"Over," Leon slurred, blood bubbling on his lips as something in him snapped. He slammed his free fist into the dirt of the crater wall. "…my dead body."
With a guttural roar that tore out from his throat, he pushed upward. The force caused Tiger's grip on his hair to slip in surprise.
Leon's heart pounded furiously against his ribs as he stood in the crater. He swayed, but kept a steady gaze at Tiger.
"That's the energy I was looking for!" Tiger's smile transformed into an unholy delight as he removed his right hand from his back.
He lunged in a simultaneous dual strike—a fist for Leon's head and a chop for his bleeding side. But Leon sidestepped the head blow and caught the chop on his forearm.
The impact numbed his arm, but he pivoted on his leg and drove a savage kick into Tiger's ribs.
CRACK.
Tiger grunted and stumbled a step back. He touched his side, looked at the faint smear of blood on his fingers, and laughed. Then wiped it on his lips.
