The two contestants were in the ring, having made their entrances, and it was customary for both of those taking part to move toward the center and touch fists before heading back to their areas for the sounding bell to start the fight.
Intensely, both of them made their way to the center, and Jayden could feel his heart beating through his entire body with each step he took.
‘This is Harvor, he was the one who took out Jasmine. It took me everything to find out the person responsible. I even became a retriever myself. I snuck into NIRV and found the files.’
‘Telling me who was sent out to do the job. Kanu, the White Rose, they could do nothing, so I’ve had to try and settle all of this with my own hands.’
When the two stood in the center, Harvor lifted both of his hands, but Jayden hadn’t done the same; they were still down by his side.
“Hey, the fight can’t start until you do this, you know. You’re not exactly new to this?” Harvor said.
There was still no response from Jayden, and seeing this reaction, it got those in the crowd a little worried, wondering if Jayden had gotten cold feet.
After all, he had jumped quite a few rankings to get this fight that wouldn’t have otherwise been possible.
But instead, it was because Jayden was in front of the man he hated most in the entire world.
“Do you remember the name of everyone you fought against?” Jayden asked, still avoiding eye contact. He had to, because if he looked into Harvor’s eyes right there and then, he was sure of it—he would snap on the spot.
“I remember those that interest me, Jayden, and it seems that someone you know has caught my eye, and they told me to be careful of you,” Harvor said.
This caught Jayden by surprise and let his guard down slightly. Someone he knew had caught Harvor’s eye. But he shook his head quickly, forgetting about it.
“Let me ask you another question: Do you remember those you fought who didn’t even have the strength to fight back?” Jayden was growling slightly through his teeth.
Harvor didn’t reply, feeling the anger.
“You don’t even remember the names of the lives you’ve taken!”
At that moment, Harvor grabbed Jayden’s fists firmly and pulled them toward him.
“Do you care to give names to all of the ants you step on while walking? When going to your home, do you think of the destruction caused in the process? How about the food you eat to maintain that strong body of yours? Do you ask about the lives and names of every single thing you consume?”
“No, nobody thinks about the things they do in order to be where they are today, and I don’t look back at anything I’ve done… You need to show me today whether you’re someone whose name I need to remember, or just another bug.” Harvor then let go of Jayden’s fists and walked back to his corner.
In that moment, Jayden could feel the strength of Harvor in his hands. He couldn’t move, even if he wanted to.
Regardless, Jayden went back to his corner and lifted his head, looking directly into Harvor’s eyes.
Everyone was waiting for the moment, and then the sound of the bell rang out.
*Ring, *Ring.*
With the bell sounding, the fight had now started, and in that moment, in an instant, Jayden rushed forward, kicking his feet off the mat.
The muscles in his calves flexed along with the rest of the muscles in his body. He darted across the canvas floor faster than in any of his previous matches, and there was something that everyone noted as well.
Just like Harvor, Jayden hadn’t transformed, which was rare for those that went up against Harvor, knowing full well they had to go all out to beat him.
Still, Jayden reached right where Harvor was, who was slightly stunned by what had happened. He then saw a fist from Jayden heading toward his face.
‘Directly from the front? You can’t be that obvious, can you?’ Harvor thought, lifting his hand, but the fist suddenly disappeared.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Jayden’s body was bent at a strange angle, coming from the side. Using full momentum, his fist slammed right into the side of Harvor’s face.
Harvor’s arms had lifted in time to block the hit, but the sound of the impact resounded in the arena. And what’s more, right after the first hit, Jayden swung to Harvor’s other side and used the momentum to deliver another heavy blow with his entire body weight.
Jayden’s body was continuously moving in a figure-eight, and each time, he would use the full weight of his body to land a heavy blow right on Harvor.
Heavy blow after heavy blow went off, and some in the crowd began recognizing the familiar movements.
“That’s the Dempsey roll, right? The boxing move by Jack Dempsey!” one in the crowd said.
“Boxing… does that even still exist?”
“Of course, since Altered fights began, such competitions are no longer watched, and fighting styles seemed to go out the window… But I assure you, if such techniques are implemented by Altered fighters, the impact would be what we’re seeing right now!”
The loud bangs went off one after the other, and as Jayden dragged his fist through the air, his fist knocked into both of Harvor’s arms, dragging them to the side.
After so many hits, Harvor was unable to lift them back up. Then, before he knew it, a fist landed right on the side of his head. Harvor had been hit with the heavy blows that had built up momentum.
His entire body shifted to the side, and it was leaning, until his head hit the canvas floor.
The crowd went silent at the sight. It was the first time they had ever seen Harvor hit the canvas floor in any fight, and there Jayden was, standing over him.
“Her name… was Jasmine!” Jayden said, his fist still shaking with power.