Gun lay in the crater, blood trickling from his mouth. Then his fingers twitched.
He pressed his palms against the shattered concrete and pushed himself up slowly. A low chuckle escaped his lips, growing louder until it became full-throated laughter.
"This is troubling." Gun's voice was calm, but when he raised his head, his eyes gleamed with pure, unrestrained madness. Blood streamed down his face, yet his grin only widened. "I love this too much!"
He removed his jacket and tossed it aside. Gun exploded forward with terrifying speed, his fist aimed at Seongji's midsection. Seongji shifted his weight and deflected the blow with his forearm, but Gun was already transitioning—his other hand snapped up toward Seongji's throat.
Seongji caught the hand mere inches from his neck, but Gun used the grip as leverage, swinging his entire body around and driving his knee into Seongji's ribs.
Seongji grunted but didn't release his hold. Instead, he pulled Gun closer and drove his forehead into Gun's face with brutal force. Gun's nose shattered with a sickening crunch, blood spraying across both their faces.
"YES!" Gun roared, driving his elbow into Seongji's temple.
Seongji's vision blurred, but his grip remained tight. He pivoted, using Gun's momentum against him, and executed a devastating back throw that sent Gun crashing through a parked car's windshield.
Gun lay among the shattered glass for a moment, then sat up, plucking a shard from his shoulder without even looking at it. "Be even faster!" he shouted.
He stood atop the crushed car hood. "Be even stronger!"
Gun launched himself off the car in a spinning kick. Seongji raised his arms to block. The kick connected with Seongji's guard, but the shockwave traveled through his arms and into his chest.
"MAKE ME MORE MISERABLE!" Gun roared.
Before Seongji could counter, Gun landed and immediately swept his legs. Seongji crashed to the ground, and Gun was on him instantly, raining down punches.
"MAKE ME POWERLESS!" Gun roared again.
Seongji caught one of the punches mid-strike and squeezed. Gun's eyes widened slightly as he felt the bones in his hand beginning to compress. Seongji used the moment to buck Gun off him and roll to his feet.
"You're a maniac," Seongji said quietly, wiping blood from his mouth.
Gun's grin returned. "Right. That's what I am!"
"Why are you doing this?" Seongji's voice was low. "You hurt those boys because you could. Why do you have to go so far to eliminate them?"
"Tch." Gun spat blood to the side. "Those kids jumped into a world they didn't understand. I'm just forcing them to face reality—power is the only truth that matters."
"Then let me teach you a different lesson."
Seongji moved first this time. He closed the distance in two massive strides and grabbed for Gun's waist, but Gun twisted away, delivering a sharp kick to Seongji's knee. Seongji's leg buckled slightly, and Gun immediately capitalized, driving his knee into Seongji's face.
Blood exploded from Seongji's nose, but he used the momentum to grab Gun's leg and lift him completely off the ground. Gun found himself airborne, and Seongji slammed him down with such force that the pavement cracked.
Gun coughed, blood spattering the concrete. The manic light in his eyes never dimmed. He rolled to the side just as Seongji's foot came down where his head had been.
"Good," Gun admitted, pushing himself up on shaking arms. "What will you show me now?"
Gun's next attack was a blur. He feinted left, then struck right, his fist connecting with Seongji's ribs exactly where he'd been hit earlier. Seongji gasped, and Gun followed with a devastating uppercut that lifted Seongji off his feet.
As Seongji fell backward, Gun jumped and came down with a double axe-handle strike to his chest. They both crashed to the ground, Seongji on his back, Gun on top of him.
"It's over," Gun said, pulling back his fist.
Seongji's hand shot up and caught Gun's wrist. His other hand grabbed Gun's collar. "No," he said, his voice strained. "It's not."
With a roar, Seongji sat up while simultaneously pulling Gun down and forward. Their heads collided. Both men's vision went white.
When the world came back into focus, they were both on their knees, facing each other, breathing hard.
They stood simultaneously, swaying slightly. Gun raised his fists. Seongji took his stance. For a moment, neither moved.
Then they charged.
Their fists were about to collide in mid-air when—
*Brrring! Brrring!*
Both of them stopped. Gun took out his broken phone and received the call. After a moment, he lowered the phone.
"Guess our fight will have to wait for another day."
---
"Fuck! Why is it so dark here? Wasn't there a lamppost?" Baki grunted. He took out a key and entered the building. Inside, he found Vin Jin, Warren, Max, and Derrick bandaged all over.
"Fuck! Is it Halloween or something? Why are you guys playing mummy?" Baki shouted. Sujin, who was tending to Vin Jin, immediately rushed over. "Baki-hyung, where were you all this time?!"
Baki scratched his head. "At work? Why? What happened?"