Swords of Justice
Chapter 23: Punch for a Punch 2
Mu'taz was surprised by Hamza's response. He had been excited, but he smiled in return, feeling that the game would be thrilling. He said:
"As you can see, Hamza, we are a group that takes pride in the size of our muscles. So you must remove your armor and the clothes beneath it and show us your muscles—then we'll begin the competition like this."
Hamza said nothing. He immediately began removing his armor and taking off his clothes. Qasim said to him anxiously:
"Are you sure, Hamza?"
Hamza paid him no attention and continued undressing, revealing his hardened muscles.
Shock spread across the faces of everyone present, for Hamza's body was covered in battle scars—there wasn't a single spot on him free from them.
Mu'taz thought to himself: His muscles may not look as big as ours, but they are harder… stronger. Then he stepped forward and said:
"Come here. Let's begin this exciting game."
All the villagers began shouting Mu'taz's name, excitement clear on every face. Hamza stepped forward, and Mu'taz said:
"I'll start first, to show you how it's done."
Hamza agreed and prepared himself. Mu'taz clenched his fist tightly and threw a powerful punch at Hamza's face. The force sent him flying backward.
Everyone laughed. Hamza's companions were shocked, while Mu'taz laughed and said:
"I overdid it. We're already done after the first punch—I wanted to enjoy this."
As Mu'taz was about to walk away, he heard Hamza laughing. Surprised, he turned back to see Hamza standing, spitting blood from his mouth, saying:
"Don't think that punch is enough to bring down a man of battle."
The shock vanished from Mu'taz's face, replaced by excitement. He shouted:
"Show me what you've got, man!"
Qasim said in bewilderment:
"What is he made of?!"
Mu'taz prepared to receive the punch. Hamza formed a tight fist and struck Mu'taz in the face, producing a loud echoing sound. Mu'taz did not fly back—he remained standing, smiling:
"A weak punch like th—"
He didn't finish his sentence. He suddenly dropped to one knee and said, shocked:
"What?!"
Hasna said, puzzled:
"That was a strong punch."
Qasim replied:
"Hamza managed to damage him—that's a good sign."
Mu'taz's vision became blurry. He struggled to stand again and thought to himself: He knocked me down… he'll regret this.
Mu'taz stood up and threw another punch at Hamza's face. Hamza barely managed to stay on his feet. He didn't give Mu'taz a chance, immediately returning a punch to his face—and Mu'taz did the same.
The scene was thrilling, yet terrifying. Blow after blow, without rest or pause. Their faces began to swell and bruise, and blood started splattering everywhere.
Qasim didn't like what he was seeing and said:
"We need them for the battle… will they be okay?"
This time, Mu'taz threw an even stronger punch. It made Hamza lose consciousness for a few seconds, but he recovered miraculously. Hamza thought to himself:
One more punch from him and I'm finished. I have to end this with one final blow… he looks like he's reached his limit too.
Hamza remembered when he was young, training under his master in the Kingdom of Fawza. In one of those deadly lessons, he learned how to harden his body. His master taught him that he could deliver a "steel punch" with his hand—but it carried a great risk. His hand might shatter and never heal. To succeed, he had to inhale deeply and let the air flow through his veins—literally—feeling as calm as the ocean. Whoever faced it would be erased.
Hamza stood firm. He inhaled deeply and held the air in his lungs. He began to feel it flowing through his veins as he clenched his fist tightly. He no longer sensed anyone—he couldn't hear their shouts or excitement. It was as if he were trapped inside a deep cave.
He prepared to strike.
The punch looked weak—but it pierced through the air with a sharp, resonating sound. Mu'taz felt as if death itself was approaching. He knew it was the end. He raised his hand to defend his face—but when Hamza saw his reaction, he stopped and didn't complete the strike.
Even so, Mu'taz collapsed in terror, as if he had already been hit.
Hamza said confidently:
"You broke the rules. You lost."
Princess Hasna rejoiced, and Qasim said with a smile:
"He's unstoppable."
Meanwhile, Hamza looked at his fist and thought to himself:
I didn't do it properly… I almost lost my fist forever.
To be continued…