THE RING…
CH2's words hung in the air. "It's time to use it… it seems."
Tucker remained completely still. His fists were raised, but his eyes had narrowed. "…Use what?"
CH2 didn't answer. Instead, he slowly lowered his arms.
For a moment, Tucker thought he was relaxing.
Then he noticed it, the muscles in CH2's forearms began to tighten.
His fingers curled into fists. A faint red glow appeared around his hands.
Tucker's eyes widened, yhat wasn't the same Strength Presence he had felt earlier.
This was denser, heavier.
The red aura crawled from CH2's fists toward his wrists, then slowly wrapped itself around his forearms.
The air around him seemed to tremble, the crowd noticed, the cheering gradually faded.
The prisoners stared toward the ring. Even the announcer said nothing.
CH2 inhaled deeply.
His chest expanded, then he exhaled. Slowly.
Tucker swallowed, What is he doing, he thought.
CH2 flexed his right hand.
The aura intensified, CH2's bicep only grew larger. Tucker's eyes followed every movement. "He's concentrating," he thought.
His battle instincts immediately kicked in. Tucker remembered the earlier punches.
Those had already been powerful enough to nearly break through his guard.
Whatever CH2 was doing now…it was different. Much different.
CH2 raised his head, his eyes met Tucker's. "You've been making me use too much energy."
Tucker frowned. "…What?"
CH2 rolled his shoulders. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this."
Tucker tightened his fists. "Do what?"
A faint smile appeared on CH2's face. "End the life of a child."
Tucker's stomach tightened.
Then, CH2's foot slammed into the canvas.
He exploded forward. Tucker barely had time to react. CH2's right arm pulled backward.
The red aura surrounding it suddenly condensed.
Tucker's eyes widened, he knew that movement. He had seen Asura do it before.
That arm…his instincts screamed.
Move.
Tucker threw himself sideways, CH2 swung.
The punch missed Tucker's face by inches. But the force behind it sent a violent shock through the air.
Tucker was thrown sideways. He flew across the canvas, barely keeping his feet underneath him.
The crowd erupted.
"OOOOOOHHHH!"
"CH2!"
"THAT WAS CLOSE!"
Tucker caught himself against his knee.
His heart hammered. He slowly looked back.
CH2's fist was still extended.
The canvas beneath his feet had cracked slightly from the force of his movement.
Tucker stared. "…What the hell was that?"
CH2 slowly pulled his arm back. The red aura remained concentrated around his fist, his bicep seemed to grow larger with each beat.
Tucker's eyes narrowed, then something clicked.
A memory.
Michonne.
Back when they had first discussed CH2.
"He channels enormous amounts of Strength Presence into his arms before throwing a punch."
Tucker's eyes widened.
"The punches are devastating…"
His gaze dropped toward CH2's glowing arms.
Then the rest of Michonne's explanation came rushing back.
"…but after two of them…"
Tucker's expression changed.
Two. Then why isn't he tired? He thought.
Tucker's eyes remained locked on CH2. The answer came almost immediately.
CH2 gave a small chuckle. "It won't calm down until it connects with another living organism."
He slowly flexed his fingers.
The red aura around his right arm pulsed violently, almost like something alive beneath his skin. "So it's either you take this…" CH2 raised one fist. "…or kill me before I can."
Tucker's eyes widened.
For a moment, it seemed as if the entire prison had stopped breathing.
Even the crowd had gone strangely quiet.
Tucker glanced at CH2's arms.
So that's what Michonne meant. Two pumps. Two attacks, he thought.
Whatever CH2 had stored inside those arms wasn't going away. And Tucker had no idea how powerful it was.
CH2 stepped forward.
Tucker immediately lowered his stance. "Come on…"
CH2 suddenly vanished forward.
Tucker's eyes widened, he ducked.
CH2's left fist tore through the air above his head. The pressure alone sent Tucker's hair flying backward.
He rolled away, CH2 turned. Tucker immediately rushed in. He couldn't let him build momentum.
Tucker threw a left, CH2 blocked. Right, blocked.
Tucker stepped inside and drove his elbow toward CH2's ribs.
CH2 twisted.
The elbow barely grazed him, Tucker followed with a kick.
CH2 caught his ankle.
Tucker's eyes widened. He immediately jumped, twisting his body and striking CH2's wrist with his free foot.
CH2 released him. Tucker landed. He spun.
His fist shot toward CH2's jaw. This time, it connected. CH2's head snapped sideways.
The crowd erupted.
"HE GOT HIM!"
"KEEP GOING!"
"TUCKER!"
Tucker didn't celebrate. He knew better.
CH2 slowly turned his head back. A thin line of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
He smiled.
Tucker's stomach dropped, then CH2's left arm moved.
Tucker barely saw it, he raised both forearms. The punch connected. Tucker's entire body jolted.
He was thrown backward. His feet left the canvas for a fraction of a second before he crashed onto his back.
The crowd gasped. Tucker rolled immediately. He couldn't feel his arms properly.
What the hell was that…? he thought.
He pushed himself up, his forearms were shaking.
There was no direct hit, he had blocked it.
And yet, his bones felt like they had been struck from the inside.
Tucker gritted his teeth. That wasn't even a clean hit…CH2 stepped toward him.
Tucker immediately moved.
Left.
Right.
Back.
He refused to stay in front of him.
CH2 swung, Tucker ducked.
Another, he slipped underneath. Another, Tucker jumped backward.
Each punch tore through the air with enough force to make the ropes behind him violently tremble.
Tucker watched carefully. His battle instincts screamed at him.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
There.
CH2's shoulder dipped, Tucker moved.
He stepped inside the attack and drove his fist directly into CH2's stomach.
CH2 folded slightly, Tucker followed immediately.
A second punch.
Then a third.
CH2 stumbled backward.
The crowd exploded.
Tucker chased him, one more.
He planted his foot and surged forward with Strength Presence. His fist slammed into CH2's chest.
CH2 was driven backward.
One step.
Two.
Three.
His back hit the ropes, Tucker's eyes widened. He had him.
He rushed forward, CH2 raised his arm.
Tucker ducked underneath it. He stepped behind him.
His hands grabbed CH2 around the waist.
Tucker tightened his grip. "Got ya!"
He pulled.
CH2's feet didn't even leave the canvas, but…for one glorious second, Tucker had him.
The crowd erupted.
"THROW HIM!"
"GET HIM DOWN!"
Tucker twisted his body, his muscles straining.
Then, CH2's right arm moved.
The red aura around it intensified. Tucker saw it.
His eyes widened.
No, he thought.
CH2 swung. Tucker released him and threw himself backward.
The fist passed inches from his face.
Even without connecting, the shockwave hit him, a bright red flash blinded the crowd and sent their hair backwards.
Tucker's body was thrown sideways. He crashed against the canvas and rolled.
His ears rang. His vision blurred, he pressed a hand against the floor.
His fingers trembled, CH2 stood near the ropes.
His right arm was still glowing.
Tucker stared at it, that attack…he hadn't even been hit.
He had escaped, and it still affected him.
Tucker slowly stood. His legs shook.
CH2 turned toward him. "Not bad."
Tucker wiped blood from beneath his nose. He looked at his fingers.
His expression hardened, CH2 hadn't touched him. Yet Tucker was bleeding.
The sheer force of the attacks was hurting him.
And there was still another two coming.
CH2 raised his arm, the aura around it pulsed again.
Tucker's breathing slowed.
His mind raced.
Run?
No.
If I keep running, he'll corner me.
Block?
No.
My arms won't survive another one.
Dodge?
Maybe.
But that last one almost caught me.
And if he lands it clean…he thought.
Tucker looked at CH2. The fighter's expression was almost calm, he wasn't angry, he wasn't desperate, he was waiting.
Waiting for Tucker to make the mistake. Tucker clenched his fists.
He thought about Shirley.
Michonne.
EBS.
Everyone outside this ring.
Then he remembered what Michonne had said. After two of them…his arms are useless.
Tucker's eyes narrowed.
Two attacks.
Two chances.
That meant, Tucker slowly raised his fists. "…I can't avoid both."
CH2's smile widened.
Tucker swallowed.
His heart pounded.
If CH2 was going to unleash that power…then Tucker would have to survive at least one.
He tightened his stance. His eyes never left CH2.
"…I have to take one."
OUTSIDE THE SURVIVOR TUNNEL…
The brawl came to a sudden stop, not because anyone had won.
Because everyone had heard it.
The shockwave from CH2's attack had rolled through the arena, rattling the walls and shaking the floor beneath their feet.
For a moment, hundreds of prisoners simply stared toward the ring.
Tucker had barely avoided the attack.
Then, another punch was thrown. A fist connected with someone's jaw. The prisoner stumbled backward.
And the entire brawl exploded back into motion.
Except this time…there seemed to be even more people.
The chaos had spread deeper into the arena.
Prisoners who had nothing to do with the original argument were getting dragged into it. Some joined willingly. Others were simply defending themselves from whoever happened to be closest.
Tables overturned. Benches crashed against the floor. Someone screamed. Someone else laughed.
The arena had become a battlefield.
Michonne ducked beneath a wild punch. Her knee immediately drove upward.
It slammed into the prisoner's face. His head snapped backward.
Before he could even fall, Michonne reached toward the dagger at a table near her that set rested under a phone.
She pulled it free.
Another prisoner charged.
Michonne didn't even look at him. She threw the dagger. It buried itself in his shoulder.
He stumbled, Michonne rushed forward, grabbed the handle, and ripped it free.
Another brawler lunged at her.
She disappeared.
For a split second, there was nothing.
Then, Michonne reappeared behind him. She crouched low.
The prisoner froze.
Michonne whispered.
"…Quick."
She rose.
"Draw."
A red line appeared across the prisoner's abdomen.
His eyes widened, he looked down.
Blood began spreading across his uniform. He slowly twisted around.
Michonne was already walking away.
The prisoner collapsed behind her.
EBS stared. "…You didn't even look at him."
Michonne wiped her dagger against the prisoner's uniform. "Didn't need to."
A massive prisoner suddenly charged toward her.
EBS's eyes widened. "Michonne!"
Michonne turned. The man swung, she ducked beneath the punch.
EBS immediately stepped forward.
She pushed the prisoner's stomach.
He grunted.
EBS grabbed his arm and pulled. Michonne swept his legs.
The prisoner crashed onto his back.
EBS looked down at him. "…We make a pretty good team."
Michonne shrugged. "Don't get sentimental."
SHIRLEY…
Across the chaos, Shirley was having a completely different problem.
A prisoner twice his size had decided he was an easy target.
The man swung, Shirley ducked.
The fist flew over his head. Shirley stepped inside.
He drove his shoulder into the man's stomach.
The prisoner barely moved.
Shirley's eyes widened. "…Okay."
The man grabbed Shirley by the back of his uniform.
Shirley was lifted off the ground. "HEY!"
He kicked wildly. The prisoner tried to throw him.
Shirley twisted in midair.
Instead of resisting the throw, he used it.
He landed on his feet, rolled forward, and immediately kicked the back of the prisoner's knee.
The man's leg buckled. Shirley grabbed his arm, he pulled.
The prisoner fell forward. Shirley redirected his momentum and sent him crashing face-first into an overturned table.
Shirley stared, "…That actually worked."
TR241 appeared beside him.
She was holding both daggers. "Of course it worked."
Shirley glanced at her. "You've been watching?"
"I've been watching you get thrown around for the last thirty seconds."
"…Oh." A prisoner suddenly appeared behind TR241.
Shirley pointed. "Behind you!"
TR241 spun. The prisoner swung, she leaned backward. The punch missed her nose by inches.
She stepped forward and drove the pommel of her dagger into his throat.
The man gagged.
TR241 caught his wrist, twisted.
Then swept his legs, he crashed onto the floor.
TR241 looked at Shirley. "…What?"
Shirley blinked. "Nothing."
She smiled. "Were you admiring me?"
Shirley immediately looked away. "What..? No!"
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You absolutely were."
Another prisoner charged.
Shirley and TR241 looked at each other.
"…Later?" Shirley asked.
"Later."
They turned simultaneously.
TR241…
Three prisoners rushed her at once.
TR241 smiled. "Oh, come on."
The first swung, she ducked. The second tried to grab her.
She stepped around him. The third came from behind.
TR241 planted one foot against the second prisoner's back and vaulted over him.
She landed behind the third, both daggers flashed.
The prisoner stumbled backward, clutching his sleeves where the blades had sliced through the fabric.
TR241 kicked his knee, he dropped. She immediately spun toward the other two.
The first prisoner charged. TR241 threw one dagger, he raised his arm.
The blade narrowly missed his face and buried itself into the wooden pillar behind him.
He grinned. "You missed."
TR241 smiled. "No."
She whipped a chain that wrapped itself around the dagger magnetically. She yanked the dagger's chain free.
The weapon tore out of the pillar and snapped back toward her hand.
The prisoner barely had time to react.
TR241 caught it.
She stepped forward. And stopped the blade just beneath his chin.
His smile disappeared. "…Oh."
TR241 grinned. "Gotcha."
She kicked him backward. He crashed into the crowd.
TONGUE…
Meanwhile…Tongue was having the time of her life.
She had somehow gotten separated from Michonne and EBS.
She stood in the middle of the brawl, surrounded by prisoners.
One grabbed her shoulder. Tongue looked down at his hand.
Then looked up at him. "…Don't."
He blinked. "Don't what?"
Tongue suddenly bit his hand.
"OW!"
She released him. The prisoner stumbled backward clutching his fingers.
Tongue giggled. "DONT."
Another prisoner grabbed her from behind. Tongue immediately threw herself backward. Both of them crashed onto the floor.
She crawled away.
The prisoner climbed back up, Tongue grabbed a fallen chair.
She lifted it.
The prisoner stared, Tongue stared back.
Then she threw it. The chair smashed into him.
Tongue's eyes widened. "…That was awesome!"
She laughed and grabbed another chair. "WHO ELSE?!"
A nearby prisoner slowly backed away. "…I'm good."
Tongue pointed at him.
"Coward!"
He immediately ran.
Tongue laughed even harder.
Shirley ducked beneath another punch.
TR241 kicked a prisoner's leg out from underneath him.
EBS shoved another brawler into a table.
Michonne moved through the chaos like a shadow.
And Tongue was chasing someone with a chair.
For the first time…the group was actually pushing the crowd back.
Shirley looked around.
They weren't surrounded anymore. They were the ones surrounding them.
TR241 wiped blood from her cheek. "…We're winning."
EBS grinned. "Looks like it."
Michonne glanced toward the ring. Her expression immediately changed.
The excitement disappeared. "…Don't celebrate yet."
Everyone looked toward her.
She pointed toward the ring. CH2 stood across from Tucker. His arm was still glowing with Strength Presence.
Tucker was barely standing.
Shirley's smile vanished. "…Tucker."
TR241 followed his gaze. Her grip tightened around her daggers.
The crowd erupted again. Another devastating attack was coming.
And this time…Tucker wasn't going to run from it.
Michonne's eyes narrowed. "…He's going to take it."
Shirley looked at her. "What?"
Michonne didn't answer.
Her eyes remained fixed on the ring. "…Let's hope he knows what he's doing."
THE ROYAL MOTORCADE — MYNISTRIA
The presidential car moved slowly through the streets.
It was almost absurdly clean.
A massive black vehicle with tinted windows and polished metal lining, its tires rolling over roads that had been cracked and broken for decades.
Inside, the silence was almost comfortable. Mengu sat in the middle of the back seat, his enormous body sinking into the leather.
Diamond sat beside him, staring through the window.
D1 sat opposite them, her arms crossed.
For several minutes, neither woman said anything.
Then Diamond slowly leaned closer to the glass. "…This is your capital?"
Mengu looked out the window. "Part of it."
Diamond's eyes narrowed.
"Looks like hell."
Mengu shrugged.
"That's because it is."
The car turned.
And the city opened before them.
Ancient brick buildings leaned against one another, their cracked walls covered in grime and moss. Streets twisted between them like narrow veins, packed with people who barely had enough strength to walk.
There were no advertisements.
No shops. No bustling markets. No signs of prosperity. There was barely even color.
The citizens looked skeletal.
Men wandered through the streets with hollow eyes, their clothes hanging from bodies that had clearly gone without proper food for far too long.
Women sat against buildings, their faces sunken and their expressions empty.
Some were coughing, others simply stared at the ground.
And the children, Diamond's expression slowly hardened.
Children wandered barefoot through piles of garbage.
Some were so thin that their ribs were visible through their skin.
One little boy sat against a brick wall, his knees pulled against his chest. He looked no older than six.
He wasn't crying. He didn't even seem to have the energy to.
D1 looked away. "…They're starving."
Mengu barely glanced at them. "Most are."
Diamond turned toward him. "Most?"
Mengu shrugged. "Some die."
The car continued forward. Nobody spoke.
A woman suddenly stumbled into the road. The driver immediately slowed.
She barely moved out of the way.
Her face was gray, her hands trembled. She coughed violently into her sleeve.
Mengu watched her through the window. Then casually looked away.
Diamond stared at him. "You really don't care."
Mengu frowned. "About what?"
"Any of this." Diamond said.
He looked back toward the city. "…It's Mynistria."
Diamond's eyes narrowed. "That's not an answer."
Mengu smiled faintly. "It is here."
The car passed a massive factory. Its silhouette dominated the skyline.
Rust-covered metal pipes twisted around the building like veins.
Huge machines churned behind stained windows. Vats of chemicals bubbled inside.
A thick cloud of yellow-gray smoke poured from enormous chimneys.
It spread across the city. The air itself seemed sick.
Where the fumes touched the surrounding buildings, the stone had begun to discolor and corrode.
D1 covered her nose. "…How do people breathe this?"
Mengu laughed. "They don't."
Diamond looked toward him.
Mengu pointed casually toward the factory. "That's why around ninety people die every day."
D1's expression hardened. "And you just let it happen?"
Mengu leaned back. "Of course."
Diamond stared at him.
Mengu smiled. "It's efficient."
The car continued. Then something enormous moved above them.
A shadow swallowed the street.
D1 looked upward. Her eyes widened.
A massive bird perched atop one of the crumbling buildings.
It was nearly thirty feet tall.
Its body resembled some grotesque mixture of a bird and a human.
Two long human-like arms hung from its torso.
Its eyes were strangely feline. It stared down at the streets.
People immediately moved away from the building.
The creature screeched. Several children ducked beneath an overhang.
Diamond watched it. "…What the hell is that?"
Mengu smiled. "Resident."
"Resident?" D1 asked.
"That's what we call them." Mengu answered.
D1 looked out the opposite window.
An elephant wandered through the street. Its body was enormous, but its appearance was horribly unnatural.
Its ears were missing. Its tusks had been torn away. Its skin was mottled with strange colors. It dragged one foot behind itself as it walked.
Further ahead, another creature crawled across the side of a building.
Diamond's eyes narrowed. "…Are all of them like that?"
"Most."
A strange shadow passed over the car again. This time, Diamond looked up.
A green dolphin the size of a whale floated through the sky. Its enormous body drifted silently above the rooftops.
Its eyes were almost disturbingly human. An eagle's beak protruded from its face.
Its shadow swallowed an entire block.
Diamond stared upward. "…That's a dolphin."
Mengu nodded. "A flying one."
"…Why?" She asked.
Mengu shrugged. "Mistake."
Diamond looked back toward the city. She didn't answer. The car continued through the streets.
There was no currency, no real trade, no prosperity. People worked because they had to.
Workers dragged carts through the streets. Others carried bricks. Some were forced into the factory.
Guards watched from the corners.
Children too weak to work simply sat on sidewalks, waiting.
A woman approached the car. She raised a trembling hand toward the window.
Diamond instinctively looked at her.
The woman mouthed something.
"Please."
Diamond's expression changed.
She slowly turned toward Mengu. "Do they know who's inside this car?"
Mengu grinned. "Probably."
"Then why aren't they attacking you?" Diamond asked.
Mengu laughed. "Because they're afraid."
The car continued. Diamond stared at the woman until she disappeared behind them. "…What happens if someone refuses to work?"
Mengu's grin faded slightly. "They die."
"And if they refuse to serve you?" She asked.
"They die." He responded.
D1 looked at him. "And women?" Mengu shrugged. "They have another option."
Diamond's eyes narrowed. "Become your wife."
Mengu smiled. "Or servant."
Silence.
Diamond leaned back. "…Charming."
Mengu chuckled. "You're beginning to understand Mynistria."
Then, the city opened.
For the first time, Diamond saw the enormous tree.
It rose above everything.
A towering pink banyan tree whose branches stretched across the entire skyline.
Its roots were enormous.
They erupted from the ground and wrapped around buildings, climbing through windows and tearing through walls.
Ancient brick structures had been swallowed by its roots.
Some buildings looked as though they had grown directly from the tree itself.
The branches disappeared into the polluted sky.
Diamond stared upward. "…That's beautiful."
D1 looked at her. "You think so?"
Diamond nodded slowly. "Compared to everything else we've seen?"
She smiled faintly. "Yeah."
Mengu looked toward the tree. "The Tree of Knowledge."
Diamond's eyes widened. "…That's the Tree of Knowledge?"
Mengu nodded. "The oldest thing in Mynistria."
D1 leaned toward the window. "How old?"
"Old enough that nobody remembers." Mengu responded.
The car slowed as it passed beneath one of the tree's enormous branches.
Pink petals drifted through the polluted air, hung around the crown.
For a brief moment, they looked almost beautiful.
Diamond watched it disappear. "…Kind of ironic."
Mengu raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"The Tree of Knowledge." She gestured toward the city. "Surrounded by people who don't even have the freedom to learn anything."
Mengu stared at her. Then laughed. "Knowledge doesn't feed you."
D1 looked toward the tree."Maybe that's the problem."
Mengu's smile faded. "What?"
D1 turned toward him. "Maybe people here know exactly what's happening." A pause. "They just know they can't do anything about it."
For once, Mengu didn't immediately respond.
The car continued onward.
Behind the tinted windows, the three watched Mynistria pass.
The pink tree towered above them.
The factory continued vomiting poison into the sky.
The creatures wandered between the buildings.
And the people, the people simply endured.
Diamond slowly looked toward Mengu.
"So this is the kingdom you rule."
Mengu smiled. "No."
He looked out at the suffering city. "This is the kingdom that belongs to me."
The car disappeared deeper into Mynistria, approaching the prison.
THE RING…
The arena roared.
Thousands of voices collided into one deafening wall of sound.
But inside the ring…neither fighter heard any of it.
Tucker stood with his fists raised.
His breathing was heavy, his body was battered.
Across from him, CH2 slowly flexed his left hand. His right remained slightly lowered. The red aura around it pulsed violently.
Tucker noticed immediately.
His right hand. The one containing the power.
Tucker narrowed his eyes.
He's not using it, he thought.
CH2 suddenly stepped forward.
Tucker met him their fists collided, a burst of intense Strength Presence flared into the ring like fire sparks.
Tucker threw a straight right, CH2 slipped his head to the side.
CH2 answered with a straight left, Tucker blocked.
Tucker fired another, CH2 parried it away.
Another left came, Tucker leaned backward.
The fist passed inches from his nose. Tucker immediately stepped forward and threw a straight punch toward CH2's chest.
CH2 caught it with his left forearm.
Tucker twisted his wrist and pulled back.
Another punch.
CH2 blocked.
Another.
CH2 slipped.
The two fighters separated.
The crowd erupted.
"FIGHT!"
"KEEP GOING!"
"CH2!"
Tucker bounced lightly on his feet. Left. Right. Left.
His eyes remained fixed on CH2's shoulders.
He's only using his left, he thought.
CH2's right hand remained lowered. The red aura continued pulsing.
Tucker understood.
He's saving it, he thought.
CH2 stepped forward again. Tucker stepped toward him.
They met in the center.
Straight punch.
Block.
Straight punch.
Duck.
Straight punch.
Parry.
Neither fighter threw anything complicated.
No kicks. No grabs. No tricks. Just fists. One after another.
Tucker's battle instincts guided every movement.
CH2's physical strength made every block hurt.
Tucker threw a punch.
CH2 blocked with his left.
Tucker threw another.
CH2 moved his head.
CH2 answered.
Tucker blocked.
Another.
Tucker blocked again.
The rhythm continued.
Punch.
Block.
Punch.
Dodge.
Punch.
Counter.
For several seconds, they looked almost evenly matched.
But Tucker knew better. His arms were already beginning to ache.
CH2's left hand was nowhere near as devastating as his right.
Yet even that hand carried enough strength to make Tucker's bones sting.
I can't keep trading with him, he thought.
Tucker stepped backward, CH2 followed. Tucker threw another straight.
CH2 slapped it aside. Tucker immediately fired again.
This time, CH2 didn't block. He moved inside the punch. Tucker's eyes widened. CH2's left fist drove into his ribs.
Tucker's body folded slightly.
He stumbled backward, CH2 advanced.
Tucker raised his guard.
Left.
Blocked.
Another left.
Blocked.
Tucker tried to counter, CH2 knocked his fist away.
Tucker's eyes sharpened.
He's trying to get me used to his left, he thought.
CH2 stepped forward. Tucker stepped backward.
Another punch came.
Tucker slipped.
Another.
He ducked.
CH2's left fist passed over his head.
Tucker immediately countered with a straight right.
His fist connected with CH2's cheek. CH2's head snapped sideways.
The crowd erupted.
Tucker followed.
Another punch.
CH2 blocked.
Tucker switched angles.
Another.
CH2 blocked again.
Tucker stepped closer. I've got him, he thought.
His right fist drew back. Strength Presence gathered around it.
Tucker swung.
CH2 suddenly shifted.
He caught Tucker's wrist with his left hand, Tucker's eyes widened.
CH2 pulled him forward. Tucker tried to twist free.
Too late.
CH2's body rotated. His right shoulder came forward. The red aura around his right hand suddenly exploded.
Tucker saw it. His pupils shrank.
The right—
CH2's fist began moving.
Tucker tried to raise his guard. Tried to move, tried to escape.
But he was too close. Too slow.
For one horrifying instant, Tucker saw nothing except that glowing fist.
Then, the punch connected.
A blinding red light swallowed the ring.