Chapter 278
STUPID (2)
"Stop me!" Blaze roared, his voice was raw and guttural as he charged forward with explosive speed. In an instant, he dropped low, his body gliding across the ground in a perfectly executed sliding scissor kick.
IAM's eyes widened slightly— he reacted just a fraction too late. Blaze's legs hooked around his heel, sweeping him off balance and sending him crashing toward the ground.
But even as he fell, IAM refused to stay passive. Twisting his torso midair, he drove his elbow down toward Blaze's head, aiming to stun him before impact. Blaze barely caught the action—his eyes flashed, and with a quick roll of his shoulder he twisted away. IAM's elbow slammed into the hard ground instead, a jolt of pain shooting up his arm.
He hissed under his breath, gritting his teeth against the sting, and in one smooth motion brought his leg around for a vicious kick aimed straight at Blaze's face.
Blaze reacted on instinct, his forearms snapping up to block the incoming strike. The impact rattled through him, forcing a grunt from his throat. Using the rebound from the block, he twisted his hips and lashed out with a counter-kick of his own, determined to drive IAM back.
IAM rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding Blaze's counter-kick, and sprang back to his feet. The moment his balance returned, Blaze was already on him again—a blur of fury. With a sharp howl, he lunged forward and drove his fist toward IAM's knee, clearly aiming to shatter his balance or worse.
Instead of retreating, IAM stepped in, bringing his knee closer to intercept the strike before it could build momentum. The impact was dulled, Blaze's punch losing its driving force. In that instant of interruption, IAM's hand shot forward, seizing Blaze by the back of the head with a rough grip.
Before Blaze could react, IAM's other knee came up hard, crashing toward his face.
The air cracked. A sharp, bone-jarring sound echoed through the room. IAM grimaced—his knee throbbed from the impact. It felt like slamming into solid stone. Looking down, he saw the reason: Blaze had managed to wedge his forearm between his face and the blow just in time, absorbing most of the force.
Even so, blood trickled down from a small cut near his brow. Blaze didn't seem to care. He looked up at IAM with wild, gleaming eyes—excitement flickering like fire in them.
IAM quickly disengaged, taking a sharp step back. For a brief moment, the air between them pulsed with tension—Blaze breathing heavily, his eyes glinting with wild excitement, and IAM steadying his breathing, trying to regain composure.
"Not too bad," Blaze muttered with a smirk, voice was low but mocking.
Before IAM could fully process the words, the ground seemed to vanish beneath him. His body tilted, his balance slipping completely out of his control. He hit the floor hard, the breath leaving his lungs in a sharp grunt.
A quick glance down told him everything—Blaze's left leg was still extended behind his own. During that earlier exchange, Blaze had subtly positioned it there while throwing his punch, using it as a hook. When IAM tried to pull back, he'd walked right into the trap.
Clever... He hadn't even noticed.
By instinctively retreating, IAM had given Blaze exactly what he wanted—a perfect opening to trip him and force him off balance.
IAM's eyes could only watch as Blaze dropped his full weight into a vicious, clawed strike aimed straight for his chest. The force behind it was monstrous—he could feel the air crack as Blaze's hand cut through it.
They were far too close for him to dodge. Instinct took over. IAM crossed both arms over his chest in desperate defense, catching Blaze's hand just before it fully landed—but the impact still tore through his guard. Blaze's strength was overwhelming, and the momentum behind his strike drove his fingers through the small gaps in IAM's defense.
Five searing bloody points of pain flared across his chest. The pressure felt like fire burning beneath his skin, and for a brief second, he could smell the faint scent of scorched cloth and flesh. A strange, oppressive heat radiated from Blaze's hand.
Before IAM could even process the agony, Blaze's face came crashing down. The world exploded in white. The headbutt landed squarely against his forehead with a sickening crack, his vision flashing as his senses scattered.
The floor seemed to spin beneath him. His body screamed to move, but his mind lagged behind, stunned and reeling.
In the haze of his scrambled thoughts, IAM could faintly make out Blaze's voice— it was warped and distorted, as if it were leaking from a broken film reel submerged in murky water. The words came in fragments, bending and stretching through the throbbing in his skull.
"—you're actually… decent… why didn't you just fight me with the others last time? There was no need to fucking hit me with a car—wait, don't tell me you did that on purpose, you little prick—"
The words barely registered before a sudden impact slammed into the right side of IAM's face. His head snapped violently to the left, the jolt rattling his teeth. A dull ringing filled his ears as warm blood slipped down from his split lip, sliding past his chin and dripping onto the cold floor below.
The sting brought him back for a heartbeat—his thoughts flickered with clarity—but his body was still too sluggish to respond, his senses trying to realign as Blaze's figure loomed above him like a blurred silhouette through static.
In that position, there wasn't much IAM could do—his body ached, his head still spinning from the last hit. For a brief second, he thought he was finally above it … that maybe this time, he wouldn't have to stoop to that level. But fate, it seemed, had other plans.
A low grunt escaped his throat, and less than a heartbeat later, a dull *thud* echoed through the room as Blaze suddenly jerked backward, a strangled noise ripping from his mouth.
IAM slowly pushed himself up onto all fours, his breathing rough, blood dripping from his chin to the floor below. His balance wavered slightly as his vision steadied—just enough to make out the pathetic sight before him.
Blaze was doubled over, both hands clutching his most precious treasure, his body twitching uncontrollably. His face twisted in agony, his words spilling out in broken, nonsensical fragments.
"Ags—ghk—why…? Gsbs… nngh… wh-why yyy… wwj—ssb…"
IAM spat a mouthful of blood to the side, his expression flat. He watched Blaze writhe for another moment before muttering in a slow detached voice,
"Nothing much… just... Uh...tradition. "