"Perhaps I should inform Lord Yun Fan after all." After some hesitation, Cocolia ultimately decided to report Topaz's arrival to Yun Fan. Not that she believed the Interastral Peace Corporation posed any real threat to him.
Beep beep beep...!
In the Underworld, Yun Fan was engrossed in watching a boxing match when the beeping sound from his phone interrupted him. He casually pulled it out of his pocket and skimmed the message.
"Hmm? Heh, so Topaz is here already. That's impressively fast. It's only been two days since I took her badge. Guess that's what you'd expect from someone young enough to become a corporate executive, huh?" Yun Fan smiled faintly as he read Cocolia's message.
From taking Topaz's badge to her chasing him all the way to Jarilo-VI, this entire situation was, in a way, orchestrated by him. To ensure things played out this way, he had even slightly manipulated the Path of Causality to guide events. Otherwise, given that girl's cautious nature, she would never have taken such a risk so easily.
Leave her be for now. Let her wander around Belobog. I'll deal with her after I return from the Underworld.
After sending the message to Cocolia, Yun Fan turned off his phone and refocused on the boxing ring.
At this moment, the two fighters clashing on the stage were:
— "Cold-Dragon Young" Dan Heng
— And the boxing champion, "Iron-Armed Luka"
That's right—the fiery-haired, hot-blooded youth who was both a disciple of Oleg and a member of Wildfire. Luka's strength was undoubtedly among the very best in the Underworld, as evidenced by his long-standing reign as the champion of the Fight Club. However...
Yun Fan's gaze lingered on Luka's sleek metallic arm, a thought crossing his mind.
Isn't using a prosthetic in a fight kind of cheating?
"Hahaha! You're really something, brother!" The battle between Luka and Dan Heng raged on, but the longer it went, the more shocked Luka became.
Though reluctant to admit it, this mysterious, handsome young man—who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere—was far stronger than him.
Their fight had already lasted a full ten minutes. The relentless, high-intensity brawl had drained Luka's stamina rapidly, leaving him panting heavily.
In contrast, his opponent's breathing remained as steady as it had been at the start of the match, his rhythm never faltering. If this continued, Luka would lose before long.
Huff… huff… I can't give up now… I'm the undefeated Luka! Clenching his iron fist, Luka roared defiantly at the sky.
"Luka!" "Luka!" "Luka!" "..."
The crowd, swept up in his declaration, erupted into frenzied cheers, chanting his name until the entire Fight Club reverberated with the sound.
"Wow, this Luka guy is crazy popular!" March 7th covered her ears, trying to block out the deafening noise. While she loved excitement, this kind of atmosphere was a bit too much for her.
Beside her, Stelle—the Galactic Baseballer—glanced at Luka's metal arm, then at her own bat, as if wondering whether her trusty weapon could stand up to that iron fist.
"Brother, you're strong! In that case, I'm going all out!" Luka shouted excitedly at Dan Heng. It had been so long since he'd faced such a formidable opponent.
"Time to light things up!" Channeling all his strength into his mechanical arm, Luka charged at Dan Heng. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance and unleashed a devastating punch.
Ultimate Move: Victorious Strike!
Yet, against all expectations, Dan Heng simply raised his left hand—and caught the blow effortlessly.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed as the ground beneath Dan Heng's feet cracked under the force. But the man himself didn't retreat a single step.
"Th-this… this can't be…!" Luka stared in disbelief, shaking his head. How was this possible? His strongest attack had been completely neutralized—without so much as a scratch. And the guy had only used one hand!
His mind reeled. By the time he fully processed the reality of his defeat, the Iron-Armed Champion slumped to the floor with a heavy clang.
"I lost…"
His voice was quiet, but in the deathly silence of the Fight Club, everyone heard it. The moment Dan Heng had blocked that punch, the entire arena had gone still.
One… two… three… four…
"WOOOOOAH!!!"
A few seconds later, the crowd exploded into thunderous cheers, louder than ever before.
"Cold-Dragon Young!" "Cold-Dragon Young!" "Cold-Dragon Young!" "..."
"Pfft—Dan Heng really knows how to put on a show, huh?" Watching the usually stoic Dan Heng being swarmed by adoring fans, Yun Fan shook his head in amusement. For someone who always acted so low-key, he sure had a flair for the dramatic.
"But it doesn't matter. My objective is already complete." Muttering to himself, Yun Fan rose from his seat and headed for the exit.
"March, Stelle, wait here for Dan Heng. I've got some business to take care of."
...
"Why… why was he so strong? He didn't look any older than me…" Wandering the streets of Boulder Town in low spirits, the defeated Luka brooded over his loss.
After his defeat, no one paid him any attention—because people only remember the victor. Sure, even with Dan Heng around, he was still the Fight Club's second-best. But in the end… second place was still just another loser.
Like Master Diluc once said: "The defeated have no excuses."
Just as Luka wallowed in his gloom, a voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Brother Luka, wait a moment."