THE TWO MEN FACED EACH OTHER, EYES RED WITH TEARS AND RAGE.
Phantom screamed and charged.
Kroger screamed too and lunged forward.
BAM.
Their fists crashed into each other's cheeks. The impact echoed through the deserted construction site.
And suddenly, time seemed to freeze.
Flashback.
——
DISINFECTED SUBWAY STATION – A FEW YEARS EARLIER
A cage. An immense cage, set up in an abandoned subway station. Flickering neon lights illuminated a frenzied crowd that was pounding on the bars, howling, barking, shouting names.
"PHANTOM! PHANTOM! PHANTOM!"
"KROGER! KROGER! KROGER!"
Inside the cage, two young men were fighting.
Blood flowed. Their fists smashed. Their bodies swayed.
Phantom, underboss of the Phantom Blood's.
Kroger, boss of the Phantom Blood's.
The Phantom Blood's. A high-ranking criminal organization. But here, in this station, they weren't criminals. They were kids. Runaway kids. Orphans. Society's rejects.
Here, it was their home. The house of thugs looking for a reason to live. The family of the familyless.
In the makeshift stands, a man stood motionless. Bald head, body massive as a rock, arms crossed over his granite chest. Captain Park, head of the 3rd team of the Phantom Blood's. He watched the fight without blinking.
Inside the cage, Phantom and Kroger clashed.
They were equals. Same strength. Same rage. Same determination.
But Phantom had an advantage. A special move.
He took his momentum, jumped, and his fist came down like a hammer.
"TERROR SMAAAAAASSHHH!"
BOOM.
Kroger flew backward, landed headfirst on the concrete floor.
He didn't move anymore.
The crowd exploded. Phantom was the victor.
He looked at Kroger, on the ground, and a proud smile stretched his lips.
I was stronger than you, Kai. At that moment, I was stronger.
——
HOSPITAL – A FEW WEEKS LATER
Kroger had returned. But he wasn't the same anymore.
He had trained with a mysterious man. A man with a crow mask.
He had become a monster.
Phantom remembered it like it was yesterday. Kroger had entered his office without knocking. He'd looked at him for a second. Then he'd beaten the shit out of him.
Blow after blow. Until he fell into a coma.
When Phantom woke up, three weeks later, Kroger had disappeared. He'd left the gang the very day of their fight.
Without a word. Without an explanation.
You left, Kai. You abandoned me.
Without you, I wandered. A long time. Without purpose. Without family.
And when the wound you'd left began to heal…
You came back. To make it deeper.
You decimated my family.
I will never forgive you.
---
BACK TO THE PRESENT
The fight raged on.
Kroger, boosted by his speed, spun around Phantom, striking wherever he could.
But Phantom wasn't the same anymore either. His giant sword, his invisible threads, made every attack deadly.
SWOOSH.
A thread passed within a centimeter of Kroger's neck.
He dodged. Barely.
He attacked in return. His blade found an opening and sliced Phantom's chest.
A red line appeared on his pectorals.
Phantom grimaced, but didn't step back.
He raised his sword.
His thread was two fingers away from touching Kroger.
Kroger, frozen, watched it come.
Two fingers away.
Tears in his eyes.