Little Daniel stepped between Big Daniel and the others. His eyes stayed on his other body's inverted gaze. "Everyone stay back. I'll handle this."
Vasco moved forward anyway. "We came to help you. We're not leaving you alone with this."
Vin Jin rolled his shoulders. "Besides, that thing isn't Daniel anymore."
Jihan cracked his knuckles. "Four on one should work."
Big Daniel's head tilted slightly. His inverted eyes fixed on Little Daniel. He stepped forward.
Little Daniel moved first. He closed the distance with a straight punch aimed at Big Daniel's face. Big Daniel slipped to the left. The punch passed over his shoulder. Little Daniel followed with a low kick. Big Daniel lifted his knee and checked it. The impact sent a jolt through Little Daniel's shin.
Big Daniel countered with a jab. Little Daniel weaved under it and threw a hook at Big Daniel's ribs. Big Daniel caught the wrist and twisted it. Little Daniel rotated with the twist and threw his other elbow at Big Daniel's temple. Big Daniel released the wrist and leaned back. The elbow missed by inches.
Jihan came in from the side with a hand-blade strike aimed at Big Daniel's neck. Big Daniel turned and caught his wrist mid-strike. Jihan threw his other hand at Big Daniel's face. Big Daniel caught that wrist too. He held both of Jihan's wrists and pulled Jihan's arms wide. Jihan tried to pull free but Big Daniel's grip was unbreakable.
Big Daniel yanked Jihan forward and drove his knee into Jihan's stomach. The air rushed out of Jihan's lungs. Big Daniel released one wrist and threw a straight punch at Jihan's face. The punch connected clean. Jihan's head snapped back and he stumbled.
"Fuck," Jihan muttered.
Vasco charged from the other side. He threw a straight punch with his full strength behind it. Big Daniel turned and caught Vasco's fist in his palm. His fingers closed around it. Vasco's forward momentum stopped completely.
Vasco pulled back but Big Daniel's grip didn't break. Vasco threw his other fist at Big Daniel's face. Big Daniel tilted his head and the punch grazed his cheek. He yanked Vasco forward and drove his knee into Vasco's stomach. Vasco gasped. Big Daniel released him and Vasco stumbled backward.
Vin Jin moved in from behind. He grabbed Big Daniel's shoulder and belt from behind and pulled him backward for a throw. Big Daniel dropped his weight and spread his stance. Vin Jin couldn't lift him.
"Shit, this bastard's heavy," Vin Jin said through gritted teeth.
Big Daniel reached back and grabbed Vin Jin's wrist. He twisted it and rotated his body. Vin Jin's grip broke and Big Daniel threw him over his shoulder.
Vin Jin hit the ground hard. "Fucking hell!" He rolled and came up to his feet immediately.
Little Daniel came in with a spinning back kick. Big Daniel caught Little Daniel's ankle. He twisted it and threw Little Daniel into the wall. Little Daniel hit hard and the concrete cracked behind him. He dropped to the ground and pushed himself up immediately.
Jihan recovered and came in with a flurry of strikes. A jab to the face, a straight to the chest, a hook to the ribs, and a knee to the stomach. Big Daniel moved through the combination. He slipped the jab, blocked the straight with his forearm, caught the hook on his elbow, and grabbed Jihan's knee before it connected. He twisted Jihan's leg and swept Jihan's standing leg. Jihan hit the ground hard.
Vasco charged again. He threw a jumping knee at Big Daniel's ribs. Big Daniel turned his body and the knee glanced off his hip. He grabbed Vasco's collar and threw a straight punch at his face. Vasco jerked his head to the side. The punch grazed his temple. Big Daniel grabbed Vasco's head with both hands and pulled it down while bringing his knee up. Vasco's face met Big Daniel's knee. Blood sprayed from Vasco's nose.
Vasco stumbled backward. Blood ran down his face but he stayed on his feet. He wiped the blood away with his forearm. "I can keep going."
Vin Jin came in from Big Daniel's blind spot. He grabbed Big Daniel's arm and dropped his weight for a shoulder throw. Big Daniel planted his feet and didn't move. Vin Jin adjusted his grip and tried again. Big Daniel remained rooted.
"Move, you piece of shit!" Vin Jin snarled.
Big Daniel threw an elbow backward into Vin Jin's ribs. The elbow connected and Vin Jin's grip loosened. Big Daniel spun and threw a backfist at Vin Jin's temple.
Little Daniel intercepted. He caught Big Daniel's wrist with both hands. The force pushed him back several inches. Big Daniel pulled his arm free and threw a hook at Little Daniel's head. Little Daniel ducked under it and drove his fist into Big Daniel's stomach. The punch connected solidly but Big Daniel didn't react. He grabbed Little Daniel's hair and pulled him into a headbutt. Their foreheads collided. Little Daniel's vision blurred for a moment.
Jihan was back up. He threw a hand-blade strike at Big Daniel's throat. Big Daniel released Little Daniel and caught Jihan's wrist. He twisted Jihan's arm and threw him over his shoulder. Jihan hit the ground and the concrete cracked beneath him.
"Damn it," Jihan gasped.
Vasco came in with another attack. He threw a powerful overhand right at Big Daniel's head. Big Daniel raised his forearm and blocked it. The force of the punch pushed his arm down. Vasco followed with an uppercut to Big Daniel's chin. Big Daniel leaned back and it grazed his jaw. He grabbed Vasco's extended arm and twisted it behind Vasco's back. Vasco struggled but couldn't break free. Big Daniel drove his knee into Vasco's spine. Vasco gasped but stayed on his feet.
Big Daniel released him and Vasco stumbled forward. He turned around immediately and raised his fists again. "I won't give up."
Vin Jin moved in fast. He grabbed Big Daniel's collar from behind with both hands and dropped his weight. He pulled Big Daniel backward and down. Big Daniel's feet left the ground. Vin Jin executed the throw and Big Daniel's back hit the concrete. The floor cracked beneath him.
"Got you now, bastard!" Vin Jin kept his grip on the collar and tried to transition into a choke. Big Daniel reached up and grabbed Vin Jin's wrists. His fingers dug into Vin Jin's arms. Vin Jin felt the pressure on his wrists. His grip loosened. Big Daniel pushed him off and rolled to his feet.
"Fuck!" Vin Jin scrambled backward.
Little Daniel was waiting. He threw a straight punch at Big Daniel's temple. Big Daniel turned and deflected it with his forearm. Little Daniel followed with a low kick that Big Daniel checked. Little Daniel threw an uppercut at Big Daniel's chin. Big Daniel leaned back and it missed. He grabbed Little Daniel's extended arm and pulled him into a knee strike.
Jihan intercepted. He shoved Big Daniel's knee down before it connected. Big Daniel released Little Daniel and grabbed Jihan's collar. He threw a straight punch at Jihan's face. The punch connected and Jihan's head snapped back. Blood ran from his nose. Big Daniel threw another punch to the same spot. Jihan's legs buckled and he dropped to one knee.
Vasco charged with a low kick aimed at Big Daniel's lead leg. Big Daniel lifted his knee and checked it. The impact sent shockwaves through both their legs. Vasco threw another kick to the same spot. Big Daniel checked it again. Vasco's leg throbbed but he kept attacking.
Big Daniel threw a straight punch at Vasco's face. Vasco took it on his jaw. His head turned with the impact but he stayed standing. He grabbed Big Daniel's extended arm with both hands and pulled him into a knee strike. The knee drove into Big Daniel's ribs. Big Daniel absorbed it without reaction and threw a hook at Vasco's temple with his free hand.
Vin Jin grabbed Big Daniel's wrist before the punch connected. A red glint appeared in Vin Jin's eyes as he used strength mastery. His grip was tremendous. Big Daniel tried to pull his arm free but Vin Jin held firm. Big Daniel threw a kick at Vin Jin's knee. Vin Jin absorbed the impact and pulled Big Daniel's arm down. He drove his knee up at Big Daniel's face.
Big Daniel jerked his head to the side. The knee passed by his ear. He twisted his trapped arm and broke Vin Jin's grip. His elbow came down on Vin Jin's thigh. Vin Jin felt the impact. His leg buckled slightly.
"Son of a bitch," Vin Jin muttered.
Little Daniel came in from behind. He grabbed Big Daniel's shoulders and pulled him backward. Big Daniel dropped his weight and planted his feet. Little Daniel couldn't move him. Big Daniel reached back and grabbed Little Daniel's wrists. He pulled Little Daniel over his shoulder and threw him. Little Daniel hit the ground hard.
Jihan was back on his feet. Blood covered his face from his broken nose. He threw a hand-blade strike at Big Daniel's ribs. Big Daniel turned his body and the strike glanced off. He grabbed Jihan's arm and twisted it. Jihan rotated with the twist to avoid injury. Big Daniel pulled him close and threw a short hook at his jaw. The punch connected. Jihan's eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground. He didn't move.
Vasco wiped the blood from his face and charged again. He threw a combination of punches with everything he had. Big Daniel moved through them. He slipped some, blocked others, and absorbed the ones that connected. Each punch Vasco threw had power behind it but Big Daniel's body took them without visible damage. Big Daniel caught one of Vasco's fists and pulled him into a knee strike. The knee buried itself in Vasco's stomach. Vasco doubled over.
Big Daniel grabbed the back of Vasco's head and pulled it down while bringing his knee up. The knee connected with Vasco's face. More blood sprayed. Vasco stumbled backward. His legs were unsteady now. Big Daniel walked toward him and threw a straight punch at his face. The punch connected clean. Vasco dropped to one knee. Blood dripped from his mouth onto the floor.
"I have to protect everyone," Vasco said through the blood. He tried to stand but his legs shook.
Little Daniel recovered and came in fast. He threw a combination that mirrored one he had seen Big Daniel use before. A jab, a straight, a hook, and an uppercut. Big Daniel moved through it identically. He slipped the jab, parried the straight, weaved under the hook, and caught the uppercut on his forearm. Their movements were perfectly synchronized.
Little Daniel threw a low kick. Big Daniel threw the same kick at the same time. Their shins collided mid-air. Both pulled back and reset. Little Daniel threw a spinning back fist. Big Daniel threw one too. Their fists met in the air between them. The impact sent a shockwave through both their arms.
They stood facing each other for a moment. Little Daniel's breathing was slightly labored. Big Daniel's chest rose and fell at the same steady pace it always did. The perfect body never tired.