"You can't talk. But you understand me, right?"

There was a sudden change in the air, and it wasn't only because Adam now completely held the upperhand, no.

It was because for the first time in their hour-long fight, he started to speak. Of course, Bjorn wouldn't really be able to answer him if he wanted to… and he had a feeling Adam clearly knew this, too.

"I've thought about it. A lot," Adam said, lifting Bjorn by the collar before striking him right on the cheek. "Back at the first Game, you saved a lot of people on our team, only to kill them when we were about to win… because of me."

Bjorn raised his hand to block, but Adam just pushed it aside before slamming his fist right onto his face again.

Bjorn's consciousness wavered, his vision blurring as Adam's fist connected again. The blow sent shockwaves through his skull, and he felt his brain rattle against bone. His legs buckled, but Adam's grip on his collar kept him upright.

"I mean… why?" Adam grabbed Bjorn by the jaw, his thumb inside his mouth, not even afraid that Bjorn could potentially bite his finger.

"Why… are you people so afraid of me? I didn't bother anyone for twenty years. In fact, I made sure of that." Adam gritted his teeth. "Why… why would you kill all the lives you saved just because of me…? Don't you know how… how beautiful life is?"

Bjorn tried to fight back. His massive arms swung wildly, but they felt like lead weights dragging through thick mud. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest. He'd been fighting for over an hour, pouring everything into each explosive strike, and now—

Now he had nothing left.

"So, I don't know. I don't know why you'd do that…" Adam held his breath. "...If you didn't do that, Grace and Samantha… Grace and Samantha… would still be dead. I've thought about it for a while, but if not then… then they would've probably died at any of the Games that came after. That was why when I think about it…

…maybe it was the best case scenario for them to have died when they did, so they didn't have to suffer from all this violence. But no—even with all this suffering, I really believe that life is beautiful. But…

…not everyone deserves to experience this beauty."

Adam's next punch was even more brutal. Bjorn's eyes rolled back momentarily before snapping forward again. Something was different. Something was wrong.

The strikes felt... heavier. Sharper. More devastating.

Just moments ago, Adam had been like an angry child—his punches hurt, sure, but they were manageable. Bruises and aches that Bjorn could push through. But now? Now each hit felt like it could crack his skull open.

Bjorn could feel the raw power behind every strike. Bjorn was still stronger—he knew that much. His body was built for this, sculpted by years of underground fighting and enhanced by his Hero abilities.

But how do those experiences and strengths even matter… when he was already too tired to use them?

Adam yanked him forward by his torn collar again, their faces inches apart. Bjorn saw something terrifying in those eyes—not rage, not hatred.

Adam's eyes were just… cold.

And his next punch shattered Bjorn's nose.

Blood exploded across Adam's knuckles as cartilage crunched and bone splintered. Bjorn's head snapped back, and he felt warm liquid streaming down his face, mixing with the lake of Adam's blood beneath them.

His face was becoming a mangled mess. One eye was swollen shut, his lips split and bleeding, his nose twisted at an unnatural angle.

This.

This was the face that Adam should've had—no. Adam shouldn't even have a face anymore from all the beating he took earlier.

But alas—Adam was… an unfair existence.

Bjorn struggled to breathe through the blood pooling in his throat. Each ragged gasp sent fire through his chest.

Adam's next strike crashed into his ribs, and suddenly…

…both his palms were now on the ground, submerged in the crimson pool.

He couldn't fight back anymore, and if he raised even a single one of his arms, he was sure he was going to drop down. The only thing he could really do now was let Adam grab a fistful of his hair, yanking his head up.

And right there and then, Bjorn started to feel something he'd only last felt back in his very first Game. Not hopelessness, no.

Helplessness.

And that alone caused his entire body to panic. And as Adam raised his fist, he also raised his—but not to attack, no.

He opened his palm and let out a guttural… groan as he tried to let out his voice the best he could. Or perhaps it was moan, or a roar. Whatever it was… it sounded desperate.

"Hrangh!"

Stop. That was what he wanted to scream from his lungs. Stop, I surrender.

Adam stared at him, fist already cocked back. For a moment, their eyes met.

…But Adam punched anyway.

The explosion was deafening. The entire room shook as Bjorn's ability triggered one final time, his palm erupting in a massive shockwave. Dust and debris filled the air. Bjorn squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the pain—

But it never came.

He opened his eyes slowly… only to realize Adam's fist had punched clean through the wall behind him, leaving a gaping hole that revealed the night sky beyond. Chunks of concrete and rebar hung loose, ready to fall.

"You…" Adam whispered as he retreated and lowered his fists. "You will stop bothering me from now on, okay?"

Bjorn looked at Adam with complete terror now.

This wasn't just some stubborn kid who wouldn't stay down. This was the monster Dr. Aniston had been warning them about. The thing that had to be contained, controlled, eliminated.

But… the fact that Adam still didn't end his life here and now proved otherwise.

Bjorn didn't have time to contemplate, however, as the exhaustion hit him all at once. His injuries, the blood loss, the sheer mental strain of fighting something that wouldn't die—it all crashed down on him.

Bjorn's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed face-first into the pool of blood.

Adam also collapsed on the ground, and before he could even think of anything from his victory—

[Wow! What a show, Adam! The Administrators are thrilled with your show of strength against a much stronger opponent!]

"W… what…?"

[5 Status Points granted!]

"What…?!"

[The Administrator, Carmhael, will grant you 1 more Status Point…

…if you kill Bjorn, the Silent Brawler.]

"What?!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.