Chapter 27: Wolves in the Ring

The underground arena was a beast of its own making—dark, suffocating, and alive with the desperate hunger of the crowd. Sweat hung heavy in the air, mixed with the sharp sting of blood and fear. The smell of metal and adrenaline was thick enough to choke on, but I was already numb to it. It was familiar—too familiar.

I stood at the edge of the ring, knuckles wrapped tight with tape stained by fights past, the weight of the moment pressing down on me like a stone. Around me, shadows moved—faces blurred in the dim light, their eager eyes fixed on the battle about to unfold. None of them cared about the why or the who—I was just a fighter. Another thrill to be ripped apart.

Then Goro stepped into the circle of light, and the temperature seemed to drop.

He was a mountain of a man—tall, broad, and cruelly scarred, the jagged lines across his face a testament to the wars he’d already won. His eyes, sharp and cold, swept over the crowd and landed on me like a predator sizing up prey. There was no mercy in that gaze—only hunger and promise of destruction.

Jin’s warning echoed in my mind, haunting and clear: “This isn’t a fight, Kazuki. It’s a hunt.”

The bell rang—sharp, brutal—and the fight began.

---

The first punch hit me like a freight train. His fist smashed into my ribs, sending a shockwave of pain radiating through my body. The breath whooshed out of me, chest caving, but I didn’t fall. I couldn’t.

Because beneath the pain, beneath the chaos and burning muscle, I heard something—a sound that rooted me to the fight, that tethered me to the last reason I was standing at all.

Yume’s laugh.

Soft, light, full of life.

It was everything I fought for.

---

Goro was relentless.

He moved like a storm, fast and destructive. His strikes were brutal and unyielding, each one a hammer blow against my body and spirit. The crowd’s roar faded into nothing as I faced him, isolated in the ring with this beast.

I ducked a wild haymaker, countering with a punch to his ribs. He grunted but didn’t falter. Every blow I landed seemed to anger him more, his eyes blazing with a ferocity that felt almost inhuman.

He aimed a vicious uppercut. My head snapped back, stars exploding in my vision. My knees buckled but I caught myself on the ropes, gasping for air that wouldn’t come.

Pain bloomed everywhere—burning muscles, shattered ribs, cracked bones—I felt my body breaking piece by piece, but my mind clung to one thing:

She was waiting.

---

I fought not like a man who wanted to win, but like a man who had no choice but to survive.

Every punch I threw carried a silent vow. Every dodge was a prayer whispered in the dark.

Goro’s fists hit me again and again, and each time I stumbled, the voice in my head got louder, louder.

“Not yet. Not yet.”

Blood poured from my split lip, dripping down my chin, mixing with the sweat that blinded me. My vision blurred, but I forced myself up from the canvas every time I hit the floor. The pain was a firestorm, but it also reminded me that I was alive—that I could still fight.

The crowd’s screams became a distant hum, the thunder of fists and bodies the only sound I registered. Time slowed, and for a moment, the ring was just a blur of movement and pain, and Yume’s smile shining through it all like a beacon.

---

At one point, Goro knocked me to my knees.

The world tilted sideways, and the cold concrete pressed against my skin through my torn shirt. My ribs screamed in protest with every breath. The crowd roared—half in delight, half in disbelief that I was still breathing.

My hands pressed against the floor, shaking as I pushed myself up. Blood trickled from the corners of my mouth. My muscles begged for mercy that I refused to give.

I whispered under my breath, a vow born from desperation and love.

“Not yet.”

And then I rose.

---

The fight turned into a brutal dance—fierce, raw, and unforgiving.

Goro lunged with a savage roar, swinging like a wild animal. I sidestepped, barely dodging the brutal blow. The force sent me sprawling into the ropes, the sting of rope burns sharp on my arms.

I caught my breath, feeling the world spin dangerously, but I wasn’t done. Not yet.

I stepped forward and landed a punch to his jaw. His head snapped back, but he recovered quickly, sneering.

“You’re stubborn,” he growled.

“Got something to fight for,” I spat back.

---

The minutes stretched, every second carved out in pain and sweat.

My body was battered beyond recognition—bruises bloomed across my skin, ribs cracked and throbbing, vision blurred—but my heart burned hotter than ever. The memories of Yume’s laughter, her touch, her smile—they fueled me like gasoline on fire.

The crowd’s cheers turned into distant echoes as the fight became a test of wills.

---

Then came the moment that nearly broke me.

Goro’s fist crashed into my ribs with bone-crushing force, and I fell to my knees, gasping for air that wouldn’t come.

The cold floor pressed against my palms, blood trickling down my chin as I struggled to rise.

The crowd was silent now—watching, waiting for the end.

But inside, something snapped.

Pain turned into fuel. Fear melted into fury.

With every ounce of strength left, I pushed myself up—wounded, broken, but unbowed.

“Not yet,” I whispered again, voice cracked but fierce.

---

I launched myself back into the fight with reckless abandon.

No technique. No finesse. Just pure, raw desperation.

Every punch was a scream.

Every block a plea.

Goro’s face twisted in surprise and rage, but he met my fury with his own.

The two of us collided in a brutal storm of fists and sweat, neither willing to back down.

---

The bell finally rang, but it wasn’t a sound of victory or defeat—it was a fragile ceasefire.

Both of us stood, battered and bruised, chests heaving, blood and sweat mixing in the harsh light.

I looked at Goro—no respect, no hatred—just the cold understanding that we were both wolves in the ring, fighting for survival.

I could barely stand, my body screaming in pain, but I held my ground.

Because somewhere, in the chaos, I still heard her laugh.

---

Backstage, I collapsed against the cold concrete wall, hands pressed to my ribs that screamed with every breath.

Jin’s face hovered over me, eyes wide with a mix of fear and relief.

“You’re not done yet,” he said quietly.

I nodded, swallowing the pain.

Because this fight was just one battle in a war I was willing to fight until my last breath.

For her.