Tarun was lying against the cracked wall, his back awkwardly arched.

  The back of his uniform was soaked with not only sweat, but also a lot of blood.

  But all that pain didn't mean anything in comparison to what he saw in front of him.

  Yug Verma— the boy who couldn't even do a single push up days ago was now fighting like a demon let loose.

  He was precise. Cold. Perfect.

  Vijay looked amazed, licking the blood from his lips and cracking his neck for a showdown.

  "What have you become… Verma."

  One of the Eternal Order's members leaped onto Yug's back and grabbed his neck in a chokehold.

  All it took was a backhand and the man was slammed to the same wall that Tarun was leaning on.

  But that brief distraction— Vijay needed exactly that, and his fingers closed on Yug's wrist.

  "Checkmate."

  The grip was as tight as a surgeon if he had immense strength.

  His other arm reached Yug like a blade, about to break his elbow.

  Yug didn't flinch— but then, he moved.

  Instead of moving back, Yug stepped forward, driving his left foot behind Vijay's right.

  In the very next moment, he twisted his trapped arm in a fluid motion— it made Vijay's momentum find no resistance.

  Yug twisted his hips with surprising flexibility and used Vijay's strength against himself.

  And in one swift motion— Yug used Buang Luar.

  With Vijay's balance off, he lifted off from the ground and landed on the floor with a gasp.

  The dust rose to form clouds over his head.

  It had been such a long time since Vijay felt pain to this extent.

  The silence came like a warning.

  But the Eternal Order couldn't see their leader like that.

  A swarm of them pounced on Yug with a wide variety of weapons in their hands.

  But someone shouted from behind.

  "That one is leaning too forward— an elbow to his throat!"

  The man was knocked like a puppet with no strings.

  "His guard is down. Strike his solar plexus!"

  The next one dropped like a sack of bricks.

  One by one, the Eternal Order's members were down— all under a minute or two.

  The tag team of Rishabh and Tarun were back in action.

  Rishabh managed to drag himself back to the fight and got back in contact with Tarun.

  Both of them made sure to clear the path for Yug— but they stayed away from his war.

  Vijay got up on his feet, ready to end Yug once and for all. He struck with all his might.

  The silence soon faded into the roar of Vijay.

  His palm twisted ever so slightly, almost unnoticeable.

  Even Yug felt it— a sharp and mechanical strike, more like a command, aimed at his spine.

  The infamous Kadochnikov axis push.

  Aimed at exactly 135°, it was meant to paralyze his spine, making it immovable for a while.

  "All I need is an angle… to push that soul out of you, pathetic waste."

  And Vijay struck his move.

  Yug fell down— not due to pain, but calculation.

  Following the "Turun" principle, he shifted his center of gravity to fall like a lifeless body.

  Vijay's strike was meant to hit, but it was a door that disappeared right at the last moment, like gravity itself betrayed the move.

  Silat countered where thoughts stopped.

  Vijay's eyes widened.

  Yug changed his trajectory into a low sweep mid-fall.

  He spun into a kick— only torque, no mercy.

  It was the Sapu Dalam.

  Vijay's heels screeched the ground.

  He was airborne again— but this time, he was all prepared with a plan.

  He turned his hips in the air with momentum.

  The gravity supported him. Then—

  THUD! THUD! THUD!

  His legs fired, still off the ground, like a cannon with sheer angular force.

  Yug blocked the first and the second one.

  But the third one hit right at his collarbone.

  The fourth crashed on his rib cage.

  And the fifth struck his face.

  Yug was pushed back, but he forced himself forward towards Vijay.

  Just when Vijay gained balance, his eyes met the pitch white ones— Yug was right in front of him.

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  He released Pukulan Balik— a reverse strike meant to disrupt breath itself.

  But the awakened Yug was also reaching his limits.

  This counter made Vijay tremble, but it seemed like the fat on him had absorbed it.

  Vijay quickly redirected the force into his fingers embedded into Yug's carotid sinus.

  The pulse point beside his neck was struck with a force like needles.

  Yug's world shimmered around, but he didn't let go just like that.

  He clutched onto Vijay's shirt tightly.

  But there was such a high thrust that—

  RRRIP!

  Vijay's shirt screamed as it tore into shreds.

  But what was underneath it was more intriguing than anything else.

  A mark on the left of Vijay's chest.

  An imprint of a fist— but it wasn't normal, it felt like it was like… metal punch.

  Tarun loosens his grasp.

  Two members crash on the ground, almost unconscious.

  Tarun's chest moves up and down, but his eyes?

  They were locked on Vijay.

  Tarun's mouth opened— to pass a comment of mockery— but the look of the scar shut him.

  "What the hell…"

  Rishabh pointed at someone, about to call out a move, but stuttered to utter words.

  His pupils narrowed at the scar.

  "Is that… humanly possible?"

  ——————————————

  One year ago, sweat floated like dust in the air in the school gym room.

  There was no one inside— no one was allowed.

  There stood only Vijay, staring at himself in the mirror after a heavy workout.

  He didn't have his shirt on.

  But, all of a sudden—

  Manav barged in, unaware of the circumstances of entering without permission.

  "Hey boss! How's it—"

  He saw the scar on Vijay, something that he never saw before.

  "— What's with that scar?"

  Vijay turned, eyes burning with rage.

  "Didn't I announce? No one enters!"

  All that Manav remembered next was—

  THWACK!

  He slammed into the dumbbell rack, and blacked out within the next few minutes.

  Vijay's anger was at its peak.

  But right before fainting, Manav saw something new in Vijay's eyes— a fear trapped in the mask of a blank stare.

  ——————————————

  In the present, Manav crouched behind a pillar, witnessing the whole thing.

  His hands still hovered over the place where Vijay hit him a year ago.

  A dull pain still lingered with him— the pain of memory.

  Ash stains were on his face and sleeves.

  He tries to wipe it off, smudging it even further— Rishabh's trap was too good for his age.

  The mark looked exactly the same from what he saw before.

  "He doesn't like it."

  Vijay was frozen.

  His eyes shrank.

  Shallow breath.

  He wasn't a part of the fight anymore.

  And Yug didn't let this opportunity slip.

  He instinctively stepped in diagonally, keeping his right side towards Vijay's left arm.

  He lowered himself to slip his shin under Vijay's forearm, ready to clamp.

  He closed in and leaped forward— his left leg came into action, strapping Vijay's left arm in a scissor-like form.

  Finally, he yanked his body forward, moving Vijay forward to slam him face-first, and the left arm's bone stopped moving.

  Vijay's body was staggering, but his pride was ever-lasting.

  He charged forward with all he had left— like a bull with blood on his horns.

  He let out a beast-like roar and charged with blind fury. He wanted Yug dead.

  Yug just did a backflip after breaking Vijay's bone, looking at the incoming attack.

  But Yug waited.

  One breath.

  And then—

  He pivoted, just like he struck Vijay when he was in all his senses.

  Unlike that, this was lethal.

  One hand caught Vijay's right arm, and the other pressed against his back.

  Using Vijay's own velocity— he spun him around with "Buang".

  Vijay flipped like a ragdoll.

  He was crushed into the concrete of the nearby wall with a sickening crash.

  Even after this, the rage was still boiling and Vijay began to crawl up again.

  Yug didn't blink.

  He turned and his leg coiled like a whip.

  Tendangan Belakang— a devastating back kick.

  Vijay was finally on the ground, unable to move.

  Yug wasn't moving anymore.

  The fight that began on 22nd June, finally culminated that day.

  Tarun relaxed his body as he dropped on the ground, exhausted from the long evening.

  Rishabh, still afraid of what Yug was, approached him.

  Just before his hand touched Yug's shoulder, Yug collapsed.

  He had reached his limits.

  Rishabh caught him in his arms moments before the fall. He was calmly placed on the ground.

  But Vijay wasn't done yet.

  He managed to crawl up to Yug.

  Vijay's eyes were unblinking and filled with bloodlust. He pushed his powerless body.

  His legs were locked around Yug's neck, dragging him in a dirty chokehold, squeezing everything in.

  But then—

  CRACK!

  A kick slammed into Vijay's face.

  Then another.

  And another one after.

  Rishabh had snapped— and he didn't stop till Vijay was confirmed to pass out.

  His kicks weren't strong, but they were relentless.

  And finally, Manav entered the scene.

  Even Tarun raised his guard.

  But Manav didn't fight back— he knew he'd lose.

  He glared at Rishabh, indirectly accepting his defeat.

  Then, his gaze shifted towards the ground.

  Rishabh's boot was smeared with blood— Vijay Chauhan's blood.

  Manav began dragging Vijay away from the fight. His eyes were indulged in shame.

  Tarun was quiet the whole time, but he got up.

  He limped towards the unconscious Yug, picking up is broken phone.

  "The phone's gone three rounds with a truck— and lost every single one of them."

  He typed in something, without anyone's knowledge and kept the phone down again.

  He still stood there— blood dripping from his knuckles and sleeves torn apart.

  He stepped backward, with each step heavier than before.

  In front of everyone, in senses or fainted, lowered his head.

  … And he bowed down.

  Neither as a joke, nor to play around.

  But because he actually meant it.

  "You're not weak anymore… are you?"

  He stood there longer than he did while bowing to Rishabh before.

  Yug earned something important other than a physical victory.

  Respect.

  "He literally took one beating, failed to train and beat the life out of Vijay, but I can't even grow a beard after 9 years of training."

  Rishabh's lips finally curled into a smile.

  The mood of the street lightened.

  "Shall we head out of here, Tarun?"

  "I'm not paying for any painkillers!"

  "Just pay for the hospital bills."

  "I'll be so broke! Like I'll have to sell my soul for pineapple pizza after this."

  "Who eats that, low budget Superman?"

  Tarun grabbed both Rishabh and Yug with both his hands and began moving, while Rishabh guided him to Yug's house.

  "You really put up a memorable evening…"

  Rishabh giggled at the version of Tarun.

  "Stop being sentimental. We're alive."

  Tarun chuckled softly too.

  He made two new amazing friends.

  "If this is how high school is… I want to go back to kindergarten!"