The air over WS Arena burned with tension. Dust hung thick, swirling under the floodlights as screams of gangs and echoes of rage filled the stands. UF and WS lined up on opposite sides — broken, bruised, but unbowed.
At the center of it all stood Damiyan, chest rising like a storm, blood trickling down his chin.
Across from him — Tastin, WS's unrelenting beast, arms taped, knuckles split, that familiar smirk carved on his lips.
They didn't speak at first.
Just stared.
Two predators locked in silence, waiting for that first move.
---
Tastin: "You've got heart, kid. But heart don't win wars."
Damiyan: "Maybe not. But mine's made of fire."
And then they moved.
Tastin lunged forward like a missile, right hook crashing into Damiyan's guard with the sound of thunder. Damiyan's body twisted, absorbing the shock — then countered with a low sweep that cracked against Tastin's shin.
The crowd roared.
The arena came alive.
Dust flew as Tastin stumbled back, but his smile never faded.
He cracked his neck, blood dripping from his lips.
Tastin: "That all you got, rookie?"
Damiyan didn't reply. He charged, eyes blazing. His fists turned into blurs — a rapid combo, body-head-body — until Tastin caught his wrist mid-air, twisted, and slammed him into the ground.
A shockwave of dust and pain rippled out.
Damiyan grunted, rolling to his feet, his body already marked with bruises. He wiped blood from his nose and grinned.
Damiyan: "You're strong, but you talk too much."
He darted in again — this time feinting a punch and slamming his elbow into Tastin's ribs. A dry crack echoed. Tastin coughed once… then laughed.
A deep, animal laugh.
Tastin: "That's the spirit, brat! Let's make this fun!"
---
He tore off his upper shirt, muscles glistening with sweat and dust. The audience went wild as Tastin's arms flexed — scars covering them like medals of war.
Tastin: "You're about to see what it takes to survive WS."
He stomped the ground once — BOOM! — sending up a wall of dirt, using it as cover. Damiyan stepped back instinctively — and that's when Tastin's silhouette burst through it like a bullet.
A right hook.
A left jab.
A brutal knee to the gut.
Damiyan's body folded in half, air flying out of his lungs.
He barely managed to block the next strike — but Tastin's strength was monstrous. The blow launched Damiyan backward, rolling through the dirt.
Rui (watching): "Tastin's fighting like a beast unleashed."
Orion: "He's always been one. Damiyan's gotta wake up fast — or he's done."
---
Damiyan rose slowly, spitting red. His vision blurred, but his determination burned like wildfire.
He remembered Zain's words before the battle:
> "If you fall, fall forward. That's how U-Force moves."
And with that, he tightened his fists and charged again.
This time, it wasn't clean.
It was pure chaos.
Damiyan swung wildly, driven by rage and heart. Tastin met him head-on — no blocks, no dodges. Every punch they threw landed like hammers against iron.
Thud. Crack. Slam.
Their bodies collided like storms, until Tastin drove his knee deep into Damiyan's stomach, then smashed an elbow across his jaw. Blood sprayed across the ground.
Damiyan dropped to one knee, breathing heavy, his arm trembling. Tastin loomed over him, shadow stretching long across the battlefield.
Tastin: "You fought good. But this is where your story ends."
He raised his hand for the final blow—
But Damiyan grabbed his wrist.
Damiyan: "Not yet."
With a surge of desperation, he yanked Tastin down and headbutted him so hard that the sound echoed through the arena. Tastin's nose burst open — but he smiled, his teeth red.
Tastin: "You've got guts."
He slammed his knee into Damiyan's face — once, twice — until Damiyan collapsed, blood pooling under him. Tastin stepped back, panting, his knuckles dripping crimson.
Damiyan tried to get up.
His body refused.
He clawed at the ground, reaching for Tastin's leg — but his strength was gone.
Tastin watched silently, breathing heavily, then crouched beside him.
Tastin: "If you were WS, I'd call you brother."
He stood, turned away, and raised his hand — declaring victory.
The arena exploded with noise — "TASTIN! TASTIN! TASTIN!"
Rui, Orion, Cube, and Zain watched from the UF side — their faces hard, eyes burning.
Orion: "He didn't lose in spirit."
Zain: "No. He lost in body. But his fire's still there."
Damiyan lay on the ground, eyes open to the night sky. The roar of the crowd faded in his ears. He smiled faintly.
Damiyan (whispering): "Zain… don't let this be for nothing."
---
As medics pulled him away, Tastin turned back once more — his expression unreadable.
For a moment, he clenched his fist, looking at the blood that wasn't all his. Then, in a rare whisper meant for no one but himself, he said—
"Guess your fire burned brighter than I thought."
He walked back toward the WS line, the battlefield shaking under his steps.
And above, the dark sky thundered again.
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