, each one landing with quiet authority.
"Just thinking you can absorb attacks…" His voice was calm, edged with cold arrogance. "…doesn't make you better."
Amitesh gritted his teeth, vision flickering before stabilizing. Pain crawled across his skull like burning cracks.
Kai stopped a few steps away
"You're relying on instinct," Kai said. "That's your first mistake."
Amitesh pushed himself up on one arm, breath uneven, blood sliding from the corner of his lips.
Kai tilted his head slightly, studying him like a flawed experiment.
"Your body moves," he continued, "but your mind lags behind."
A faint shift in Kai's stance—
Amitesh's instincts screamed.
He threw his guard up—
A fist drove straight into his ribs.
Thud.
The air ripped out of his lungs.
Before he could collapse, Kai's knee slammed into his abdomen—
Crack.!!?
Amitesh's body folded, then got launched backward, skidding across the floor like dead weight.
He coughed violently, forcing air back into his chest, vision trembling.
Kai exhaled slowly one can see disappointment in his eyes.
"You're surviving," he said, voice flat. "Not fighting."
Amitesh dragged himself up, shaking, eyes narrowing despite the pain.
Kai's gaze hardened.
"Stand properly."
A pause.
Then his voice dropped, colder—
"Or don't stand at all."
Amitesh hadn't noticed it at first, but the moment he steadied his breath, it became obvious.
They were surrounded.Men stood in every direction, forming a loose circle around them. No one spoke. No one interfered. They were just watching, waiting, as if this fight was already decided.
Amitesh pushed himself up slowly, his body protesting with every movement, but he stood anyway.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked straight at Kai.
"So you're saying I'm not fighting?"
A faint smirk appeared despite the pain.
"Yeah… you're right."
He adjusted his stance, feet pressing firmly into the ground.
"I wasn't."
A pause.
"Let's do it again."
His voice hardened.
"This time… I fight."
'Raktbeej… tighten my legs.'
A subtle shift ran through his body. The instability vanished. His legs locked in with unnatural firmness, like something deeper had taken control of his balance.
Then his eyes sparked.
Lightning flickered through them—not chaotic, not wild—but sharp, controlled, dangerous.
That slight change was enough.
His expression didn't soften, but his focus deepened.
"Now you're thinking," Kai said calmly.
Both of them moved at the same time.
They closed the distance in an instant, their movements precise and direct. The moment they reappeared within range, their legs collided mid-strike with a heavy impact.
A sharp shockwave spread beneath them, scraping dust off the floor.
For a brief second, they remained locked in position, strength against strength, neither side giving ground.
Kai's lips curved slightly.
"Better."
Amitesh didn't reply, but this time he held his ground without being pushed back.
The pressure between them eased as they separated just enough to reset their stance.
Kai moved first.It wasn't a big motion, just a slight shift of his lead foot, almost unnoticeable unless you were watching closely.
Then the jab came.
Fast—but that wasn't what made it dangerous.
It felt wrong.
There was no buildup, no shoulder movement, no signal for the brain to catch.
It simply appeared in front of Amitesh.
He tilted his head just in time, but the punch still brushed past his cheek, leaving behind a thin cut that began to bleed instantly.
Amitesh's eyes narrowed.
That shouldn't have been that hard to read.
Kai stepped in again, calm as ever.
Another jab followed.
Same pattern.
Amitesh raised his guard faster this time, but the punch still slipped through the gap and tapped against his defense.
It wasn't heavy, but it carried precision.
Enough to disrupt.
Kai's voice came, steady and controlled.
"Your problem isn't strength."
A third jab came, slightly lower.
This time it connected cleanly.
Amitesh's head snapped back as the impact landed.
"…you're expecting a pattern."
Amitesh staggered half a step, forcing himself to stay upright as his vision shook.
Kai didn't rush in to finish him.
Instead, he walked forward with measured steps, his composure untouched.
Another jab came the moment Amitesh tried to reset.
Amitesh reacted earlier this time, moving before fully seeing it, and the punch only grazed his face instead of landing clean.
Kai's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Better."
But the next moment, a second jab followed immediately, faster and closer than before.
This one landed clean.
Amitesh's head snapped to the side, his body lagging behind the impact.
Kai lowered his hand slowly, as if nothing significant had happened.
"Still slow."
Amitesh steadied himself, breathing heavier now, his eyes locked onto Kai with growing focus.
There was something off about those punches.It wasn't just speed.
It was the way they bypassed his instincts, like his body reacted before his mind could understand what it was seeing.
Kai tilted his head slightly, observing him.
"You're trying to see it," he said calmly.
A brief pause followed.
"Stop doing that."
He took another step forward, his posture relaxed but dangerous.
"Feel it."
The air between them tightened again.
This time, Amitesh didn't wait to think.
Amitesh drew in a slow, deep breath, forcing his heartbeat to settle.
His fingers curled inward, tightening into claw-like shapes as his heels lifted slightly off the ground, balancing on his toes.
"So you're becoming unpredictable…"
he said, voice low but steady. "Then why shouldn't I?"
He moved this time, there was no hesitation in his step as he rushed straight at Kai.
Kai responded instantly.
Another jab.
But Amitesh didn't try to see it.He dropped his center of gravity instead, crouching at the last moment as the punch sliced past where his face had been.
His hand shot forward.
He grabbed Kai's leg.
A surge of energy rushed through his meridians, faint lines of light pulsing beneath his skin as his grip tightened.
Before Kai could adjust—
Amitesh twisted.
The motion was sharp and controlled as he spun his entire body, dragging Kai along with the force.
Then he released.Kai's body flew.
It crashed into the wall with a heavy impact.
Thud.
His head struck hard enough to snap his posture loose, and his body slid down, completely still.
Silence fell.
Amitesh straightened slowly, exhaling as the tension left his shoulders.
.
His attention shifted.
Agni.
But the moment he looked at him, something felt off.Agni wasn't reacting to the fight he wasn't even looking at him.
His fingers moved in the air, tapping rapidly, like he was interacting with something invisible.
Amitesh frowned.
"What are you doing?"
No response.
Agni continued, focused, precise, like he was operating on a different layer of reality.
Amitesh's eyes narrowed.
Then it clicked.
Wait… don't tell me—
"Astaria," he said under his breath, "am I thinking right?"
The purple screen flickered to life.
A calm voice followed.
"Yes."
A brief pause.
"It's a school bully level-up system."
"What the—"
"No bad words, Amitesh. No bad words."
He clicked his tongue, irritated.
"Fine. Then answer properly. How many people in this world have systems?"
A brief pause.
"Many," the voice replied calmly. "Including you."
Amitesh's expression twisted.
"Including me? Come on. You don't even act like a system," he said, wiping the blood off his chin. "You just keep talking non-stop."
He exhaled sharply.
"At this point, I should just rename you."
A faint smirk appeared.
"The Yelling System."
There was a short silence.
Then—
"That is inaccurate," the voice responded, still calm but carrying a slight edge now. "I provide continuous guidance because your decision-making is inefficient."
Amitesh's eyebrow twitched.
"Efficient? I just knocked him out."
"Correction," the voice replied instantly.
"Your success was situational, not optimal. Had your timing been delayed by 0.3 seconds, the outcome would differ."
Amitesh stared ahead for a second.
"…you really had to add the decimal, huh?"
"Precision matters."
Amitesh let out a dry laugh, shaking his head slightly.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"Systems do not sleep."
"…that was sarcasm."
"I am aware."
Amitesh paused.
Then narrowed his eyes.
"…you're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"No."
A beat.
"…maybe yes"
The shift his attention back to Agni.
"Okay, so Agni… you want to do something, or you'll just keep playing with that invisible screen?"
Agni finally looked up.
A small smile spread across his face, casual, almost amused.
"I was just preparing for the fight."
He tilted his head slightly, revealing a small green pill tucked between his teeth.
For a split second—
Amitesh moved.
Slam.
His fist crashed straight into Agni's face, snapping his head to the side before he could react.
The pill slipped free and hit the ground.
Amitesh was already moving.
He bent, picked it up in one clean motion, and stepped back, holding it between his fingers.
Agni staggered, one hand on his jaw, eyes sharpening as he regained balance.
Amitesh looked at the pill for a moment, then back at him.
"One of the first rules of a fight," he said calmly, his voice colder now, "never show your weapon to your enemy."
Agni wiped the corner of his lip, a faint trace of blood appearing.
Then—
he smiled again not with the amused but this time whit an Interested.
Amitesh didn't hesitate as he tossed the pill into his mouth and crushed it between his teeth.
For a brief moment, nothing happened, and the silence felt almost unnatural.
Then the surge came.
Energy flooded through his body all at once, violent and overwhelming, as if something inside him had been forced open without permission.
[Meridians opening… 21st… 22nd… 23rd… 24th… 25th.]
His body stiffened under the pressure, and his muscles trembled as the force spread through every nerve.
The pain followed immediately.
It wasn't sharp or clean, but heavy and suffocating, like his entire body was being stretched beyond its limits.
His breath broke for a second, and his vision shook, but he didn't fall.
Agni smiled as he watched.
"I can see your status," he said calmly, his tone steady. "Your practical intelligence and battle IQ are high, so I had to rely on a method like this."
Amitesh's shoulders twitched as he forced himself to stand straight, his veins faintly glowing beneath his skin.
Then he laughed.
Not loud, not stable, but raw and uneven.
"Hah… ha…"
He inhaled sharply, trying to steady his breath.
"Hahaha… gasp… hahaha…"
His eyes lifted slowly, filled with something sharper now.
"You didn't know," he said, his voice shaking at first but growing firmer, "I get stronger the more pain I feel."
He took a step forward, his movement heavier but more controlled than before.
"And my ability to feel pain," he continued, exhaling through a faint grin, "is already lower than a normal person."
Another step followed, this one steadier.
The instability was fading.
"In short…"
He looked directly at Agni, his gaze clear despite everything.
"Your plan backfired."
A brief pause passed between them.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly as the glow within them sharpened.
"I can see it now."
His voice dropped.
"You have twenty-four meridians."
Agni's smile remained, but it wasn't as light as before.
There was weight behind it now.
Their clash continued without pause, punches and kicks colliding in rapid succession as the air filled with sharp impacts and shifting footwork.
Amitesh was starting to fall behind.
Each exchange pushed him back a little more, his defense tightening as Agni's movements grew cleaner and more precise.
They broke apart at the same time, creating distance as both of them reset.
Amitesh exhaled heavily, one hand pressing lightly against his abdomen.
'Just how many martial arts does this guy know…? he thought, his jaw tightening. My abdomen is definitely swelling.'
Across from him, Agni wiped the sweat from his forehead, his breathing controlled but slightly heavier than before.
'Why is this man so hard to deal with… his eyes narrowed slightly. I should use that.'
His fingers moved subtly in the air again, tapping against the invisible interface only he could see.
A faint glow reflected in his eyes.
[Instant Stamina Recovery Skill Activated — Stamina Restoring.]
Agni's posture straightened almost immediately, the fatigue fading from his body as if it had never been there.
Amitesh noticed.
And this time—
his expression hardened.
"So you're going to cheat," Amitesh said, his voice strained but steady despite the damage he had taken.
Agni didn't slow down, nor did he look offended. "There's no such thing as cheating in a real fight," he replied, his tone calm and matter-of-fact, as if stating a basic truth.
Before Amitesh could reposition, Agni closed the distance and slipped behind him with practiced efficiency. His arm locked around Amitesh's neck in a tight chokehold, and their combined momentum brought them crashing to the ground. The impact echoed, but Agni's grip remained perfectly controlled, tightening with calculated pressure rather than brute force.
Amitesh reacted instantly. He twisted his head and bit down hard on Agni's forearm, his teeth sinking deep as his hands clawed at the skin, nails dragging until they drew blood. The resistance was desperate and violent, but it made no difference. Agni's hold did not loosen. If anything, it grew firmer, cutting off air with relentless precision.
Amitesh's movements began to slow as the lack of oxygen took its toll. His vision blurred, the edges darkening as his lungs burned for air that would not come. The strength in his arms faded, and his body gradually lost tension.
Then everything went still.
Agni felt the shift immediately. The struggle had stopped. The body in his grip no longer resisted. Satisfied, he released the choke and rose to his feet, exhaling as he looked down at Amitesh's unmoving form.
For a brief moment, he allowed himself to believe the fight was over but he was wrong.
Without warning, Amitesh's eyes snapped open. Still lying on the ground, he swung his leg with sudden force, sweeping Agni's legs out from under him. The attack was perfectly timed, catching him completely off guard and sending him crashing down.
Amitesh moved without hesitation. He climbed onto Agni and began striking with raw, unrestrained force. Each punch landed harder than the last, breaking any sense of rhythm as blood quickly spread across Agni's nose and lips. The blows did not stop. They came one after another, relentless, until Amitesh's fists were smeared with blood as well.
There was no technique left in those strikes—only intent.
Then a sharp metallic impact cut through the moment.
A steel bottle struck Amitesh from the side, forcing him off balance and breaking his assault. He stumbled back, creating space as his head snapped toward the direction of the interruption.
"Now who the hell threw that?" he demanded, irritation flashing across his face.
No one answered.
Agni used the moment. He pushed himself up slowly, wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand. His breathing steadied, and the fatigue that had been building in his body seemed to fade as his focus sharpened.
System, activate peak power mode.
A faint glow reflected in his eyes as the command registered.
[Peak Power Mode activated. All attributes enhanced for five minutes. Post-effect: sixteen hours of forced sleep.]
Accepted.
Agni straightened fully, his posture returning to perfect alignment as if the previous damage had been partially erased. There was a distinct change in his presence now—more controlled, more dangerous.
"Alright," he said quietly, his gaze locking onto Amitesh. "Let's see if you can stand by what you said."
Amitesh raised his hand in response, his expression hardening as energy gathered within his palm.
"Swaha."
Flames erupted forward in a concentrated wave, surging toward Agni with intense heat and pressure. The reaction was immediate. Agni brought up a wall of water in front of him, forming a dense barrier just as the flames collided with it.
The impact produced a violent hiss as steam burst outward. The surface of the water began to boil rapidly, bubbles forming and bursting as the heat overwhelmed it. The air temperature in the room rose sharply, turning the space suffocating and heavy.
At the edges of the circle, the gang members began to retreat, unable to endure the rising heat.
"Hey… should we get out?" one of them said, already stepping back.
"Yeah, I can't stay here," another replied, following quickly.
But at the center of it all, neither Amitesh nor Agni moved, their focus locked entirely on each other as the clash of elements continued to intensify.
The temperature continued to rise at an unnatural rate, turning the warehouse into a suffocating chamber of heat and pressure. The steam thickened, spreading across the space like a burning fog, while the metal structures around them began to creak under the stress.
One by one, the gang members gave up their positions.
Some covered their faces, others cursed under their breath, but none of them stayed.
"This is insane… I'm out."
"Forget this, they'll kill us just by standing here."
Within moments, the warehouse emptied, the sound of hurried footsteps fading until only silence remained—broken only by the violent clash of fire and water.
At the center, the balance shifted.
Agni stepped forward.
His water barrier compressed, no longer just defending but pushing back, forcing the flames to recoil inch by inch. The boiling intensified where the two forces met, steam bursting outward in sharp waves.
Amitesh felt it immediately.
This wasn't the same Agni anymore.
Agni raised his hand slightly, and the water responded like an extension of his will, tightening, condensing, and then surging forward in a focused stream.
It cut through the flames.
Not completely—but enough.
The attack broke through the outer layer and struck Amitesh directly, sending him sliding backward across the heated floor.
He steadied himself, boots scraping as he forced his body to stop.The heat clung to him, but something else stood out more.
Agni wasn't just stronger he was also clean and faster then before.
Every movement carried intent without waste.
Amitesh exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling as he recalibrated.
"So this is your peak," he muttered.
Agni didn't answer immediately.
He walked forward, each step deliberate, his presence heavier than before.
"Five minutes," he said finally. "That's all I need."
The air between them tightened again, but this time it carried a different weight.
Amitesh's eyes sharpened.
He adjusted his stance, grounding himself despite the unstable floor beneath him.
"Good," he replied.
A faint grin appeared, despite the heat, despite the damage.
"Then I just have to survive five minutes."
Agni stopped.
Then, without another word—
he attacked.
The water around him surged forward again, but this time it wasn't a single wave. Multiple streams formed simultaneously, curving and shifting mid-air as they aimed from different angles.
Amitesh reacted instantly, twisting his body as he avoided the first strike, then redirecting his flames to intercept the second.
The third hit his side hard.
The impact forced a grunt out of him as he staggered, but he didn't fall.
Instead, he pushed forward.
Because now—
this wasn't just a fight.
It was a countdown.
The water is pushing me down… I have to do something, Amitesh thought, his muscles straining as the pressure forced him lower with each passing second. If I raise the temperature high enough, I can wipe it out completely.
He steadied his footing despite the slipping ground and drew in a sharp breath, forcing every bit of energy he had into his core.
"I'll burn it away."
His eyes flared.
"Swaha!!"
The flames surged violently from his palm, no longer controlled streams but an expanding force that roared outward with intensity. The fire thickened, rising higher and denser, its color deepening as the heat escalated beyond what it had been moments before.
The water that had been pressing him down began to react immediately.
At first, it boiled more aggressively, bubbles forming faster, bursting with sharp, hissing sounds.
Then the change became visible.
The surface started to thin.
Edges broke apart.
Steam no longer rose in small bursts—it erupted in heavy clouds, spreading rapidly through the space between them.
The structure of the water began to collapse under the heat and evaporation had started.
Agni's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt the resistance weaken through his control.
Amitesh stepped forward into the steam, his silhouette barely visible through the rising vapor, but the intensity of his flames only grew stronger.
The pressure shifted.
For the first time since activating his peak state—
Agni was being pushed back.
Agni stopped forcing his attacks blindly and steadied his breathing, his senses sharpening as he stood in the thick steam. His eyes moved slowly, trying to read even the slightest disturbance in the fog.
"Stop running. Face me."
"Who are you to order me? I'll do whatever I want. If you're that desperate, then come and catch me."
Agni stepped forward, slower this time, his movements controlled as he listened instead of chasing. The steam shifted faintly to his right, almost unnoticeable, but enough.
He turned sharply and struck.
Amitesh slipped past it, his movement light and precise as he circled again, keeping distance and never staying in one place long enough to be locked.
Agni clicked his tongue, irritation finally surfacing.
"You think this will work for long?"
Amitesh's voice came again, closer this time.
"I don't need long."
Agni's eyes narrowed as he adjusted his stance, lowering his center of gravity.
"Then you're wasting time."
"And you're losing it."
A faint ripple moved behind Agni.
He reacted instantly, spinning with a kick aimed at the source.
This time—
contact.
Amitesh blocked it, but the force still pushed him back a step, revealing his position for a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Agni closed the distance immediately, his movements sharper than before, his strikes chaining together without pause.
Amitesh retreated again, slipping back into the steam, but the gap was smaller now.
Agni was adapting.
"You can't hide forever."
"I don't need forever."
Amitesh shifted again, circling wider this time, forcing Agni to turn and track him.
"I just need an opening."
Agni exhaled slowly, his posture tightening as his focus peaked.
"Then stop talking and take it."
The steam swirled violently between them as both prepared for the next exchange, neither willing to give ground, both waiting for the exact moment to strike.
Agni sensed a sudden shift near his side and reacted without hesitation, driving his fist down with full force.
The impact cracked against the ground with a loud, echoing thud.
Dust lifted.
But it wasn't Amitesh.
Just a shoe.
Agni's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second as realization hit.
A distraction.
A really creepy sound hit his ear"Looking for me?"
The voice came right beside his ear.
Too close.
Before he could turn—
A punch slammed into his face.
The force snapped his head sideways and sent his body crashing to the ground, the impact dragging him across the floor as the steam scattered around him.
Amitesh stepped out of the fog, his breathing steady but heavy, eyes locked onto Agni.
This time—
he had landed first.
Amitesh stepped back into the fog again, letting the steam swallow his figure once again as his presence faded from sight.
Agni remained on the ground for a moment, then pushed himself up slowly, wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand. His breathing was heavier now, but his eyes were sharper than before, scanning the shifting vapor with cold focus.
He didn't rush this time.
"You're relying on tricks," he said, his voice steady despite the hit.
"Call it whatever you want. It's working."
Agni straightened fully, rolling his shoulder once as if resetting his body.
"Not for long."
The steam moved again, but this time Agni didn't chase it. He stood still, grounding himself, listening carefully as the faint sounds of movement echoed through the haze.
A step.
A shift in air.
A presence closing in from behind.
Agni moved at the last possible moment, turning sharply as his arm came up to intercept.
Amitesh's strike met his guard.
The impact was solid, but not decisive.
For a brief second, they were both visible through the thinning steam, their eyes locking.
Then Agni countered.
A short, brutal strike drove into Amitesh's side, forcing a grunt out of him as his body bent slightly from the impact.
Amitesh didn't stay.
He twisted away immediately and slipped back into the fog, refusing to let Agni chain another attack.Agni exhaled slowly, adjusting his stance again.
"You're buying time," he said.
"And you're running out of it."
Silence followed, broken only by the faint hiss of lingering steam.
Agni closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Then opened them again, sharper than before.
The next time the fog shifted—
he moved first.
The next punch didn't aim for Amitesh.
Agni drove his fist straight into the air with full force.
The pressure behind it tore forward in a violent burst, sending a shockwave through the space. The steam scattered instantly, ripped apart as the airflow cleared the entire area in seconds.
The fog vanished.
Agni lowered his arm slowly, rolling his shoulder as a faint strain showed across his expression.
"You should be proud," he said, stretching his arm slightly as if easing the tension, "you made me use this."
He exhaled, flexing his fingers once.
"Ouch… this always causes damage," he added, his tone still controlled despite the discomfort. "Forcing all meridian power into one punch isn't exactly pleasant."
Amitesh stood a few meters away now, no cover left, his breathing steady but heavier than before.
The battlefield had changed.
Just distance—
and a direct fight.
Agni adjusted his stance, his posture sharper, more dangerous than before.
"This ends now."
[Only 30 seconds left.]
Agni clenched his fist tightly, the strain running through his arm as the remaining time echoed in his mind. The boost was still active, but the window was closing fast, and every second now carried weight.
He exhaled once, slow and controlled, forcing his body into perfect alignment despite the backlash already creeping in.
"No more games," he said, his voice lower than before.
Amitesh didn't answer.
He adjusted his stance instead, feet grounding firmly, eyes locked onto Agni with complete focus now that the fog was gone.
Agni moved first.
This time there was no testing, no probing strikes. He closed the distance in a straight line, his speed cutting through the space as his fist came forward with full intent.
Amitesh reacted instantly, raising his guard, but the impact still drove him back as the force traveled through his arms and into his core.
Agni didn't stop.
A second strike followed immediately, then a third, each one faster, heavier, leaving no gap to breathe.
Amitesh blocked what he could, redirected what he couldn't, but he was being pushed back again, step by step, his footing barely holding.
Agni pressed harder.
Every movement now was efficient, stripped of anything unnecessary, as if he was compressing everything he had into these final seconds.
"Fall," he said, his tone sharp.
Amitesh's eyes hardened.
Instead of retreating further, he stepped in.
The next punch came—
He didn't block it fully as it's hit him.
The impact shook his body, but he used that moment to move inside Agni's range, closing the gap completely.
Too close for clean strikes.
Agni's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second because it wasn't enough.
Amitesh drove his shoulder forward, slamming into Agni's chest and disrupting his balance just slightly not enough to win.
But enough to break the flow.
And in a fight like this—
that was everything.
Amitesh shifted his weight at the perfect moment and disrupted Agni's footing again, sweeping his legs out from under him and forcing his body to crash onto the ground with no chance to recover.
At the same instant, the system response followed.
[Time Complete — Entering Forced Sleep.]
The strength drained from Agni's body as if it had been cut off at the source. His muscles went slack, and his eyes closed without resistance, leaving him completely unconscious.
A brief silence settled over the battlefield.
Amitesh remained standing for a second, his chest rising and falling heavily as the exhaustion from the fight began to settle into his bones. The adrenaline was fading, and every injury now made itself known. He slowly lowered himself and sat down beside Agni, breathing through the strain.
That moment didn't last long.
Footsteps approached.
Not one or two, but several, closing in quickly from all sides until he found himself surrounded again.
"BOSS!!"
"What did you do?! We won't let you leave!"
Amitesh let out a quiet breath, irritation flickering across his face as he looked at the group forming a circle around him.
"Ahhh!!! This again."
He pushed himself up slowly, forcing his body to cooperate despite the fatigue.
His movements were not as sharp as before, but they carried enough control to make his intent clear.
In one smooth motion, he pulled out a pocket knife and pressed it against
Agni's neck, just enough to be visible, just enough to make the situation real.
"Come forward," he said calmly, his voice steady despite everything. "I dare you."
A faint pause followed, then his expression hardened slightly.
"No… I double dare you."
The reaction was immediate.
The group froze, their earlier aggression replaced by hesitation as uncertainty spread among them. None of them stepped forward, and the whispers began almost instantly.
"Do you think he'll actually do it?"
"I don't know… he looks unstable. He might."
The tension shifted in his favor.
Amitesh held the knife in place without pressing it further, maintaining the illusion without crossing the line. His eyes moved across the group, watching their reactions, measuring their fear.
It worked.
Because they believed it.
And that belief was enough to hold them back.
The reality, however, remained unchanged.
He would not harm him because his rule still stood, even now.
But they didn't know that and in this moment, their ignorance was the only advantage he needed to stay standing.
"Do you think you can escape? No matter what you do, you're not leaving."
The voice carried confidence, almost forced, coming from a young man in a black jacket who stood slightly ahead of the others.
Park song(22)
Amitesh let out a long, frustrated breath as his shoulders dropped for a moment, as if the entire situation had become more annoying than dangerous.
"Ahh…"
He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the group again, this time more carefully, counting numbers, reading posture, measuring intent.
Then he moved.
Not fast, not rushed, but deliberate.
He bent down and picked up a metal rod lying near a broken crate, lifting it in one hand before adjusting his grip. He gave it a slight swing to test the weight and balance, feeling how it carried through the air.
It was good enough.
He straightened, rolling his shoulder once as the fatigue in his body lingered but no longer slowed his reaction.
"Alright," he said, his tone calm but edged with irritation, "get ready to get the shit beaten out of you."
The group reacted together, several of them stepping in at once, trying to overwhelm him with numbers rather than skill.
Amitesh didn't wait for them to close in.
The first attacker came from the right, rushing without control, and Amitesh stepped forward instead of retreating. His rod moved in a tight arc, striking the man's arm with enough force to break his structure instantly. The sound of impact echoed as the attacker dropped, clutching his arm in pain.
Before the body even hit the ground, Amitesh had already shifted.
The second attacker came from the front, aiming to grab him, but Amitesh drove the end of the rod straight into his abdomen. The force folded him instantly, and a follow-up strike sent him collapsing onto the floor.
The third tried to take advantage from behind, reaching to restrain him, but Amitesh twisted sharply and drove his elbow back into the man's ribs. The movement flowed into a swing without pause, and the rod connected cleanly, sending him down as well.
The pace never broke.
Each movement connected to the next without hesitation, and the lack of rhythm made it harder to predict.
The circle around him started to loosen.
What had looked like confidence a moment ago shifted into hesitation as the remaining members slowed down, no longer eager to rush in blindly.
Amitesh stood at the center, his breathing heavier now but controlled, the rod hanging in his hand as he scanned the group again.
His expression had changed.
Colder.
More focused.
"Who's next?"
---
(5:09 AM)
The warehouse door creaked open as the early morning light slipped inside, cutting through the dim, damaged space.
"So what the hell is going on here?"
Zoey demanded as she stepped in, her voice sharp and alert.
A few people followed behind her, slower, more cautious, their footsteps echoing as they moved forward one step at a time. No one rushed ahead, and no one spoke after that first question, as if something about the silence inside warned them to stay careful.
They moved deeper inside.
Then they saw it.
Bodies.
Scattered across the floor in every direction, some lying still while others groaned faintly, all of them injured, none of them in any condition to stand. Not a single one looked conscious enough to fight back, and the sheer number of them made the scene feel unreal.
One of the people behind Zoey stopped walking.
Another took a step back instinctively.
"What… the hell…"
Zoey didn't respond.
Her eyes moved slowly across the scene, taking everything in with sharp focus, reading the damage, the positions, the aftermath of something violent and controlled.
Then her gaze shifted towards the corner where Amitesh was leaning on the wall.
He was leaning against the wall, his body slightly slouched, one shoulder pressed to the surface as if it was the only thing holding him upright. His clothes were torn in places, faint traces of blood visible, his breathing slow but heavy.
He didn't look at them immediately.
He just stood there still.
Like the center of everything that had happened.
Zoey didn't hesitate as she closed the distance, stepping carefully over the bodies until she reached him. She crouched slightly and gently tapped his cheek, her fingers light but firm enough to get a response.
"Amitesh, can you hear me?" she asked, her voice lower now, more focused. She tapped him again. "Try to keep your eyes open. Are you okay?"
Amitesh's eyelids lifted with effort, his expression tightening as he looked at her.
"Zoey… what kind of stupid question of this century is that?" he muttered, his voice rough but carrying its usual bite. "From which level of stupidity are you asking if I'm okay?"
For a second, she just stared at him.
Then her shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Oh, so you're okay then."
Before he could react, she slid one arm behind his back and the other under his legs, lifting him up with more ease than expected.
Amitesh stiffened immediately.
"Hey—put me down. My legs are perfectly fine."
Zoey didn't even look at him as she adjusted her grip and stood up straight.
"Oh, shut up for a minute," she said, her tone flat but not harsh. "You should be thanking me."