Large blows had been delivered from both sides , Wolf against El, and Joe against Gyro. The pit echoed with the sound of fists colliding and bodies slamming into the ground. Dust kicked up beneath their feet as each fighter pushed themselves harder than before.
For a moment, both El and Gyro looked like they might actually collapse. Their knees shook, shoulders dipped, and their balance swayed dangerously. The crowd leaned forward, convinced the match was about to end.
But both men steadied themselves.
Their feet dug into the ground. Their breathing steadied. Their eyes narrowed again, full of focus and stubborn determination.
This was the final event of the night , and neither of them was going down without forcing Wolf and Joe to bleed for it.
Wolf cracked his neck to the side, flexing his fingers lightly.
"What? Did you really think all I could do was block your hits?" Wolf said, voice dripping with confidence. "If I can block your attacks, that means I knew exactly where they were coming from. And if I know where they’re coming from... I can avoid them just as easily."
This wasn’t arrogance. It was truth.
This final fight wasn’t just about fists. It wasn’t about strength alone. It wasn’t even about skill.
It was about tactics. About deception. About reading your opponent better than they could read you.
Even with Wolf and Joe having tricked their enemies early on, El and Gyro weren’t amateurs. They were talented fighters , seasoned, adaptable, fierce.
They surged forward again, giving the crowd something to scream about.
Wolf moved first.
He dodged , but not normally. Not backward. Not sideways.
Instead, he leaned into strange angles, stepping inward rather than away. His movements looked odd, almost counterintuitive , yet every shift of his body made El’s attacks slip past by inches.
On one pass, Wolf stepped forward as El swung, then slapped the side of El’s ribs with the heel of his hand. A stinging, calculated strike. Enough to irritate, not enough to drop.
El’s brows furrowed, rage bubbling up.
He spun toward Wolf with two knuckles extended, aiming to knock Wolf’s teeth out of his skull ,
Wolf’s fist sank deep into his abdomen.
Right into the solar plexus.
El gagged, stumbling back a full step as air punched out of his lungs.
Finally... finally, he realized that Wolf really had been holding back until now.
And if El didn’t get serious, he’d be outmatched.
Across the pit, Joe continued his relentless strategy.
He dodged every attack that came his way. Even the crowd was stunned by how effortlessly he slipped around Gyro’s punches. And every time Joe dodged, he punished Gyro with another snap of his left jab.
Sharp.
Fast.
Accurate.
Each hit landed cleanly on Gyro’s face, always in the same spot, always delivered with perfect form.
’This guy...’ Joe thought, gritting his teeth, ’he’s tough. Really tough. I’ve hit him so many times already. He’s stumbled, but he still won’t go down!’
Even after countless strikes, Gyro refused to fall.
It was like punching a statue made of pure muscle.
Joe’s heart pounded. His fists shook, but not from fatigue , from rising emotion.
Because this wasn’t just a fight anymore.
As he fought, his mind drifted back , not to a moment in the pit, but to the beginning of all this.
To the week they had been given to come up with their Vow.
It hadn’t even been long ago , only days, really , but it felt like another lifetime. Back then, things were simpler. Back then, he had no idea what kind of pain awaited him.
He remembered being at the usual gym with Stephen.
He remembered lying on the mat, staring up at the ceiling, thinking hard.
"What should I even choose for my Vow?" Joe had asked aloud, frustration twisting his face. "This is tough. It has to be something kind of hard for me, something I’d actually have to give up or force myself to do. Something that’s difficult to break."
"I guess it just has to be something that’s really difficult for you as a person," Stephen had replied while stretching. "Like... a real commitment. Something your body and mind genuinely struggle with."
Stephen had tapped his chin and made a suggestion.
"I guess you could promise to run ten miles every day without fail," he said. "That’s a hard commitment. And if you break it, it breaks your Vow. But honestly... I don’t know how meaningful that would actually be."
Stephen shrugged lightly.
"I guess for someone who hates running, that would be torture. And for someone who loves it, giving it up would be horrible. But would it actually guide a Vow? Hard to say."
Joe had groaned.
He couldn’t think of anything. His brain felt blank. Completely blank. A promise that was hard for him to keep? Something meaningful? Nothing came to him.
Days passed.
Still nothing.
In the end, he reluctantly chose Stephen’s original suggestion. Running every day. And he had done it.
But shortly after , everything fell apart with Aron.
Everything spiraled into blood and fear and despair.
Joe had been stabbed.
Joe had almost died.
Joe had found out what it meant to give up completely.
And that was when something realized inside him , what he truly needed.
On the rooftop days later, after talking with Wolf... he understood.
His Vow had been wrong.
Running wasn’t hard for him.
Running was easy.
Running was what he always did.
’Back then... all I wanted to do was run away,’ Joe thought now, ducking under another wild punch from Gyro. ’Running was never a real Vow. It was just who I was.’
His mind spiraled deeper.
’I ran away from studying because I hated it. I ran away from fighting because I was scared. I ran away from blame whenever I got in trouble. I even ran away from my parents because they annoyed me.’
Every memory of him giving up crashed into him like a tidal wave.
’All I’ve ever done is run away.’
Another jab landed. Gyro stumbled again. Still didn’t fall.
’When I fought Aron... the pain was so bad... I wanted to give up. I wanted to quit. I wanted it to end.’
Joe’s fist trembled.
’And that’s why... that’s why my real Vow isn’t about running.’
Another punch. Harder this time.
’I promised myself something else.’
His eyes sharpened.
’I promised I would NEVER give up again.’
He pivoted. His right hand drew back , not for a jab this time.
For a straight. A real punch. The type that ended fights.
’My Vow is to NEVER give up again... no matter how tough things get!’
Joe screamed the words inside his head, pouring everything he had into his fist. And then,
BOOM.
His right straight smashed into Gyro’s face.It wasn’t just powerful. It was devastating.
Gyro’s entire head snapped backward, his body lifting off the ground before crashing onto the pit floor.
Silence. Then, Gyro didn’t get back up.