Portside Gym - 9:02 PM
The air inside the gym felt different now.
Heavy.
Like it knew something brutal was about to happen.
Eli stood at the center of the stripped boxing ring, eyes half-lidded, blood still fresh under one nostril. Around him, the Drift encircled the gym floor—fifteen strong, maybe more—each one armed, scarred, or twitching with anticipation.
Geon Hak leaned on the top of the broken bleachers, arms crossed, smirking. "You came. Alone."
Eli exhaled slowly, shoulders relaxed. "Your math's off. I count twelve guys, one mini-boss, and a mascot."
The Drift shifted. One guy with a buzzcut and facial scars spat on the floor. Another cracked his neck.
Hyeon Do stepped forward.
Knuckle dusters already on. His black tank top soaked with sweat. His eyes weren't cocky—they were calculating.
"He's not one of ours," Geon Hak said. "He's a bullet. I'm just aiming him."
Eli smirked, stretching his neck until it cracked. "Cool. Let's see if he bounces."
The First Hit
Hyeon Do didn't wait.
He moved fast—low stance, no telegraph. Just pure muscle and sharp instincts. He blitzed forward with a driving right straight.
Eli tilted sideways, just enough.
CRACK— The punch clipped air.
Eli's left hand countered—straight to the jaw.
Hyeon Do grunted but didn't fall. He pushed forward again, this time launching a short elbow.
THWACK. It landed. Eli staggered back, blood flicking from his lip.
He wiped his mouth and smiled, eyes darkening.
"That it?"
Then he vanished.
Godkiller Step.
A blur forward.
Inhuman speed.
No buildup.
He was inside Hyeon Do's guard before the next breath.
A clean downward shot slammed into Hyeon Do's collarbone—nerve cluster.
CRACK.
Hyeon Do's right arm twitched, going numb.
Eli rotated his hips—another strike. Right into the solar plexus.
The bigger man buckled, knees threatening to drop.
But he didn't. He swung wild, catching Eli in the ribs with a glancing blow.
Eli absorbed it, grinning.
"Stubborn. I like that."
The Circle Breaks
Geon Hak snapped his fingers. The Drift boys surged forward.
Four from the sides. One with a pipe. Two bare-knuckle. One with a broken table leg.
Eli sidestepped the pipe swing. Swept low. Death Fall activated.
First shift—sweep the right foot.
Second—twist the elbow and shoulder.
Third—plant knee behind ankle.
BANG. The thug slammed into the floor, his body not understanding what had happened.
Eli stomped his head. Done.
Two others lunged.
Eli caught one's wrist mid-swing, turned it inward, shattered the elbow with a sharp twist.
"Gotta protect the frame, idiot."
The other went low.
Eli used his momentum. Full Counter.
He rotated into the tackle—knee to temple.
POP.
Down.
Mid-Boss Enters: Kangro, the Dirty Switchblade
From the back, a thin man with a scar running across his forehead stepped out. A flick-knife glinted in his hand.
"You're bleeding now, Nam," he said. "Time to see if you like it."
Eli didn't flinch. "Nice accessory. You gonna use it or show it to girls after class?"
Kangro rushed him with a flurry of slashes. Eli barely avoided the first two.
One caught him across the forearm—shallow but enough to sting.
Kangro pressed forward, footwork fast, snakelike. Eli dropped low, used a wooden crate as cover, then launched upward with a brutal shoulder slam.
Kangro staggered back but recovered fast. Slashed again—grazed Eli's cheek.
Blood dripped.
Eli smiled.
He stepped inside the next swing and snapped his head forward.
Headbutt.
Kangro reeled. Then Eli stomped his foot, locked the wrist, and bent the knife hand backwards—
SNAP.
Kangro screamed. Eli kicked him square in the chest—sent him flying into a row of lockers.
"Next."
Geon Hak Cracks
He watched as Eli dismantled his squad like moving mannequins.
One after another, they fell.
"HIT HIM TOGETHER!" he screamed.
Three more charged.
One got close enough.
Eli stopped smiling.
He let the fist hit his forearm. Took the pain. Then slammed a Godkiller punch right into the man's throat.
The man gagged, fell wheezing.
Eli kicked him aside.
"Still breathing. You're welcome."
Final Showdown
Only Hyeon Do and Eli remained upright.
Both bloodied. Breathing hard.
"You don't belong here," Hyeon Do growled. "This isn't your city."
Eli's voice dropped. Cold. Final.
"I'm not here to belong. I'm here to take."
They clashed—two final strikes.
Hyeon Do with a left hook.
Eli ducked. Came up with a brutal uppercut.
CRACK.
Hyeon Do's jaw snapped sideways. He collapsed.
Geon Hak's mouth opened. But he said nothing.
Eli turned to him.
Limped to a locker.
Opened it. Took out a can of red spray paint.
Tagged the wall:
YOU MISSED.
Then walked out without a word.
Outside – Minutes Later
Samuel stood under an awning, flipping a coin.
He saw Eli limp past. Bloodied. Smirking.
"Report?" Samuel asked, deadpan.
Eli didn't stop walking.
"Used half a tank. Broke everyone. Still bored."
Samuel pocketed the coin.
Rain fell. The street glowed.
Phase 2 had begun.