FACING THE REAL SHADOW

The two days of rest passed in the blink of an eye for Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. Each of them had spent the time reflecting on their progress, but their restless minds couldn’t ignore the challenge that awaited them. Today, they would face the one opponent who had shaped their journey from the beginning — Karn.

When they entered the training hall, Karn was already there. He leaned casually against a wall, his eyes closed, as if meditating. The tension in the room didn’t reach him. But the moment the four stepped in, Karn's eyes snapped open, piercing through them with that cold, unreadable gaze.

Arjun stood off to the side, leaning against another wall. He wasn’t in the arena this time — just observing from afar. His silence made one thing clear: this fight was theirs alone.

Karn’s voice broke the stillness.

"So, are you ready to get beaten?"

His tone was calm, but it cut through the air like a blade.

Beta smirked and responded without hesitation.

"We’re not going to hold back either."

Karn nodded, showing no emotion.

Then Gamma stepped forward confidently.

"We’ll face you one by one," he announced.

At that, Arjun let out a loud laugh that echoed through the training hall.

"Sorry, my bad," Arjun chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "I just couldn’t help it. It’s kinda funny — punks like you thinking you can face him alone. I mean, yeah, it’s training, but..." He waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever, go ahead. Do as you please."

Karn, unfazed by Arjun’s mockery, spoke again.

"Judging by the time we have left, I’ve made a change in our schedule."

Alpha stepped forward, curious.

"And what change would that be?"

"You’ll train for four hours daily," Karn replied. "Two hours with me, and the other two among yourselves."

Delta furrowed his brows, crossing his arms.

"Huh, I knew something was off. Two days ago, you said we’d only train for one hour a day. And now suddenly, it’s four? What’s the deal?"

Karn didn’t answer. He just looked at them silently, his gaze unreadable.

Arjun remained quiet as well. He didn't know what Karn had in mind, but he knew this much — the four of them weren’t ready to bring out Karn’s real power. Not yet.

THE FIRST FIGHT: BETA

Beta stepped into the ring first. His body tensed as he sized Karn up. Then, without warning, he charged.

His punches came fast and sharp, aiming straight for Karn’s chest.

But Karn moved like smoke. He slipped past the blows, effortlessly avoiding each strike without even raising his guard. His feet barely made a sound. His eyes never left Beta — cool, calculating.

Beta growled in frustration and spun into a low kick aimed at Karn’s ribs. But before his leg could land, Karn vanished from his line of sight.

Thud.

A sharp kick struck Beta’s back, sending him stumbling forward.

"Is that all you’ve got?" Karn said, barely raising his voice. "You’ve got power, but no precision."

Beta snarled and launched into a flurry of punches and kicks, his style raw but aggressive. Still, it was useless. Karn blocked every attack with pinpoint control, countering with minimal movement — effortless, efficient.

For fifteen minutes, Beta attacked.

For the next fifteen, Karn did.

A flurry of brutal counters, combinations, and subtle redirections followed. Arjun's brow furrowed as he watched — Karn’s movements weren’t just clean, they were untraceable. This wasn’t any of the five martial arts the boys had been trained in.

Finally, with one powerful roundhouse kick, Beta was sent crashing to the ground.

"That's enough," Karn said.

Beta lay there, gasping, defeated.

THE SECOND FIGHT: GAMMA

Gamma stepped up next. He had a strategist’s mind and tried to spot Karn’s patterns. But that was his mistake — Karn had none.

Gamma opened with a sharp right hook. Karn ducked, leaned back, and drove a palm strike straight into Gamma’s throat. The hit was clean and immediate. Gamma stumbled back, coughing.

"You rely too much on speed," Karn said. "You’re rushing without thinking."

Gamma growled and retaliated, using spinning kicks and low sweeps. But Karn was a ghost — untouchable, unreadable.

Karn dodged a spinning kick, moved inside Gamma’s guard, twisted his arm behind his back, and threw him to the ground in one fluid motion.

Karn knelt beside him, whispering in his ear.

"You’re out of your league."

Gamma didn't fight back. He knew it was over.

THE THIRD FIGHT: DELTA

Delta entered the arena, his eyes sharp. He had been studying every move, hoping to learn from his brothers’ mistakes.

He struck first, using a mix of boxing and taekwondo — fast jabs, quick footwork.

Karn didn’t even blink. He blocked each jab with the back of his hand and countered with blistering speed.

Thud.

A knee to the gut. Delta doubled over.

"Brute force is useless," Karn said. "Strength is a weapon. Intelligence is the one who wields it."

A clean uppercut sent Delta to the floor. His vision swam. He didn’t rise again.

THE FOURTH FIGHT: ALPHA

Only Alpha remained.

He walked forward with calm resolve. He had studied everything. Every movement. Every mistake. Every breath Karn had taken.

He knew the gap was massive.

Karn didn’t give him the chance to act first. He blitzed Alpha — a straight punch to the ribs, a sweep to the legs, a knee to the chest.

Alpha reeled but fought back.

He landed two punches. One grazed Karn’s jaw.

But it wasn’t enough.

Karn caught his next punch, twisted Alpha’s arm, and slammed him into the ground with a shoulder throw.

"You need more than just strength," Karn said, standing over him. "Adapt. Think. Move with purpose."

THE AFTERMATH

All four boys lay on the mat, bruised and battered.

They had given it their all.

But Karn hadn’t even broken a sweat.

He looked down at them, voice steady and low.

"Use your brain. Brute strength is just a weapon. But intelligence — that’s the real technique. Your enemies won’t fight fair. They won’t care about your martial art. You need to think beyond styles. Combine them. Blend them. Become something more."

Arjun watched silently from afar, arms folded.

He had never seen Karn go full force — and even now, he hadn’t. This wasn’t Karn at his strongest. It was just a glimpse.

Karn walked toward the exit but stopped to speak one last time.

"You’re not there yet," he said, his voice softer now. "But you will be. Keep training."

And with that, the real training had just begun.