The boss''s eyes were full of approval. "A real man stands strong and proud!"
Evan might be a little wild, but he''s got a good heart and a bright future ahead of him no doubt about it.
Frankly, the global martial arts scene had gone off course. Someone needed to set things right. Bernard and I, well, our time had passed. Now, all our hopes rested on Evan.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle cut through the air. The match was about to start.
From the crowd, the Thyanian fighters shouted at the top of their lungs, "Hit him! Go on! Smash him!"
On the other side, the Eastern fighters pumped their fists and cheered, "Let''s go! You got this!"
They might''ve just brawled backstage, but now everyone was desperate for their own team to win.
Up on the tform, Punikon''s dad was flexing like he was about to enter a hotdog-eating contest at the local fair. He shook his head, smirked, and swaggered over to Tarquin.
He looked Tarquin up and down, like he was checking out a scarecrow, and sneered, "Weakling!"
He flipped Tarquin the bird, just to make sure everyone saw.
The Thyanian supporters went wild, chanting in unison, "Weakling! Weakling! Weakling!"
The whole gym echoed with it.
Tarquin, mask on and brows furrowed, didn''t miss a beat. He dashed forward, grabbed Punikon''s dad''s outstretched middle finger-
CRACK! He broke it right there for all to see.
In the next breath, he grabbed the guy by the wrist andunched him with a judo throw that mmed him onto the mat. A couple more sickening crackster, Punikon''s dad''s limbs were out ofmission.
He howled in pain—a shriek that could''ve shattered the windows.
Suddenly, the whole ce went dead silent. You could''ve heard a pin drop.
Tarquin hadn''te here just for the fight; he wanted to make a statement to the whole Thyanian crowd.
His moves were sharp, ruthless, and precise. After he''d taken out Punikon''s dad''s arms and legs, hended a few punches to the guy''s head-clean knockout.
The silence was eerie.
This was a "no holds barred" match-Tarquin could''ve finished him off if he wanted. And everyone knew it.
The tension was thick. Everyone stared, holding their breath.
But Tarquin simply lowered his fists and signaled to the referee that he was done.
The ref stammered, "You''re... you''re done fighting?"
"Yeah," Tarquin said calmly.
The ref rushed over to check on<fn742e> This content belongs to find?novel</fn742e>
Punikon''s dad, then turned to the et
crown
"He''s unconscious,
Hanus and legs are busted thoughts s
Hands and legs are bust
The guy was finished his fighting days were over.
The silence lingered, even the loudmouthed Thyanian influencer was struck dumb.
Tarquin, still wearing his mask and breathing steady, looked straight into the live camera, eyes brimming with disdain.
"I''m just a businessman, not a real fighter. All I want to say is the Punikon family? Nothing special. Thyanian martial arts? Overrated."
"And just so you know, I didn''t kill him—not because I''m scared of the Punikon family, but because my wife asked me to be a good,w-abiding citizen She told me not to kill
anyone s
"I listen to my wife."
He finished with a cocky little smile, then strolled off, leaving the crowd reeling.
There was another beat of stunned silence—then the Eastern fighters erupted, jumping and shouting like their team had just won the Super Bowl.
"Damn, that felt good! So satisfying!"
"Did you hear that? Even our amateurs can KO you guys! Thyanian martial arts— what a joke!"
"Tiny Thyanian school? Handled! Easy!"
"See what true ss looks like? This
is what it means to have real stature! Signed a death match contract and still let the guy live that''s sportsmanship s
"And you know what else? That''s what a good husband looks like! Did you hear
him? He listens to his wife! Man, he LOVES his wife!"
The Eastern fighters were beside themselves-ted, vindicated, finally standing tall after all the humiliation.
Their aches and bruises didn''t matter anymore.
Meanwhile, the Thyanian fighters, who''d been acting all tough before, were suddenly quiet as church mice.