The sixth round drifts forward in the same sleepy rhythm as the last three. Kenta still circles, still jabs lightly, still breaks Park's aggression with that strangely disinterested calm.

But by a minute in, something changes.

His punches slow, not by choice, not by strategy. It's by fatigue.

It's not exhaustion, not accumulated damage either. He just feels the dull sinking heaviness that spreads through every muscle when the body has been worked beyond its limit long before stepping into the ring.

His shoulders hitch. His guard droops by a hair. And that gentle pendulum rhythm in his legs, the one that controlled the fight since round two, starts to drag.

Another thirty seconds pass, then it dies entirely. Kenta stops bouncing, stops angling.

"I need to end it now…"

He just plants both feet as if the floor itself has seized him.

Park advances immediately, seeing his chance. And for the first time tonight, Kenta doesn't slide away, doesn't clinch, doesn't orbit into safety.

He crouches down, lowering his posture, inviting the collision.

"Come," he whispers through his mouthguard. "Bring it on."

The commentators jolt in unison.

"He's setting his feet!"

"Kenta's not moving anymore. He's ready to trade!"

The crowd senses blood. And maybe, for the last time tonight, they let themselves hope.

"SLUG IT OUT!!"

Kenta tries to keep the space with a jab, forcing that heavy left arm to obey him.

Park sees it cleanly, raises his right glove, and crashes forward.

Dug!

The jab thuds off his guard. He's inside now.

Park's left hand drops low, sinking for the body. Kenta sees it but doesn't flinch, doesn't even lower his right hand to block.

He decides to wage on it, attacks the opening first.

Bug!

The body shot lands, and Kenta's cross slams into Park's face.

Dsh!

A near-simultaneous exchange, a blink-apart collision of will.

Both men jolt.

And the crowd roars.

Park steadies himself instantly, heart pounding.

Finally… Finally!

Three rounds he's been suffocated in that dull rhythm. No way in hell he's giving up this moment now.

He rips body shots from both sides, reckless, hungry.

Dug, bug!

Dug, dug, bug, dug!

Two land clean, but at awkward angles, more point-scorers than punishers.

Kenta stays low, elbows tight, covering jaw and ribs in one compact shell. And then, between Park's wild gaps, he delivers a compact cross in the middle.

Dsh!

The glove snaps Park's head back. The crowd gasps, half-standing, breath caught in their throats.

Park wavers, but only for a heartbeat. Then he lunges back in, desperate to drown Kenta under volume.

But instead of retreating, Kenta steps in deeper. He narrows the distance until Park barely has room to twist his torso or load power.

The result? Every punch Park throws turns into a short, cramped smack, the kind fighters exchange in a clinch.

But this isn't a clinch. They're chest-to-chest, trading tiny, choking blows. And the referee watches closely, ready but not intervening.

There's no reason to separate them. They are still fighting, just in a suffocating, grinding pocket that neither man wants to leave.

The crowd, commentators, everyone… holds their breath.

The calm fight is dead. And for the first time all night, the war Kenta has been avoiding finally arrives. Despite everything, Kenta never allows Park the room he needs to generate power.

Every time Park tries to create just a tiny gap to build power for his punches, Kenta slides right back in. He smothers the space, staying close enough to dull every punch before it can gather momentum.

Up in the VIP section, Frank Donovan exhales a low whistle. "He knows he's exhausted. And instead of running, he walks straight into the eye of the storm… where the danger's smallest, and the chaos can't breathe."

***

Kenta keeps letting Park work, letting him throw, letting him score.

He lets him believe the momentum is finally turning his way. He absorbs and parries just enough, all while waiting, listening, for the breath, the rhythm, the crack in Park's pace.

It comes barely a minute later: a short, strained inhale, the faintest stutter in Park's punching cycle.

And Kenta seizes the moment. He gives him a small shove, just enough to pry open space, and then fires.

Dsh, dsh!

A stiff one–two lands right down the pipe, snapping Park's head back twice.

Park raises his guard when Kenta cocks his right hand, but the punch never comes.

It's a feint.

Kenta steps in deeper and drives his left glove straight into Park's midsection, sinking it into the softest gap.

Bug!

Park buckles, folding slightly. And the right hook swings around the guard…

Dsh!

Park's head jerks sideways, his balance wavering dangerously.

For a moment the whole arena braces for the knockdown that feels inevitable. But Park somehow steadies himself and staggers back out of range.

Kenta doesn't let the window close. He forces his heavy legs forward, chasing him down. He loads up a heavy right, shoulder straining with the effort, the punch so telegraphed anyone else would counter it clean.

But Park is still hurt. He sees the punch at the last second and simply steps back, letting Kenta's glove carve empty air.

And then they stop. Kenta looks so irritated for losing that chance.

"Damn it…"

Both fighters stand there, breathing hard, sweat dripping, eyes locked in the same wild, stubborn fire.

One commentator groans, "Kenta had him. He had him, but he just let the chance slide…"

Kenta tries to push himself for one more exchange, but the bell cuts him off.

DING!

A murmur of frustration sweeps the arena. The commentators deflate mid-sentence.

And the crowd groans in unison.

***

The arena surges back to life, a fresh wave of excitement rolling through the seats after finally getting a taste of real violence.

Some fans are on their feet, still buzzing from the exchange; others slump back down, annoyed that the knockout never came.

The commentators murmur over each other, replaying the moment that almost was. It feels like the whole stadium is exhaling in one long, frustrated breath.

On the blue corner, Yun Tae-Hwan seizes the moment. He grabs Park by the shoulders before he even sits.

"That's it!" he snaps. "You broke him! You finally cracked that damn rhythm. Did you feel it? It's turning to our favor now."

Park, still gulping for air, manages a shaky nod.

"Good. Then push it," Yun continues. "He's fading. You take the next round, you take the fight. No hesitation. Make him pay for slowing down."

Park's eyes sharpen. The fire is back.

Meanwhile, in the red corner, Kenta sinks onto his stool with a long, defeated sigh. His team rushes in, water, towel, ice, but the atmosphere feels hollow, mismatched to the roar outside.

"You won that round," Nakahara insists, wiping Kenta's face. "Don't lose focus."

"You hurt him," Hiroshi adds. "Really hurt him."

Kenta shakes his head, jaw tight, gaze fixed on the canvas.

"No," he mutters. "I screwed it up."

Sera blinks. "What are you talking about?"

Kenta exhales sharply, frustration boiling over.

"I got impatient. I opened up too wide. I wanted the finish so damn badly I threw the fight plan out the window. I had him, and I wasted it."

His jaw clenches with anger at himself.

"I can't even tell if I've got a proper punch left. My hands… no, my whole body… it feels so heavy now."

The corner goes quiet, the weight of his regret settling heavier than any punch.

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