Scott Kwon tried one more coordinated attack with Ivan Park.
"One more time! Let's finish this!"
"Yeah! Together!"
Seongji caught Scott's punch and Ivan's kick simultaneously. He twisted both men off balance and slammed them together with enough force that the impact echoed through the apartment.
"SHIT!"
"FUCK!"
They fell in opposite directions. Neither got up.
More Workers were already climbing over their fallen companions to get inside. The doorway was packed with bodies pushing forward, a tide of desperation and greed.
"Keep coming! Don't give up!"
"Someone get that briefcase!"
"He can't fight forever!"
Three unnamed Workers rushed him together. Seongji's fist caught the first in the throat. The man dropped immediately, clutching his neck and making wet choking sounds. Seongji grabbed the second by the shirt and threw him over his hip into the third. Both went down hard against the overturned furniture.
Seth Lee came at him swinging with heavy fists. His punches were wild but committed, each one meant to break bone.
"Let me test your strength! I'll crush you!"
Seongji walked through the punches like they were nothing. He grabbed Seth by the throat with one hand and lifted him onto his toes. Seth's eyes went wide as his air cut off. Seongji slammed him against the wall hard enough that the plaster cracked behind his back in a spiderweb pattern.
Seth wheezed when Seongji released him. He slumped to the floor and stayed there, gasping.
Four Workers rushed in together. They'd seen what happened to the others but came anyway. Desperation or loyalty or stupidity, it didn't matter which.
"Don't hesitate!"
"Attack! ATTACK!"
"Where did someone this strong come from?!"
Seongji met them head-on. His fist drove through the first man's guard and caught him square in the chest. The Worker flew backward and crashed into the wall hard enough to leave a dent in the drywall. The sound was sick and heavy.
Seongji grabbed the second by the collar and threw him into the third. Both went down in a heap of tangled limbs. The fourth hesitated, saw his opening disappear, and tried to back away. Seongji's kick caught him in the ribs before he could retreat. The man folded and hit the ground clutching his side.
Jin Jang rushed from the back with his fists raised.
"Damn it! If I knew I had to face such a monster I wouldn't have come in the first place!"
Before he could even reach Seongji, Seongji turned and smashed his face with a punch that broke teeth. Jin's head snapped back and blood sprayed across the floor. He dropped to his knees, hands going to his mouth as broken pieces of enamel fell between his fingers.
"AHHHHHH! MY TEETH! MY FUCKING TEETH! THEY'RE ALL GONE!"
More Workers poured in from the stairs. The bodies on the floor didn't slow them down. They stepped over unconscious men and kept coming.
"He's still standing!"
"How is he still standing?!"
"Just keep attacking!"
Seongji moved through them methodically. There was no wasted motion, no hesitation. His fists and feet found their marks with brutal efficiency. He grabbed one by the arm and swung him into two others. All three crashed into the furniture with the sound of splintering wood. Another tried to tackle him low. Seongji brought his knee up into the man's face. Blood sprayed and the Worker went limp before he hit the ground.
Huseong Ha stepped through the gap with his fists wrapped and his stance wide. He threw a knee strike at Seongji's midsection.
"Doesn't matter how strong you are, you're human after all!"
Seongji caught the knee with both hands and pushed upward. Huseong lost his balance and hopped backward on one leg, arms windmilling. Seongji closed the distance and grabbed him by the shoulders. His fingers dug deep into the muscle. Huseong's face twisted in pain.
"GAHH! WHAT THE HELL! YOUR GRIP!"
Seongji pulled him down into a headbutt that split Huseong's eyebrow open. Blood poured down his face immediately. Huseong stumbled back with his hands over his eyes.
"I can't see! There's blood everywhere!"
Taegon Wi swung his nunchaku in a wide arc from the left. The wood whistled through the air toward Seongji's head.
"Haha! You're worthy!"
Seongji raised his arm and caught the nunchaku mid-swing. His hand closed around the wood and stopped it dead. He yanked hard and Taegon stumbled forward, off-balance. Seongji's elbow met Taegon's nose with a wet crunch. Blood sprayed across the floor as Taegon dropped to his knees, clutching his face and making sounds that weren't quite words.
Dosu Lee came from behind with a wooden baton aimed at Seongji's head.
"You'll finally taste my weapon!"
Seongji turned and caught the baton under his arm. He twisted and Dosu's feet left the ground. The Worker spun in the air before crashing onto his back with enough force to knock the wind out of him. He lay gasping like a fish out of water.
Changyong Ji rushed in with his head lowered for a headbutt.
"Once this lands, it's all over!"
Seongji sidestepped and grabbed the back of Changyong's neck. He redirected the momentum and slammed Changyong's face into his rising knee. The impact was clean and brutal. Changyong's head snapped back and he crumpled to the floor without a sound.
Hwang Ho came at him with a flurry of precise strikes. His technique was better than most of the others, his movements controlled and deliberate.
"Block this!"
Seongji blocked the first three hits with his forearms and then caught Hwang's wrist on the fourth. He pulled the Worker off balance and drove his knee into Hwang's stomach. The air rushed out in a harsh gasp. Seongji released his wrist and delivered a short punch to Hwang's jaw that spun him around. Hwang dropped and didn't get up.
Sato Kazuma rushed in from the right. The former sumo wrestler was massive, his weight shaking the floor as he charged. He threw his bulk forward with an open palm thrust.
"KRRROOUUGH!"
Seongji dropped low and grabbed Sato's extended arm with both hands. His twelve fingers locked around the forearm like a vice. Sato's eyes widened.
"What is this grip?! I can't move!"
Seongji twisted sharply and swept Sato's front leg. The massive man crashed face-first into the floor with enough force to crack the tile beneath him. Seongji's foot came down on Sato's back and drove the air from his lungs in a harsh wheeze.
Kenta Magami stepped forward with his stance low and compact. His hands came up in a tight guard as he closed the distance. There was something different about him compared to the others. His movements were controlled, measured.
"TASTE MY FIST! IT'S MEANT FOR THE STRONGEST ONLY!"
Seongji watched him approach without moving. Kenta's fist shot out in a straight punch aimed at Seongji's midsection. Fast, but not fast enough.
Seongji shifted his weight and caught Kenta's wrist with his left hand. His fingers wrapped around the joint with such force that bone ground against bone audibly. Kenta's eyes went wide and his mouth opened in a silent gasp of pain.
"If this is the fist you have prepared for the strongest," Seongji said quietly, "then the strongest you know isn't strong enough."
He pulled Kenta forward and drove his right palm into the Worker's chest. The impact lifted Kenta off his feet and sent him crashing through two unnamed Workers behind him. All three collapsed in a heap against the wall.
Kenta pushed himself up from the wreckage despite the broken wrist. His face was twisted in determination, pain making his movements jerky and uncoordinated.
"If it's not enough, then I'll try again. And I'll keep trying till the end of time!"
Seongji caught him with a straight punch to the sternum that stopped him cold.
"For now, you should rest."
Kenta gasped and collapsed forward onto his hands and knees. He stayed there, shaking.
Sato struggled to his feet with blood running from his nose and mouth. The massive man swayed like a building in an earthquake.
"I'm not... done... yet..."
He tried one more palm thrust but his movements were sluggish, telegraphed. Seongji sidestepped and grabbed Sato's arm with both hands. He pulled the Worker forward and drove his shoulder into Sato's chest. The impact sent Sato stumbling backward. He tripped over fallen Workers and went down hard. This time he didn't try to get up.
Taegon had retrieved his nunchaku with shaking hands. He swung it desperately, the weapon wobbling through the air.
"One more shot! Just one more!"
Seongji caught the weapon again and yanked Taegon forward. His fist met Taegon's temple and the Worker's eyes rolled back. He dropped like a puppet with cut strings.
Hwang tried to stand but his legs wouldn't support him. He slid back down against the wall and stayed there, breathing hard.
Huseong wiped blood from his eyes and threw a desperate elbow. His movements were uncoordinated, driven by adrenaline and denial.
"I can't believe you can defeat all of us! You're only human!"
Seongji blocked it with his forearm and grabbed Huseong's neck. He squeezed until the Worker's eyes went unfocused and then released him. Huseong slumped unconscious before he hit the ground.
The apartment was a disaster. Bodies everywhere. Blood on the walls and floor. Broken furniture scattered like debris after a storm. Some of the Workers were trying to crawl away. Others had given up entirely.
Changyong crawled toward the door with his nose clearly broken, blood streaming down his face.
"Fuck this... why does this... happen again and again..."
Dosu lay on his back staring at the ceiling, one hand pressed to his ribs.
"Every breath... hurts... so much..."
Scott Kwon and Ivan Park remained where they'd fallen.
"Can't... move..."
"Everything... hurts..."
Hope Park tried to rise but his broken ribs made every breath agony. He stayed down and pressed his hands to his sides, face pale with pain.
Dominic Min cradled his twisted wrist and backed away toward the stairs, eyes never leaving Seongji.
"Fuck this job! Fuck Workers! I'm done!"
Seth Lee remained slumped against the cracked wall, still trying to breathe properly.
Jin Jang lay on the floor with his hands still covering his ruined mouth, eyes wide with fear.
"Monster... he's a fucking monster..."
Matt Kang was face-down in a pool of his own blood, not moving.
Seongji stood in the center of it all, breathing steadily. His clothes were torn and bloodied but he showed no signs of exhaustion.