With the news of Zodiac Peter having fallen, Harvor couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. It wasn’t many people's first reaction when they heard one of their top men had been defeated—in their world, “defeated” often meant killed.
“Did I make a mistake in making Peter a Zodiac?” were the first words that came out of Harvor’s mouth.
After all, the One Gang was filled with incredibly strong powers, and Harvor picked them based on the strength he believed they had.
“Either way, it seems that Raven is a lot smarter than I thought. When we captured him, Peter obviously didn’t use his full strength, and Raven didn’t either when escaping.”
“Even when we locked him up, he didn’t try to fight, knowing full well we were stronger than him. I can see why the cunning Phoenix Gang wanted someone like him.”
That was when more information appeared on the tablet, and Stanley lifted his glasses with his index finger once again.
“Sir, the singing performance is taking place. The time is coming for the match,” Stanley informed.
Harvor then stretched in his tracksuit and let it fall to the floor, revealing his upper body and the giant tattoo displayed on his back.
He now only wore the purple and white tight-fitting shorts and was ready to fight.
“So many exciting things happening in one day. I hope you don’t disappoint me, Jayden.”
———
The final singing performance had come to an end, and the performer waved to everyone down below. The anticipation had reached its climax, with many of the celebrities now having arrived on the ground floor.
Many of them would only come for the final fight and wouldn’t even bother to watch the fight before it. A few moments passed, and the lights went off in the entire stadium, leaving only small LEDs in front of all those seated.
A spotlight turned on, shining light on a man in the center dressed in a white suit.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all tonight for the fight of your lifetime—the championship AFC Belt!” the announcer shouted, and the whole stadium erupted into cheers.
The entire place was shaking from the cheers as people screamed at the top of their lungs. Clem, who was doing her livestream, couldn’t even be heard even though she had a microphone right next to her mouth.
“Without further ado, we will announce tonight's challenger coming onto the stage. You all know him—Jaydeeeeen Tigeeeer!”
Lights shined on the right side of the stage, and Jayden, along with his coach, could be seen. He stood there, shaking his arms as he walked to the stage, and screams were heard from both males and females, though it seemed a higher percentage were from females.
There was something different about Jayden this time compared to his usual appearance. For one, he would usually be clean-shaven, yet for this fight, he had grown his beard slightly out.
“He’s focused,” Xin said from the viewing box. “He’s so focused on the fight ahead that he hasn’t thought about anything but fighting, including his appearance.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem to have stopped his fans,” Gary said, looking to the side at the girls screaming. They seemed to enjoy this slightly rugged look he had.
Music was playing as Jayden made his way, and when he got close to the octagon cage, he jumped up and landed on one side. He looked at the crowd and took a deep breath.
‘This octagon, it’s a lot bigger than it usually is,’ Jayden thought. ‘Today is an important day; everything I’ve gone through is for this. This might be my only chance, so I need to make it count.’
Right then, the lights shut off once again, and a spotlight appeared, revealing Harvor standing there on his own. Instead of walking, though, he decided to run up, and then when he was halfway down the track, he leapt up in the air and entered the stadium as well.
Looking at the crowd, he waved to the others.
“And ladies and gentlemen, it seems today we have an overexcited Harvor!” the announcer said once again. “The reigning champion for the last ten years since the AFC has existed, give it up everyone!”
Although Jayden had much support, Harvor’s support was about three times louder. Even in the VIP room, Gary felt like the area was going to break.
“The fight, it’s about to start. Come on, Jayden,” Gary said as soon as the cheering had stopped.
All over, people who weren’t present at the arena were tuning into the fight. Kanu, for one, had it displayed, having taken the day off. He was in a sports bar watching the ring walks unfold.
‘Come on, Jayden. I’m getting old; don’t make me do any more work. Let’s get revenge,’ Kanu said, lifting up his drink to the screen.
At the same time, in Slough, something strange was happening. A meeting was taking place in a giant parking lot. A large projector had been set up, allowing those parked to watch the fight.
Then right in front of the giant projected screen, Kai was standing on top of a truck.
“Alright, everyone!” Kai said. “The fight is about to start, and I need you all ready!”
HIs voice loud and firm as he looked into the eyes of all of those that were below him.
Down below, there was a number of black cars and motorbikes—vehicles that had all been purchased using the Howler’s funds. The vehicles themselves were no ordinary cars having been reinforced on the inside to make them more durable than most, and every single one of them belonged to Howler members.
“We need to be ready; there might be a big order. If something happens, we will be ready to get Gary out of that city, no matter what happens. For the Howlers!” Kai shouted.
“For the Howlers!” all roared back.